How to Buy Sterling Silver Gothic Jewellery That Lasts

There is a lot of gothic jewellery about, and a wide gap between the pieces that last and the pieces that turn your finger green by the second week. Here is how to tell them apart before you buy.

Sterling silver, plated, and "silver tone"

Sterling silver is solid silver, 92.5 percent, alloyed for strength. It is the same material all the way through. Scratch it and you find more silver.

Silver plated is a thin silver layer over a base metal. It looks identical on day one. Once the plating wears through, and on a ring it always does, the base metal underneath is what sits against your skin.

Silver tone or silver colour contains no silver whatsoever.

Look for the 925 stamp

Genuine sterling silver carries a 925 stamp, usually inside a ring band or on the back of a pendant. On UK sold silver above a certain weight you will also find a hallmark.

If a listing does not say sterling silver and does not mention a stamp, assume it is plated. Reputable sellers say so plainly, because it is the reason their price is what it is.

Why it matters more for skull rings

A skull ring is worn on the hand, which takes more knocks and more washing than anywhere else. Detailed casting on a plated ring wears first at the high points, on the brow and the cheekbones, and once it goes it cannot be repaired.

Solid silver wears differently. The recesses darken, the raised areas stay bright, and the detail sharpens rather than disappears. A good skull ring looks better after two years.

Weight tells you a lot

Pick a piece up. Solid silver has a density that plated base metal does not. If a substantial looking ring feels light, it is hollow, plated, or both.

Tarnish is normal, and reversible

Silver darkens in air. This is not damage and not a fault. A silver polishing cloth brings it straight back, and many people prefer some darkening in the recesses because it is what makes detail readable.

To slow it down, keep pieces in a closed box rather than open on a shelf, and take rings off before swimming or cleaning. Chlorine and bleach do real harm.

Buying with sensitive skin

If costume jewellery has irritated you before, the usual culprit is nickel in the base metal under the plating. Solid sterling silver contains no nickel, which is why people who react to almost everything else are usually fine in silver.

In short

Look for 925. Judge it by weight. Expect tarnish and do not fear it. Buy one solid piece rather than three plated ones, because in two years you will still own the solid one.

Our sterling silver skull rings and sigil pendants are all solid silver, stamped, and shipped from the UK. If you are after the same approach in clothing, the Blood Supply range is where to look.