Solitaire rings · By metal
925 sterling silver solitaire rings
Sterling silver is 92.5 per cent silver, stamped 925. It is soft, it tarnishes, and over years of daily wear its claws loosen, which is why we do not recommend it for the engagement ring that is meant to last fifty years. It is also the right metal for some rings, and we make them: a placeholder solitaire to propose with before the real ring is designed and sized, a first ring for a budget that is not ready for gold, a ring for occasional wear. This page is for those, and it is honest about the rest.
Quoted on the stone · No list price · Last updated 2026-10-05
What silver can do, and what it cannot
Silver is about 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale against 18k gold at around 3 and platinum at 4 to 4.5. In practice that means it scratches easily, bends under a knock, and the claws that hold a stone thin and spread over a few years of constant wear until the stone is at risk. It also tarnishes against skin and air; a rhodium plating slows that for a year or two and then wears through. None of this matters for a ring worn occasionally. All of it matters for a ring that is never taken off.
So we set silver differently. A bezel, which runs metal all the way around the stone, holds far better in a soft metal than claws do and is what we recommend for every silver solitaire. The stone is the same stone we would set in gold: moissanite, GRA certified, or a lab-grown diamond, GIA certified. The certificate and the stone are yours, and when the time comes the stone is lifted out and reset into 18k gold or platinum. We do that often, and it is the point of a placeholder.
- The placeholder
- Propose with a silver moissanite or lab-grown solitaire, then design the real ring together with the right size and the stone she actually chose. The commonest reason people ask us for silver.
- The first ring
- A budget that is not ready for gold but wants a certified stone now. The stone moves to gold later; the silver band is the only thing left behind.
- Occasional wear
- A ring for evenings rather than every day. Silver is fine for that, and a moissanite in a silver bezel is a lot of stone for very little.
Silver, 14k or 18k for the stone you have chosen
If the ring is for life and will be worn daily, 18k gold or platinum, and we will say so even if you ask for silver. If the budget is the constraint and the ring is for life, 14k gold is the honest step up from silver: it is hard, it holds claws, and the metal cost is a fraction of the stone. If the ring is a placeholder or an occasional piece, silver with a bezel, and put the money into the stone, which is the part that moves with you.
Silver is not hallmarked by BIS in the way gold is, though a 925 stamp is standard and ours carry it. Re-polishing is free for life on silver too, and re-plating is quoted when you need it.
How a ring is made here
The process is the same for every ring. We talk, by video or in person in Bengaluru. We source the stone for you and send its certificate. A designer draws the ring and you approve the renders before any metal is poured. The makers we work with cut and set it in 18k gold or 950 platinum. You see photographs of the finished ring before it ships, insured and tracked, with an insurance valuation in the box.
Every stone comes with its certificate: GIA for lab-grown diamonds, IGI for natural diamonds and GRA for moissanite. The report number is yours to look up on the lab's own site before the ring is made.
Questions people ask
Is a silver engagement ring a bad idea?
For the ring that is meant to last fifty years of daily wear, yes: silver is soft, it tarnishes and its claws loosen. As a placeholder to propose with, a first ring or an occasional piece, it is a sensible one, and the stone moves to gold or platinum later.
Can you reset the stone from a silver ring into gold later?
Yes, and that is the point of a placeholder. The stone and its certificate are yours; when the real ring is designed, it is lifted out and set in 18k gold or platinum. Only the silver band is left behind.
Does sterling silver tarnish?
Yes. Rhodium plating slows it for a year or two, then wears through. A silver polishing cloth brings it back, and re-plating is quoted when you want it. Gold and platinum do not tarnish.
Which stone suits a silver ring?
Moissanite, usually: a lot of fire for the money and GRA certified. A lab-grown diamond works too and is the stone most often moved to gold later. We set either in a bezel rather than claws, because a bezel holds in soft metal.
Why do you make silver if you recommend against it?
Because the placeholder proposal, the first ring and the occasional piece are real needs, and silver serves them well. We would rather make a good silver ring with an honest explanation than send you to somebody who will call it an engagement ring for life.
Start with the stone, not the silver
Tell us what the ring is for, a placeholder, a first ring or an occasional piece, and we will quote the stone with a silver bezel now and the same stone in gold or platinum for later, so you can see both numbers before deciding.