MetalSmitten
Lovin' The Homestead
as a general rule of thumb, keep in mind that real sterling is/was a HUGE selling point, adding tons of value to whatever the item is. therefore, anything sterling was usually very clearly marked, as they didn't want to hide their biggest asset. so if it isn't clearly and obviously marked "sterling," (or the shorthand "ster") or "925" .. or if you have to ask.. chances are, it ain't. yes, there are some coin silver pieces or foreign pieces etc that don't follow this, but the overwhelming majority of what you'd find will say one of those two things. when you're first starting out, and aren't as familiar yet with metals or don't have an acid test kit yet, following this rule will usually keep you out of trouble. (one exception is knowing that 999 indicates fine silver, which is more rarely used but more valuable if found.)
it's the plated things that you have to be careful about, because they try to mimic the sterling pieces and trick you into thinking they have more value, so they'll mark their items with anything using the word "silver" that they can without being illegal (except for forgeries, which didn't care). when it comes to markings, think of the word "silver" as being a color description, not a metal description. 95% of the time, seeing "925" or "sterling" by itself is a safe bet. 95% of the time, seeing "silver" or variants thereof, means not sterling. there are aaaall sorts of "silver" types (german silver, nickel silver, etc etc) that have no actual silver content at all, or very little.
another tell tale sign to look for with possible plated items - if it's a used functional piece, examine closely the areas that would've come into contact with surfaces. for example, the bottom of a spoon bowl (where it would hit the flatware during use) or the back of a ring. if you see any discolorations that aren't tarnish, like if you see a slight brassy tinge, or a darker grey color, or even a green tinge, that's all indicative of the plating having been worn off and exposing the inner metal. any flecks of metallic paint-like stuff that are wearing off around the edges indicate plate.
gold i can't speak as well for, i don't work with it as much. gold in this country is usually marked with karat value, but be familiar with the numerical indicators as well. like how 925 indicates sterling, 585 is 14k gold, 750 is 18k gold etc. usually you'll see the numbers on european-made gold.
it's the plated things that you have to be careful about, because they try to mimic the sterling pieces and trick you into thinking they have more value, so they'll mark their items with anything using the word "silver" that they can without being illegal (except for forgeries, which didn't care). when it comes to markings, think of the word "silver" as being a color description, not a metal description. 95% of the time, seeing "925" or "sterling" by itself is a safe bet. 95% of the time, seeing "silver" or variants thereof, means not sterling. there are aaaall sorts of "silver" types (german silver, nickel silver, etc etc) that have no actual silver content at all, or very little.
another tell tale sign to look for with possible plated items - if it's a used functional piece, examine closely the areas that would've come into contact with surfaces. for example, the bottom of a spoon bowl (where it would hit the flatware during use) or the back of a ring. if you see any discolorations that aren't tarnish, like if you see a slight brassy tinge, or a darker grey color, or even a green tinge, that's all indicative of the plating having been worn off and exposing the inner metal. any flecks of metallic paint-like stuff that are wearing off around the edges indicate plate.
gold i can't speak as well for, i don't work with it as much. gold in this country is usually marked with karat value, but be familiar with the numerical indicators as well. like how 925 indicates sterling, 585 is 14k gold, 750 is 18k gold etc. usually you'll see the numbers on european-made gold.
