Silver

In the world of jewelry, silver is considered to be a "second rate" precious metal, having a much lower price tag than gold. Pure silver is denoted by the number 999, however it is never used in its pure form in jewelry and silverware because of its softness.

The highest silver content in use is 925 and is called sterling silver. Sterling silver is standard mainly in England, the US and France. Lower silver alloys are marked with 900 and 800 and are standard mainly in central and eastern Europe (in Russia, silver had been marked with 840 before the Soviet Revolution, and with 875 thereafter).

Many countries also have their own hallmarks for silver, such as the crown and moon seen on German silver, the eagle of the French, etc.