How to tell silver from silver plate

Is my jewellery silver?

Pure silver is soft, so it is mixed with other metals to make it harder. Pure silver is usually marked 999, which means it is almost all silver. It is rare in jewellery because it scratches easily and wears away over time.

Silver used in jewellery is usually sterling silver. It is 92.5 per cent silver and is normally marked 925. Look for that mark to tell silver from costume jewellery.

Some pieces have no stamp but carry a small tag that says 925. These are less likely to be silver, because in recent years such tags have been fixed to fashion jewellery. If your piece has a tag instead of a stamp, have it tested by a specialist.

Is sterling silver real silver?

Yes. Sterling is an alloy, which is a mix of metals. Copper, zinc or nickel are added to strengthen the silver. Sterling is 92.5 per cent pure silver and 7.5 per cent other metals. Because of the copper and similar metals, which react with the air in a process called oxidation, sterling tarnishes faster than pure silver.

UK Assay Offices require sterling silver to be at least 92.5 per cent silver. Some European countries sell lower purity silver as sterling. Continental marks include 800, 835 and 900, and American silver is often marked with the word sterling. If you bought a piece outside the UK or US, it is worth having it tested.

How a piece is confirmed

Only testing can confirm silver with any certainty. A specialist can test the metal with acid, or with a handheld scanner that reads the metal's make-up.

Be clear what kind of valuation you are being given. Retail value, insurance value and a value for selling are three different values. An insurance figure for an antique, for instance, is not a figure you can expect to be paid for it. That is why we like to see pieces in person.

Hallmarks, and what plate looks like

Most silver carries a hallmark of some kind, but not all. Some older pieces have no hallmark or 925 stamp and are still silver. If a piece looks old and has no marks, have it looked at. If it looks new and has no marks, it is probably costume jewellery, which we also buy.

The reverse also holds. A few hallmarks have been forged or copied, although that is rare, and a plated piece can sometimes carry a hallmark.

In silver plate, a base metal, usually copper, is coated with silver. Plate is common, and unless it is collectable it is worth little more than its base metal. Vintage plate can carry hallmarks. Later plate is usually marked EPNS, short for electro-plated nickel silver, after the method used to coat the metal. What silver plate means has more on this.

UK town marks

These marks show where a piece was tested. They are a clue to where and roughly when it was made, not a full reading.

There are many more marks. The jewellery trade has plenty of fakes, so a specialist's opinion is the most reliable way to confirm what you have.