Basic Knowledge of Silver

Silver is a very soft metal.
Pure silver is too soft, making it prone to scratches and dents and resistant to wear.
Its excessive softness also makes it difficult to work with for tasks such as engraving.

Therefore, it is common to mix other metals with pure silver to make it easier to work with and more durable, using it as a silver alloy.
The metal added is called an alloying metal, and copper is generally used.

While the purity of gold is generally expressed in 24 parts, silver is commonly expressed in 1000 parts (parts per mille).
Sterling silver, common in antique silver, is 925/1000 (92.5%).

In addition to items made from silver alloys, there are also items with silver applied to the surface of other metals, known as silver-filled or silver-plated.
Not only can they be manufactured more cheaply than items made solely from silver alloys, but they also have the advantage of being able to produce items that cannot be made from silver alloys due to durability issues.

Types of Silver Purity

Sterling Silver (925/1000)

The most common purity for British silver products.
In Britain, it became the legal standard in the 1300s, and British coins were minted in sterling silver until 1920.
The official name of the British currency, the pound, is still the "sterling pound".
Sterling (STERLING) means "genuine" and "reliable".

Britannia Silver (958/1000)

In Britain, this was the legal standard used for minting coins around 1697–1720.
However, it seems it was reverted because it was too soft and difficult to work with.
Items with a purity of 95% (950/1000) are also sometimes collectively called Britannia silver.

Coin Silver (900/1000)

Many European countries other than Britain and Germany minted coins with a purity of 90%.
It is commonly used for silver products outside of Britain and Germany.
Silver pocket watch cases made in Switzerland and the United States are often made of coin silver.

Continental Silver (800/1000)

Because it was mainly used in Germany, it is sometimes called "German silver".
However, since "German silver" can also refer to the "German silver" described later, our shop uses the term Continental silver to avoid confusion.

However, silver products from continental Europe other than Britain are also sometimes collectively called Continental silver, so in that case, the purity varies depending on the country of manufacture.
Because of the high ratio of alloying metal (copper), it is durable, but it can develop verdigris, a blue rust that is a type of copper rust.

Silver-Filled, Silver-Plated (Silver Plating)

Silver-Filled

An alloy such as brass is used as the core, and about one-twentieth of the total weight is coated (bonded) with silver alloy.
The silver alloy is often sterling silver, and the weight ratio varies depending on the product.
The silver layer is considerably thicker than silver plating, and it almost never peels off.

Silver-Plated (Electroplating)

This is known as EPNS (electroplated nickel silver), and it is made by electroplating nickel alloy with silver.
Its history is surprisingly old, with production dating back to the 1830s.
Some items are made by silver-plating Britannia metal (pewter), known as EPBM (electroplated Britannia metal).

Sheffield Plate

This is made by silver-plating copper rather than a nickel alloy.
It was named after Thomas Bowlsover, a Sheffield bladesmith in Britain who invented it around 1742.

Items made before the introduction of electroplating, known as "Old Sheffield," are made by heat-bonding silver sheets.
The areas where Old Sheffield has been polished thin and the copper color shows through have a unique beauty and are popular with antique collectors.

Other

Nickel Silver

This is an alloy composed of copper, zinc, and nickel, and is also called "German silver," "German silver," or "German silver".
The Japanese 500-yen coin is made of this nickel silver.

Because it has a silvery-white color, it is used for cutlery, but it does not contain any actual silver.

Pewter

This is an ancient alloy made primarily of tin, also known as "white metal" or "Britannia metal".
In addition to tin, it contains antimony, lead, copper, and other metals.

Because it has a low melting point of 250°C, it is easy to work with, and its history dates back at least 2,000 years. In Britain, guilds for pewter existed from around the 14th century.

Although its color resembles silver, this also does not contain any actual silver.

Niello

This is a black alloy of copper, silver, and lead, and is a decorative technique where it is inlaid into the grooves of engravings.
Because the contrast between silver and black is beautiful, it is often used to decorate silver products.
Russian (Grand Duchy of Kiev) niello decorative items are particularly famous.

Summary

There are many types of silver depending on each country's history and intended use.
Simply having a higher purity is not necessarily better.

Also, because there is silver as a material and silver as a color, the wording can be confusing.
The meanings are often inconsistent or confused, but we believe that understanding the terms introduced here will greatly enhance your enjoyment of antique silver.