Pure silver (999 fine silver) is 99.9% silver with minimal trace elements, while sterling silver is 92.5% silver combined with 7.5% other metals (usually copper), denoted by the "925" hallmark. This distinction matters tremendously for jewelry! Pure silver, though beautiful, is extremely soft and impractical for everyday wear—it bends, scratches, and deforms easily. Sterling's added metals provide crucial durability without significantly compromising silver's natural beauty or value. Sterling maintains the gorgeous luster we associate with silver while offering practical wearability. It may tarnish slightly faster than pure silver due to the copper content, but this trade-off in maintenance is well worth the significant gain in strength and longevity.