Demystifying Silver Silver has been mined for over 5,000 years and was one of the first five elements discovered along with Gold, Copper, Lead and Iron. Although it often plays second fiddle to Gold, Silver is a very valuable and versatile precious metal with applications from medicine to solar cells, and lots in between. Silver is exceptionally shiny and is the most reflective of all the elements reflecting 95% of visible light. This unique quality has made Silver critical to all sorts of practical applications (think mirrors and telescopes), but it has also given Silver a universal and enduring appeal. Most of the world’s silver is now found in Mexico and Peru, although the US, Canada, Russia and Australia also have large quantities of Silver. What are all the different types of Silver I hear about? FINE SILVER – Fine Silver, also known as “Pure Silver”, is 99.9% pure and is usually labeled “.999” or “.999 fine” (.999 indicating 999 of 1000 parts, or 99.9%). At this level of purity, Silver is too soft for general use, so you will only find it in the context of silver bullion (bars, ingots, etc.) which is used domestically and internationally for storing or trading silver as a commodity.
STERLING SILVER – Sterling Silver is 92.5% pure silver combined with 7.5% of another metal, typically copper. The small amount copper (or other metal) adds enough strength so we can use Sterling Silver for the things we love – jewelry, flatware, tableware – without sacrificing the brilliant shine that Silver is known for. If you are curious whether you have Sterling Silver, look for “925” stamped on the bottom or your piece, or if jewelry it may be on or near the clasp. The “925” stamp is the Sterling mark representing 925 of 1000 parts or 92.5%. Your piece might also be stamped “Sterling” outright. Be careful of the mark “SS” – it typically means Stainless Steel not Sterling Silver. Sterling Silver was established in the 12th century in Europe and remains the international standard, BUT there are still many other types of Silver in use and circulation. Keep reading!
ENGLISH STERLING – English Sterling is Sterling Silver that is also marked (“hallmarked”) as a series of three to five small, square-shaped impressions. The standing lion with his right front paw raised (the lion passant) is the most commonly seen sterling quality mark. The other marks indicate the city of origin, the maker, and the year of manufacture. Some of the marks will include the face of the reigning monarch. If you have English Sterling, typically you will see the above marks instead of “925” or “Sterling”.
SILVER PLATE – Silver Plate is a thin layer of Silver electroplated on to a thick piece of base metal, typically brass, copper or nickel. The method was perfected in the mid 1800’s as a less expensive alternative to solid Sterling Silver and remains popular to this day. Although Silver Plate is much more affordable that Sterling Silver, it has the exact same shine & luster that we covet, and with care it should last up to 20 years or more. Further, there are many national providers for Silver re-plating and so a special piece can be re-plated to return it to its initial pristine condition. To check if a possession is Silver Plate (most likely table ware), look for the following marks: “EP” (electroplated) or “EPNS” (electroplated nickel silver) or even “Silver on Copper”. If you have any questions about the marks on your pieces, please just email us, we are happy to help!
VERMEIL – Vermeil continues to be very popular for jewelry. It is a method of ‘gold plating’, but it is more than that. Vermeil is solid Sterling Silver over-plated with gold of minimum 10 karat and typically 14 karat or more. Any color of gold can be used, so you can find Vermeil in yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold. Vermeil strikes a great balance between quality and value. Phew, that was a lot. Are there other types of Silver? Yes. BRITANNIA SILVER – Britannia Silver is a standard developed at the turn of the 18th century and defined as 95.84% pure silver combined with 4.16% other metals, typically copper. Britannia Silver is more rare, more expensive and less robust than Sterling Silver. Look for 958 mark (958 of 1000 parts, or 95.8%).
COIN SILVER – Coin silver is 90% pure silver and was the American standard (typically for coins) until approximately 1865. It also describes American silver flatware and tableware before 1870 that is NOT Sterling Silver. MEXICAN SILVER – Mexican Silver typically refers only to ore originally mined there. It does not indicate a purity level of Silver. That said, Mexican silver content is typically above 90%. Consistent with other marks, Mexican purity level of silver will be marked 90 (for 90%) or 900 (for 900 parts of 1000). 800 SILVER – 800 Silver is just that: 800 parts of pure 1000, or 80% pure. CONTINENTAL SILVER – Continental Silver refers to silver ware produced on the European continent as distinguished from England and America. The purity of Continental Silver is typically one of 800, 825, 830 or 850 indicating 80%, 82.5%, 83% and 85.0% silver content respectively. NICKEL SILVER – Nickel Silver refers to an amalgam of copper 60%, zinc 20% and nickel 20%. Although it has no Silver content, it presumably gained its name from its high shine akin to Silver and often forms the base metal for silver-plated cutlery and other silverware. And a final Fun Fact … The first huge silver strike in the United States was Nevada's Comstock Lode in 1859, named for Henry Comstock who was part-owner of the property. In its top three production years, the Comstock Lode yielded $36 million of silver annually.
Do you have other questions about Silver or perhaps something else? Please email us or contact us through our website. We are always happy to hear from you!
– Claire Merrill
New Orleans Silversmiths 600 Chartres St New Orleans, LA 70130 Tel: (800) 219-8333 Email: [email protected] Web: www.neworleanssilversmiths.com