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Whether being used to create an exquisite piece of silver jewelry or a fine sterling wedding gift, the versatility of silver is undeniable. For close to 5000 years there have been several practical uses of silver from flatware to houseware.  But, because silver has so many uses it has been alloyed and redesigned in several different forms.  Each of these different types of silver have their own advantages.  Below are some of the most popular types of silver.

Fine silver

Pure silver, also called fine silver, is silver in its most natural state. At 99% pure this type of silver is soft, very malleable, and easily damaged.  For this reason it is often not used to create ordinary products.  We use fine silver and infuse it in ceramic.    The soft malleable state allows our artisans to create beautiful intricate designs while the ceramic protects the fine silver. 

Items made of pure silver are rare.  Most often you will see silver mixed with other alloys such as copper to create Sterling, Argentium, Britannia, or coin silver.

Sterling

The most popular type of silver is sterling silver, which consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Although any metal can make up the 7.5 percent non-silver portion of sterling, copper is the best alloy.  It improves the metal's hardness and durability without affecting its luster and shine.

The small amount of copper added to sterling has very little effect on the metal's value. The price of the silver item is affected more by the time and labor involved in crafting the item, the skill of the silversmith, and the intricacy of the design. The making of sterling silver jewelry involves, such things as hammering and shaping, inlaying, and polishing, which are more about the talents of skilled artisan or silversmith.

Pieces manufactured in the United States are stamped Sterling, occasionally followed by 925. British sterling pieces bear hallmarks, symbols and letters indicating maker place of origin, and year of manufacture, as well as the sterling mark, a standing lion or Lion Passant .

Sterling silver is more likely to tarnish over time because of the inclusion of copper; however this relatively mild side effect can be minimized through proper care.  We often include a tarnish free pouch with our items to reduce this issue. 

Sterling silver is often plated with a thin coat of .999 fine silver to give the item a shiny finish. This process is called "flashing".

Argentium Sterling Silver

Argentium Sterling Silver is really just another version of sterling silver.  With this type of silver some of the traditional copper alloy is replaced with Germanium. As it retains the same 92.5% silver content, it is still considered sterling silver.  Argentium Silver is considered to reduce firescale and be more tarnish resistant than standard sterling. Argentium Silver is brand of silver and is patented and trademarked by Argentium Silver Company, UK.

Britannia Silver

Britannia silver is an alloy of silver containing 95.84% silver, with the balance usually copper.  It often contains a hallmark of the figure of a woman commonly called “Britannia” or with the numbers 958.  Britannia silver was introduced by the English government in 1696, to limit the melting of sterling silver coins. It was thought that by maintaining a higher standard of silver, there would be less incentive to melt down the newly issued coins. 

This obviously did not work and sterling silver was approved again for use by silversmiths from 1720 forward.   From that point on Britannia silver has remained an optional standard for silver in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

British silver bullion coins issued since 1998, known as "Britannias", are minted in Britannia standard silver. Britannia silver should not be confused with Britannia metal, which is pewter and contains no silver.

Vermeil

This form of silver was popular in the eighteenth century. Silver is plated in gold, providing a polished and expensive looking custom piece of jewelry.

Coin silver

Coin silver was manufactured prior to the acceptance of the sterling silver in the US (about 1960). It is composed of 90% silver.  Many of the US coins from the last 1800’s and early 1900s are made from coin silver. 

German or Nickel silver

German Silver is misleading term. It is not silver at all, but a silvery-white metal consisting of an alloy of nickel (21% - 30%), copper (50%-60%), and zinc (17% -19%);  (and sometimes also contains lead and tin).  German silver is used to make jewelry because its hardness, resistance to corrosion, and low cost.  People use them to create bangles, chokers, necklaces, chain necklace, bracelets, earrings, pendants, and jewelry sets.  Since many people have allergic reactions to nickel, this metal should never be used on products worn against the skin.  We would never suggest buying any jewelry made from German silver. 

Finally, don’t let any one tell you that a piece marked G. Silver is the same as sterling. G. Silver or German Silver, has no silver content.

Silver Plating  

Because of the larger size of serving utensils and houseware items, and the expensive cost per ounce of sterling silver, plated silver is usually a less expensive and more practical alternative to sterling silver. In addition, base metals, such as copper, allow artisans a more malleable material with which to work.

Plating occurs when a base metal such as nickel is covered with a layer of pure silver.  We suggest you only buy silver plated pieces that use either copper or brass as a base metal.  We will not sell silver plate with other base metals.  Because of the composition of copper and brass these base metals will bond better with the silver and the silver plate will last longer. 

The amount of silver that covers the base metal is measured in a unit referred to as a micron.  Although the required standard set for silver plate is 2 microns, we would never suggest buying any silver plated items with less than 10 microns. (All of our silver plated items are plated at 15 microns or more.)

For heavily used items such as silver plated serving utensils, one rule of thumb is that each micron of plating will equate to one year’s worth of use.  After that most base metals need a re-coat of pure silver to maintain a shiny outer coat and to prevent the base metal from peaking through the coating. 

Sheffield Plate

Sheffield Plate is a confusing term.  It gets it name from the town where it was created.   Sheffield Plate is silver and copper sandwiched together. It was rolled into thin sheets and used in silverware manufacture as an alternative to silver or plate. By the mid-1800s, however, the electroplating process made silver a better alternative, and Sheffield Plate was discontinued.

Sheffield, England is still a major center for the manufacture of sterling and plate.  We have found some of our favorite silversmiths there.