So, if you are looking for good quality gold-plated sterling silver rings, look for 925 jewelry (gold). Regarding value, 925 gold isn’t solid gold, but it’s still valuable since these pieces are made of high-quality sterling silver plated with relatively good-quality gold. The 925-hallmark stamp is not applicable to sterling silver alone. Gold is also marked for purity using the 925 stamps of authenticity. It’s also important to know that silver’s rating is based on the grading system, while the rating of gold is based on gold’s purity or karatage.

Therefore, jewelers add other metals to pure silver to make the precious metal harder and durable, and to create the intricate rings you are now looking at. Encourage your loved one to try on their friends or family members’ rings so you can get a better idea of what their ring size might be.If your partner is likely to notice the disappearance of a ring, then carefully draw around the inside of it on a piece of paper, for a more approximate ring size guide. You can then bring this piece of paper into one of our UK stores, where we will be able to get a good estimate of sizing. gold is cheaper than rings made of solid gold, and these pieces also boasts a beautiful and classic gold luster. At the end of the day, however, your decision is determined by your preference. For purity, there are several notable ways of determining whether that ring is made of genuine sterling silver or not. The following are a few tips for secretly obtaining your partner's ring size, gleaned from the collective knowledge of our experienced team here at Goldsmiths. Once you have discovered your partner's size, you will be better able to peruse our extensive collection of diamond solitaire and gem-set engagement rings in a full choice of precious metals. The use of this mark stems from the fact that gold is one of rarest precious metals mined, which means that it’s valued highly.

Once you’ve run the purity test, the jeweler will go ahead to value the piece based on the purity results, the weight of the piece, and the current market value of the piece. Understanding the importance of the 925 stamps is important because its use isn’t limited to sterling silver. In gold, it has a slightly different meaning. Encourage your loved one to try on their friends’ or family members’ rings so you can get a better idea of what their ring size might be. While sterling silver is cheaper than gold and other precious metals, there are many sterling silver imitations and fakes on the market today. In most cases, you will come across sterling silver that’s marketed as the real deal, but it then turns out that you were dealing with the fake with less than ideal silver content. Therefore, identification of the sterling silver using the 925 hallmarks is crucial.

The simplest way to find your partner's ring size is to 'borrow' a ring they already wear. As engagement and wedding rings are typically worn on the third finger of the left hand, it's perhaps unlikely that that finger is already adorned. Simply choose a ring usually worn on the middle finger instead, and be prepared to go down a size or two for the right fit.

If you are looking at value and timelessness in costume jewelry, you cannot go wrong with a sterling silver piece coated with gold/ gold vermeil, or 925 gold. But sometimes, these are not the only identification markers which is why you need to dig deeper and even run some simple tests. If you don't know your partners ring size the most popular ring size for a woman is 'M'. Small finger sizes tend to be around 'J' and large finger sizes around 'Q'. If necessary we can resize the ring for free at a later date. The gold-plated sterling silver piece of jewelry is also called gold vermeil. This technique is common with costume jewelry.Wrap a small piece of string around your partner’s finger while they’re sleeping and use a pen to mark where the ends meet. Take the string to a jeweller and you’ll receive an accurate measurement of ring size. Diamonds - or even cubic zirconia - look simply stunning paired with a silver band for the ultimate shining, sparkling ring, and you’ll find a beautiful collection of women’s silver rings (and sterling silver rings), both with and without diamonds, at Warren James. These rings make beautiful silver engagement rings, and there are plenty of plain silver bands to choose from if you’re looking for a wedding ring. Since the 925 stamp is not the ideal grading for gold’s purity, you should avoid such pieces when you are looking for a genuine sterling silver piece.

Our silver rings don’t just come with plain bands - some have a twisted or braided design, and some even have petal-inspired bands. Like sterling silver, the 925 stamp is the unit that denotes the quality and also the authenticity of a piece of metal. However, it has a different meaning where gold is involved, and it doesn’t mean that the ring you are looking at is made of 92.5% gold. For starters, sterling silver is not pure silver as you might have been made to believe. The truth is that there is no jewelry made of pure silver since pure silver is too soft to be molded into jewelry. For wide shank rings, we recommend going one size larger than your normal ring size, as this ring has a wider band.If you are considering a ring made of the precious metals, silver or gold, you need to be familiar with the standard features and identifiers of these metals. Otherwise, you will end up with a fake, at a price.