INCREASE YOUR KNOWLEDGE ABOUT POPULAR SILVERS SOLD ON EBAY
75% of todays silver supply comes from copper and zinc mines and about 25% comes from pure silver mines. alot of todays silver production is a by product of gold, copper, lead and zinc.
STERLING SILVER is 925/1000 or .925 silver with .075 of additives usually copper. Sterling has the most silver content.
NICKEL OR GERMAN SILVER is an alloy of copper with nickel 10%-25% and zinc 17% -40%. Contains no silver, but is rust resistant and its strength increases with the nickel content.
STAINLESS STEEL is hard and great for everyday use and is usually 18/8 which is 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Nickel combats stains and has a brighter sheen.
TIBETIN SILVER is an alloy of copper, nickel, and silver, but the most popular sold on Ebay is the tibetan silver that is an alloy of nickel,copper and zinc. It does not have any silver in it and is most popular in asian jewelry.
ALPACA SILVER is an alloy of copper, nickel, zinc which is the most popular on Ebay, but can sometimes contain tin, lead or cadium. Contains no silver but it does not rust or tarnish. Looks and lasts like silver. Is used mostly in South American Jewelry.
SILVERPLATE is a coating of silver over an alloy. It will last about 20 years or less depending on its use and care.
MEXICAN SILVER can have the #1 stamp of an eagle or Sterling or 925. The #3 stamp is Taxco, #16 stamp is registered for Margol. The following initials T, M, G, or C means T-Taxco, M-Mexico City, G-Guadalajara, C-Cuernavaca. Another way to read the ring is by this example: TC-45, 1st letter is where it was made Taxco, The 2nd letter is the 1st letter of the silversmiths last name C and the 45 is the number of the smith with this letter C in the beginning of the last name that is registered by the city's essay office. Some of the Mexico silver can say Alpaca on it. This has a mixture of alloys with silver which is defferent from the South American Alpaca silver which does not have any silver.
ENGLISH SILVER is a high quality silver marked with a series of 4 to 5 small hallmarks. The standing lion with his right paw out is the most common quality mark. Other marks indicate city of origan, the maker and year it was made. Some marks have the face of a monarch.
CADMIUM is a by product of zinc, lead and copper. It is highly resistant to corrosion, resists stress and is also used as a compound stabilizer or coating for pigments such as yellow, red, some blues, pink and black.
You can buy online for a very good price, silver acid test kits. They are pretty easy to use
I HOPE THAT THIS IS HELPFUL
)
