Gold & Silver Coins Collecting & Investing

Home
Investing in Sovereigns
The Sovereign
Sovereigns on Ebay
How to Sell Gold
Fixing the Gold Price
Methods of Investing
Gold Standard
Silver Standard
Precious Metals
Collecting Coins
Coin Terms
Half Sovereigns
Gold Coins
Silver Coins
Price of Gold
Live Gold & Silver Prices
Historic Gold Prices
Historic Silver Prices
Gold Bullion
Sterling Silver
Royal Mint London
Perth Mint Australia
Canadian Mint
Mint Marks
Benedetto Pistrucci
Trial of the Pyx
Crown Gold
US Gold Eagle
US Silver Eagle
Gold Maple Leaf
Silver Maple
Krugerrand
Selling your Gold
Gold Price Manipulation?
Silver Price Manipulation?
Advertisers
Links
Terms of Use
Search
Store

Sterling Silver

Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.

Custom Search

Fine Silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength, while at the same time preserving the ductility and beauty of the precious metal. Other metals can replace the copper, usually with the intent to improve various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as reducing casting porosity, eliminating firescale, and increasing resistance to tarnish.

These replacement metals include germanium, zinc and platinum, as well as a variety of other additives, including silicon and boron. A number of alloys, such as Argentium sterling silver have appeared in recent years, formulated to lessen firescale or to inhibit tarnish, and this has sparked heavy competition among the various manufacturers, who are rushing to make claims of having the best formulation. However, no one alloy has emerged to replace copper as the industry standard, and alloy development is a very active area.

Origin of the alloy metal
Although the origin of the word "sterling" is controversial, there is general agreement that the sterling alloy originated in continental Europe, and was being

used for commerce as early as the 12th century in the area that is now northern Germany.
 

Etymology
The earliest attestation of the term is in Old French form esterlin, in a charter of the abbey of Préaux, dating to either 1085 or 1104. A 13th century document, Ordericus Vitalis has the Latin forms libræ sterilensium and libræ sterilensis monetæ. The word in origin refers to the newly introduced Norman silver penny.

The most plausible etymology is derivation from a late Old English is the word steorling, meaning 'coin with a star', as some early Norman pennies were imprinted with a small star.

There are a number of obsolete hypotheses. One suggests a connection with starling, and another supposed connection with easterling, a term for natives of the Baltic or the Hanse towns of eastern Germany. This etymology is itself medieval, suggested by Walter de Pinchebek (ca. 1300) with the explanation that the coin was originally made by moneyers from that region (OED).

The height of the silver craze was during the 50-year period from 1870 to 1920. Flatware lines during this period sometimes included up to 100 different types of pieces. In conjunction with this, the dinner went from three courses to sometimes ten or more. There was a soup course, a salad course, a fruit course, a cheese course, an antipasto course, a fish course, the main course and a pastry or dessert course.
 

Individual eating implements often included forks (dinner fork, place fork, salad fork, pastry fork, shrimp or cocktail fork), spoons (teaspoon, coffee spoon, demitasse spoon, bouillon spoon, gumbo soup spoon, iced tea spoon) and knives (dinner knife, place knife, butter spreader, fruit knife, cheese knife). This was especially true during the Victorian time period, when etiquette dictated that nothing should be touched with one's fingers.

Serving pieces were often elaborately decorated and pierced and embellished with ivory, and could include any or all of the following: carving knife and fork, salad knife and fork, cold meat fork, punch ladle, soup ladle, gravy ladle, casserole serving spoon, berry spoon, lasagna server, macaroni server, asparagus server, cucumber server, tomato server, olive spoon, cheese scoop, fish knife and fork, pastry server, petit four server, cake knife, bon bon spoon, tiny salt spoon, sugar sifter or caster and crumb remover with brush.

Flatware sets were often accompanied by tea services, hot water pots, chocolate pots, trays and salvers, goblets, demitasse cups and saucers, liqueur cups, bouillon cups, egg cups, sterling plates, napkin rings, water and wine pitchers and coasters, candelabra and even elaborate centerpieces.

In fact, the craze with sterling even extended to business (sterling page clips, mechanical pencils, letter openers, calling card boxes, cigarette cases), to the boudoir (sterling dresser trays, mirrors, hair and suit brushes, pill bottles, manicure sets, shoehorns, perfume bottles, powder bottles, hair clips) and even to children (cups, flatware, rattles, christening sets).

A number of factors converged to make sterling fall out of favor around the time of World War II. The cost of labour rose (sterling pieces were all still mostly hand-made, with only the basics being done by machine). Only the wealthy could afford the large number of servants required for fancy dining with ten courses. And changes in aesthetics resulted in people desiring simpler dinnerware that was easier to clean.

Hallmarks
Over the years, most countries in the world have developed their own systems of hallmarking silver. The purpose of hallmark application is manifold:

To indicate the purity of the silver alloy used in the manufacture or hand-crafting of the piece.
To identify the silversmith or company that made the piece.
To note the date and/or location of the manufacture.
 

Silver - the Metal of Today
In addition to the uses of sterling silver mentioned above, there are some little known uses of sterling:

Medical Instruments

Evidence of silver and/or silver-alloy surgical and medical instruments has been found in civilisations as early as Ur, Hellenistic-era Egypt and Rome, and their use continued until largely replaced in Western countries in the mid to late 20th century by cheaper, disposable plastic items. Its natural malleability is an obvious physical advantage, but it also exhibits medically-specific utility, including the fact that it is naturally aseptic, and, in respect of modern medical practices, it is resistant to antiseptics, heat sterilisation and body fluids.

Musical Instruments

Due to sterling silver having a special sound character, some brass wind instrument manufacturers use 92.5% sterling silver as the material for making their instruments, including the flute and saxophones. For example, some leading saxophone manufacturers such as Selmer and Yanagisawa have crafted some of their saxophones from sterling silver, which they believe will make the instruments more resonant and colourful in timbre.

Tarnish and Corrosion

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CLEAN ANY

VALUABLE WITHOUT EXPERT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
 

As the purity of the silver decreases, the problem of corrosion or tarnishing increases.

Chemically, silver is not very reactive — it does not react with oxygen or water at ordinary temperatures, so does not easily form a silver oxide. However, other metals in the alloy, usually copper, may react with oxygen in the air.

The black silver sulfide (Ag2S) is among the most insoluble salts in aqueous solution, a property that is exploited for separating silver ions from other positive ions.

Sodium chloride (NaCl) or common table salt is known to corrode silver-copper alloy, typically seen in silver salt shakers where corrosion appears around the holes in the top.
 

Several products have been developed for the purpose of polishing silver that serve to remove sulfur from the metal without damaging or warping it. Because harsh polishing and buffing can permanently damage and devalue a piece of antique silver, valuable items are typically hand-polished to preserve the unique patinas of older pieces. Techniques such as wheel polishing, which are typically performed by professional jewelers or silver repair companies, are reserved for extreme tarnish or corrosion.
 

PLEASE SEEK PROFESSIONAL ADVICE BEFORE YOU BUY OR SELL GOLD, SILVER & COINS.
 

 Home   Investing in Sovereigns   The Sovereign   Sovereigns on Ebay   How to Sell Gold   Fixing the Gold Price   Methods of Investing   Gold Standard  

Silver Standard   Precious Metals   Collecting Coins   Coin Terms   Half Sovereigns   Gold Coins   Silver Coins   Price of Gold   Live Gold & Silver Prices  

Historic Gold Prices   Historic Silver Prices   Gold Bullion   Sterling Silver   Royal Mint London   Perth Mint Australia   Canadian Mint   Mint Marks  

Benedetto Pistrucci   Trial of the Pyx   Crown Gold   US Gold Eagle   US Silver Eagle   Gold Maple Leaf   Silver Maple Leaf   Krugerrand   Gold Price Manipulation?  Silver Price Manipulation?  Selling your Gold   Advertisers   Terms of Use   Search