A "925" stamp is easy to fake. Anyone with a cheap steel punch can press it into plated brass in a few seconds. So the stamp on its own does not prove much. To identify real 925 sterling silver jewellery, you need to check a few things together: the authenticity of the seller, the weight, the finish, and how the seller describes the piece. This guide covers all of them. It is written for buyers in India, where the fakes on the market are often not the ones the internet warns you about.

What "925" actually means

Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metal. That other metal is mostly copper. This is all the number "925" means. Pure silver on its own is too soft. It bends easily and cannot hold a clasp or a sharp design. The small amount of copper makes it strong enough to wear every day, and it still keeps silver's bright shine.

Jewellers measure silver purity in parts per thousand. They call this fineness. The main grades are:

• 999 is fine silver, or 99.9% pure.
• 958 is Britannia silver.
• 925 is sterling silver, the usual grade for jewellery.
• 835 and 800 have more base metal and turn up in some old or European pieces.

You may also see "S925", ".925" or "STG" on a piece. They all mean the same thing: 92.5% sterling silver. They are just short forms.

Start with the hallmark, but know how silver hallmarking works in India

In India, the best single sign of purity is a BIS hallmark. It is also the most misunderstood one. Silver does not work like gold here, and most guides get this part wrong.

What a BIS silver hallmark looks like now

In September 2025, BIS updated its silver rule to IS 2112:2025. Under the new rule, a silver hallmark has three parts:

• the BIS mark, shown with the word SILVER;
• the purity grade, such as 925 or 990; and
• a six-character HUID (Hallmark Unique Identification) code.

The rule now covers seven grades: 800, 835, 925, 958, 970, 990 and 999. The old rule (IS 2112:2014) used four marks and had no HUID code. So an older hallmarked piece can look a little different and still be real.

Silver hallmarking is not mandatory, and that changes how you read it

This is the part most guides skip. For gold jewellery in India, hallmarking is required by law. For silver, it is not. It is still optional. BIS has said it wants to make it compulsory later, but no date is fixed yet.

Two things come out of this, and both matter.

First, a real silver piece may have no hallmark at all. The jeweller may have simply chosen not to pay for one. So a missing hallmark does not mean a piece is fake.

Second, a "925" stamped on by hand, with no BIS mark next to it, is not a hallmark. It is only the seller's claim. Read the two very differently.

The one check that really works: the HUID

If a piece is hallmarked, you can check it yourself in under a minute. Download the BIS Care app. Type in the six-character HUID from the piece. The app then shows you the item type, the purity grade, the date it was hallmarked, the testing centre, and the jeweller's registration number. Match this with your bill. If the app shows nothing, or the details do not match, do not buy it.

This is where you can test a brand instead of just trusting it. HS925, for example, hallmarks its pieces in 92.5 sterling silver, and each one gets a HUID that you can check on the BIS Care app yourself. You can see how the brand explains purity on its purity and hallmarking FAQ. The brand is not the point. The point is that you should be able to run this check on anything you buy.

Home tests, and what each one really tells you

You will find many home tests online. Some help a little. Some can damage your jewellery. It is worth knowing the difference before you pour bleach on your grandmother's chain.

Tests that help

• The magnet test, as a first check. Silver is not magnetic. If a piece jumps to a magnet, it has a lot of iron in it and is not real silver. But read the next section before you trust a "pass", because many fakes are not magnetic either.
• A test by a jeweller. A jeweller can do an acid test on a hidden spot, or an XRF scan, which reads the metal with no scratch at all. For a big purchase, this is the test that gives a clear answer.

Tests that do not tell you much

• The ice test. Silver does carry heat well, and ice does melt faster on it. But it melts fast on aluminium and copper too, and it is hard to judge the speed with your eyes.
• The smell test and the "ring" test. Real silver has almost no smell and can make a clear ringing sound. But skin oil, plating and the shape of the piece all change this. These are hints, not proof.

Tests to avoid

• Bleach, vinegar and other home chemicals. Yes, silver goes dark when it touches bleach. But so do other metals, so this does not really prove purity. Worse, it can stain the piece, strip the plating, or harm the stones. Do not test jewellery with something that can ruin jewellery.

The "German silver" trap, and other common fakes in India

German silver has no silver in it at all. It is a mix of copper, nickel and zinc that just looks pale and shiny. German silver has no iron, so it is not really magnetic. That means it passes the magnet test easily. It is lighter than sterling, so the weight test can catch it. And it never has a hallmark, because you cannot hallmark a metal with no silver in it. That missing hallmark is the clue. If a seller calls a piece "silver", the price looks too low, and there is no hallmark or HUID, treat it as German silver or silver-plated brass until you are sure.

Plated pieces are the other common type. Here, a thin layer of real silver (or gold over silver) sits on top of a cheaper metal. Plating is not a lie when the seller tells you about it. In fact, a lot of good jewellery is plated on purpose, including gold-finished silver. The problem starts when a plated piece is sold as solid silver. Over time, the plating wears off at the edges and raised parts, and the base metal shows through. This usually happens first where a ring rubs your finger or a bangle rubs another bangle.

Buying 925 silver online, when you cannot hold it

When you buy online, you cannot feel the weight or use a magnet. So it becomes very important to check the authenticity of the brand and the people behind it.

Look for a clear purity of 92.5 or 925, a hallmark or HUID you can check after delivery, the weight in grams, and a clear note about any plating (not just "silver finish"). A proper return window matters too.

Read the metal line carefully. "Silver-plated", "silver-toned", "German silver" and "silver-look" all mean the same thing: not sterling silver. Careful sellers use these words on purpose. If a listing only says "silver" and never gives a number, that silence is telling you something.

A quick checklist to identify real 925 sterling silver

Before you pay, run through this:

• Is there a full BIS hallmark, not just a "925" stamped by hand?
• If it is hallmarked, does the HUID show up on the BIS Care app and match your bill?
• Does the piece feel heavy for its size, and does a magnet leave it alone?
• Has the seller given the purity as a number and told you about any plating?
• Is there a return window if the piece is not what was described?

No single answer proves it on its own. Together, they are very hard to fake.

Frequently asked questions

Does a "925" stamp prove jewellery is real sterling silver?

No. A "925" pressed on by hand is only the seller's claim, and it takes seconds to fake on plated brass. Proof comes from a full BIS hallmark with a HUID you can verify, backed up by weight, finish and a clear metal description.

Is silver hallmarking mandatory in India?

Not yet. As of the September 2025 update to IS 2112:2025, HUID-based silver hallmarking is voluntary, unlike gold, which is mandatory. Because of this, a genuine silver piece may carry no hallmark at all, so a missing hallmark on its own does not mean the piece is fake.

How do I check a silver HUID?

Download the BIS Care app, enter the six-character HUID from the piece, and read back the item type, purity grade, hallmarking date, testing centre and jeweller's registration number. Match those details against your bill. If nothing shows up, or the details do not match, walk away.

Does the magnet test confirm real silver?

Only partly. Silver is not magnetic, so a strong pull points to an iron-heavy fake. But German silver and silver-plated brass are not magnetic either, so they pass this test. Use the magnet as a first filter, never as the final word.

The bottom line

To identify real 925 sterling silver jewellery, do not trust just one sign. A stamp can lie. A hallmark can be checked. Weight can be measured. A seller's words can be read. Put them all together, and it is not hard to spot the real thing, in a shop or online.

If you want a place to start where the metal is clearly proven, not just claimed, look at HS925's polki, kundan and temple silver jewellery collections. Every piece there is hallmarked 92.5 sterling silver.