“925 Sun” is a mark confirming the composition (purity) of the material making up the jewelry, as well as a manufacturing stamp.
What Does 925 Sun Mean On Jewelry (EXPLAINED)
In General, 925 Sun Means…
While it is not consistent throughout the world and over time, it is generally accepted that the 925 marked on a piece of jewelry indicates that the piece is made up of sterling silver, at 925 parts per 1,000 fine silver.
The remainder 75 parts could be any number of materials to make the allow, such as gold, copper, titanium, chromium, and others.
The “sun” on the jewelry is usually an indicator of who made the piece.
The sun might indicate that the piece was made by Sun-Jewelry, Co, Ltd, a jewelry manufacturer who specializes in 925 silver jewelry, as well as stainless steel products and accessories.
But given the breadth and size of the world, the sun might indicate another company.
What Does 925 Sun Mean On Gold Jewelry?
Here’s the rub.
If the jewelry looks like gold (meaning it is gold or yellow colored) but has the 925 mark on it, the jewelry probably isn’t actually gold.
Instead, it is probably sterling silver (as noted above).
The exterior of the piece may be gold, or a wash of some other substance on the outside to make the piece look like gold.
“Gold vermeil” is a common high quality jewelry that is silver made to look like gold.
To be sold as vermeil (pronounced “ver-may”) in the United States, the piece must:
- be made of at least 925 sterling silver (92.5% pure silver)
- be plated in gold that is at least 10 karats (meaning at least 41.7% gold)
- the gold plating must be at least 2.5 microns thick.
The requirements to be considered gold vermeil do vary from country to country, so make sure to ask about the amount of silver, the amount of gold, and the thickness of the plating.
What Does 925 Au Mean On Jewelry?
This is where things get tricky.
If your jewelry has the 925 stamp on it, it is generally accepted out in the world that the piece is sterling silver, regardless of what color it is or what it looks like.
There’s little to no chance that a piece marked with 925 is mostly gold.
Instead, it is probably sterling silver with gold plating on the outside.
If the piece was actually gold, you’d probably see a “kt” marking on the piece somewhere.
However.
“Au” is the symbol on the periodic table of elements for “gold.”
We also know that jewelry manufacturing is a global industry, and that not all products come out of countries consistent with the manufacturing processes of other countries.
You’ll see some information online representing that the 925 Au stamp is a sign that the piece is mostly gold, rather than silver.
If the piece is supposed to be “gold” and not “gold plated silver” then it might be worthwhile to resolve the composition of the piece with a jeweler.
If the piece is being sold by a jeweler as “gold” then it could be worthwhile to obtain a second opinion from an independent jeweler who has no incentive to make money off the sale of the piece.
The piece could actually be gold…but the marking is not standard and that tells us to be cautious.
Wrap Up
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