When Silver Isn't Sterling
and how to know the difference
If your plans are to buy sterling silver - at estate sales, from pawn shops, or individuals selling items, you should know that not everything marked silver is sterling silver, i.e, jewelry clasps and jump rings, etc. There are some items - antiques, jewelry, antique mesh purses - that may be marked 'silver' but actually have no silver content at all!
Knowing the different names and marks that are used to identify these different types of silver can be a valuable asset when evaluating items for purchase.
How is pure silver defined and marked? Bullion silver (sterling) is defined as 1000 fine. Understanding the numerical marks used to define silver content vs. other metals that are added to silver for strength is very important to know just how much pure silver is in the item you are buying.
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The most common numerical hallmarks found are:
- .999 (999/1000 considered the same as sterling)
- .970 (970/1000)
- .925 (925/10000 found on most jewelry marked‘sterling’)
- .900 (900/1000)
- .800 (800/1000 typically found on foreign vintage jewelry)
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 For most sterling items, they will be marked with the word ‘Sterling’ or the numbers .999; however, if the item were manufactured in England, it may have the figure of a lion stamped on it.
The majority of sterling hollowware pieces, are marked ‘Sterling weighted’. This indicates the base has been filled and then covered with a thin layer of sterling. This weighting procedure makes the item more stable for use; however, if you are buying the item for scrap value, you want to take this fact into account when negotiating a price. You do not want to pay sterling prices when better than fifty-percent (50%) of your purchase is resin or plaster of paris. This is also true for the handles of some flatware, ie., knives, ladles, large serving pieces. For more information and to see a gallery of pictures of weighted sterling items, visit How to Buy Sterling.
While almost all sterling pieces will have some type of mark, you may find items with marks that sound like they are silver - but are not. When silver shopping watch out for the following:
- EPNS - Electroplated nickel silver*
- Silverplate - base metal covered with silver plating
- German Silver - no silver content*
- Alpaca or Alpaca Silver (found on some 'silver' imports) - no silver content*
* Nickel silver, German silver, Alpacca and Alpacca silver are an alloy of copper (60%), nickel (20%) and zinc (20%). (Percentages shown are ones used in a typical formula.)
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Although sounding like they should be silver, none of the four names listed above are sterling, although may have significant value for other reasons, i.e., antique value, antiquity or age. That being said, they should not be purchased at the price of sterling if buying only sterling is your intent.
If owning sterling silver is your goal - either for monetary or aesthetic reasons - knowing what's real and what isn't is a necessity and you'll find a good, inexpensive kit for testing silver can be your best tool. Get the testing kit we use from Amazon . It's inexpensive and easy to use.
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