Search for a sterling silver quality mark.
Sterling Silver vs Silver Value. Pure silver is somewhat more expensive than sterling silver as it contains a higher amount of silver. The metals used in sterling silver alloys are not valuable and do not add to the overall worth of the metal. However, the difference in price is slight. Stainless Steel is an alloy of iron that has more than 10% of chromium within their constituents while other elements get added within. On the other hand, Sterling Silver gets defined as the type of silver that has 92.5% purity and has 7.5% weight of other metals within them.
. Precious metals are stamped with a quality mark, a symbol or series of symbols that denote its type, purity, and authenticity. If your item contains a sterling silver quality mark, it must also contain the maker's hallmark. In the US, it is not required to stamp precious metals with quality marks, but if you do have a quality mark, there MUST be a maker's hallmark alongside it.. The United Kingdom, France, and the United States of America each have a distinct marking system.- American sterling silver is marked with one of the following hallmarks: “925,” “.925,” or “S925.” the 925 indicates that the piece contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals.[1]
- Sterling silver items made in the UK contain a stamp of a lion. In addition to this stamp, UK made items will also contain a town mark, a duty mark, a date letter, and a sponsor's mark. These marks will vary from item to item.
- France currently marks its sterling silver items with the head of Minerva (92.5% and below) or a vase (99.9% pure silver).[2]