Collecting silver is a fun task but you must consider that there are several types of antique silver available. Silver is a soft metal and yet very useful and valuable. We present here information about the available types of silver to help better your collection.
Fine Silver (Pure Silver)
This silver contains 99.9% of silver with 0.1% impurities. Fine silver is very sleek and has no much use except for silver investments and bullion bars.
Sterling Silver
This one contains 92.5% of silver with the remaining percentage comprising other metals like copper. Because of this, sterling silver is capable of holding a particular shape for as long as allowed to if care is taken.
This is evident from the available 19th-century items which are still clearly marked with the name ‘sterling’ or the figure ‘925’ on them to-date which makes them the most sought-after silver by Russian silver antiques collectors New York.
Silverplate Silver
When we call an item silver-plated we mean it is covered by a layer of silver. The base material in most cases is nickel. The exterior of such items is usually written “silverplate” to indicate what they are.
Sheffield Plate Silver
This is a mixture of copper and silver layers. They are specifically used to bring down the cost of sterling silver appliances.
Unmarked Silver
As the name suggests, these are not marked. Chances are they are silver plated but we need not assume. Use the following instructions to be sure:
Dip the item in hot water
After some minutes, check the temperature
Then after a minute check the temperature again
If the item is sterling silver, it will remain very hot for a while. On the flipside, a plated item will cool much quickly or will not attain the water temperature. Russian antiques for sale are usually marked but you still need to be cautious.