The Sad Disappearance of Sterling Silver

Sterling silver - it can be found now in abundance at thrift shops, antique stores, Ebay, Etsy - seems no one wants it or uses it anymore.  What has happened that has made us put this in a drawer, sell it, discard it and forget about it? 

Let's start with the basics.  How do you tell if an item really is sterling silver?  Sterling silver is not pure silver. It is an alloy composed of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals. The vast majority of items made from sterling silver contain a hallmark, a stamp placed in a discreet spot that denotes its purity. If your item does not contain a hallmark, it is possible that is sterling but you don't want to spend a lot of money on something that is not sterling. The United Kingdom, France, and the United States each have a distinct hallmarking system.

American sterling silver is marked with one of the following hallmarks: “925,” “.925,” or “S925.” the 925 indicates that the piece contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals.

Sterling silver items made in the UK contain a stamp of a lion. In addition to this stamp, UK made items will also contain a town mark, a duty mark, a date letter, and a sponsor’s mark. These marks will vary from item to item.
France currently marks its sterling silver items with the head of Minerva (92.5% and below) or a vase (99.9% pure silver).

Real sterling is also soft and it can bend and dent easier than plate and it does not have a smell to it.  If the silver smells it may be made with more copper in it and thus, is it not "pure sterling."  You can also have the piece appraised to make sure.

You can buy sterling pieces a lot cheaper today than you once could as it's just not popular with people anymore.  You will find that Tiffany silver remains incredibly expensive but you can pick up sets of Gorham or Stieff or other brands at bargain prices if you look hard enough.

Maybe I have inspired you to pull out and polish the silver and use it!  Or maybe you'll start your own collection. Whatever the case, use it!