No. German silver contains no silver at all. It's an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc, typically around 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc, and the name comes from its color and its history rather than from anything in the metal. If you've found those words on a pair of earrings she already owns, you now know what she's wearing. Our materials page sets out what we use instead.
Where the name came from
In the early 1800s, European metalworkers were trying to copy a white alloy imported from China, known as paktong. German manufacturers got there first and sold the result under names that leaned on silver, because a silvery white metal costing a fraction of the real thing was the whole commercial point.
The name stuck, and so did the habit. The same alloy is sold as:
- Nickel silver, the most common technical name
- Alpaca or alpaca silver, used widely in jewelry from Mexico and South America
- New silver or Argentan, older trade names
- EPNS, which stands for electroplated nickel silver, stamped on tableware with a thin layer of real silver over a nickel silver base
None of these contain silver as an ingredient. EPNS carries a surface layer of it, and that's all.
What's actually in it
Copper, the majority. Usually somewhere around 60%. Copper makes the alloy easy to work, and it's also the metal behind green marks on skin.
Nickel, the color. Commonly between 10% and 30% depending on the alloy, with around 20% typical. Nickel is what turns a copper alloy white. Without it, you'd have brass.
Zinc, the balance. It hardens the alloy and brings the cost down.
That combination is excellent for plenty of things. Keys, zippers, guitar frets, musical instruments and cutlery have used it for generations, because it's hard, easy to shape and takes a good polish. None of those spend weeks pressed against the inside of a child's earlobe.
Why it matters in an earring
The nickel runs all the way through. With a plated item, there's at least a question of how long the surface lasts. With nickel silver there's no layer to wear through, because the nickel is in the metal from the front of the earring to the end of the post.
Nothing in the alloy is designed to hold the nickel in. Stainless steels contain nickel too, but the chromium in them forms a thin passive layer that resists corrosion, and corrosion is how nickel gets released onto skin. Nickel silver has no equivalent layer. It tarnishes and corrodes in contact with sweat, which is exactly the reaction you don't want happening inside a piercing.
Copper leaves its own marks. A green or dark ring on the lobe is the copper reacting, and it often shows up before any irritation does.
Nickel is the allergen that matters most here. Nickel allergy affects around one in five people in North America. A metal that's roughly a fifth nickel, with little corrosion resistance, is a poor match for prolonged contact with young skin.
How to tell whether it's real silver
Look for the stamp. Sterling silver is normally marked 925 or Sterling. German silver may carry no mark at all, or EPNS, Alpaca or Nickel Silver.
Read the listing word by word. "Silver tone", "silver color" and "silver finish" describe how something looks. They say nothing about what it's made of.
Treat "Tibetan silver" with caution. It's a trade name for a white metal that may contain little or no silver, and its composition isn't standardized.
Check the price against the claim. Silver has a metal value. A pair of silver earrings priced like costume jewelry is describing a color.
Don't rely on a magnet. Neither silver nor nickel silver is noticeably magnetic, so a magnet can't separate them.
Test for nickel if you need to know. A dimethylglyoxime swab turns pink when nickel is coming off the surface. It costs a few dollars and takes a minute. Swab the post and the back, not the front.
Nickel silver and nickel plated silver aren't the same thing
The names sit close enough to confuse anyone. Nickel silver is the solid alloy described above. Nickel plated silver usually means a base metal with a layer of nickel electroplated onto it, often with a silver colored finish on top. Both put nickel against her skin, and they just get there by different routes. We've covered the plated version in What is nickel plated silver?
Is German silver worth anything?
Very little as metal. Its value is the value of copper, nickel and zinc, which is a small fraction of silver's. A piece marked EPNS has a thin coat of silver over it that isn't recoverable in any practical amount. If you're asking because you're thinking of selling something, the maker and the design matter far more than the alloy.
What we do
When I was sourcing, suppliers wanted the sale, so the answer you got was usually the answer that closed it. German silver is a small example of the same pattern. The name isn't a lie about the color. It just leaves out the most important word, which is nickel.
purepixxi doesn't use German silver, nickel silver, sterling silver or any other white metal with a borrowed name. We use two materials, and in the Polished Surgical Steel range, only one.
S316L Surgical Steel, one alloy through the front, the post and the butterfly back, with nothing plated over it. It does contain nickel, as stainless steels do. It's designed to hold on to it, and we had that measured.
24K Pure Gold, which is pure 24 karat gold applied onto a S316L Surgical Steel core with Aunix™ 24K, our engineered gold finish. It's a gold-plating process, and we say so.
Independently tested by SGS to ASTM F2923, CPSIA and BSEN 71-3. Nickel release under EN 1811: not detected. Report BTO 341803/1, and you can ask me for it.
If you'd rather she wore a white metal with its real name on the label, the 4mm Flawless Crystal Stud Earrings in S316L Surgical Steel are one alloy throughout, with nothing plated over anything. The full range is on the Polished Surgical Steel collection.
Questions parents ask next
Does German silver tarnish? Yes. The copper in it reacts with air and sweat, and it can turn yellowish or dark over time. It polishes back, but tarnish on something worn in the skin is a sign the surface is reacting.
Is alpaca silver the same as German silver? Yes. Alpaca is another name for the same copper, nickel and zinc alloy, used particularly for jewelry made in Mexico and South America.
Does EPNS mean it's real silver? Only on the surface. EPNS is a nickel silver base with a thin layer of real silver electroplated over it. Once that layer wears, the base metal is what touches the skin.
She's worn German silver with no reaction. Is that fine? No reaction is a real result, and not everyone becomes sensitized. Sensitization can build with repeated exposure though, so it isn't a promise about next year.
Is German silver a good choice for pierced ears? It isn't a metal I'd choose for an earring. High nickel content in a copper base that corrodes is the combination you're trying to keep away from a piercing.
Related reading
- Why do earrings turn ears green?
- Is sterling silver safe for sensitive ears?
- Does nickel free actually mean nickel free?
- What are children's earrings actually made of?
About the author. Matt Westmore is the founder of purepixxi. He came to children's jewelry from manufacturing and sourcing rather than marketing, which means he has walked the factory floors and knows what is actually inside a product rather than what a label says about it. purepixxi uses two materials only, names them exactly, and has them independently tested.
