They look the same, but what is the actual difference between the silvers?
Most people will be aware of sterling silver - also known as 925 silver, which means it's 92.5% silver. The additional 7.5% is made up of other metals, usually copper. It is due to the copper content that sterling silver can be more prone to tarnishing.
Silver is usually alloyed with copper to make it harder wearing. The percentage of silver varies as follows:
Fine silver: 99.9% silver
Britannia silver: 95.8% silver
Argentium silver: 93.5% silver
Sterling silver: 925% silver
Fine silver is the softest, because of the purity. It’s not usually used for making items which have heavy everyday wear such as rings . It’s usually used to set stones with a bezel setting so the metal can be carefully pushed over the stone with less force.