what does 800 mean on my silver jewelry?

Answer by  violetfade (51)

The number 800 on silver jewelry refers to the purity of the silver. A majority of silver contains traces of other metals,such as nickel.800 would indicate that your jewelry is 80 percent silver,and 20 percent other metals. The purest silver is stamped .999,meaning trace amounts of other metal are present.

Answer by  Priestess (26)

The "800" on your silver jewelry means that it's compounded of 80% silver and 20% of another alloy, usually copper, although nickel was used in some earlier pieces. This grade of silver is inferior to Sterling Silver which is made of at least 92.5% pure silver.

Answer by  Peg (459)

The mark 800 is a mark of the fineness of the sterling silver used in silver jewelry. It can also be used to identify and the maker of the jewelry. The mark is a European mark, and it is used to denote that the piece was made between 1838 to 1961 if made in France.

Answer by  Gfaaw (143)

That means that the piece is only 80% silver, with the other 20% some other metal like nickle. The 800 number comes from 800/1000 hence 80% is real silver.

Answer by  Bsjinx (97)

The number 800 refers to the millesinal fineness of the silver in your jewelry. In this case, it means that your jewelry is 80% pure silver.

Answer by  Anonymous

Is the 800 number still being used today in European jewelry?

Answer by  Anonymous

What does 900 mean on my pin?