Sterling Silver vs Silver Plated: How to Tell the Difference

Sterling silver is a precious metal alloy containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. The "925" stamp indicates sterling standard. Pure silver (999) is too soft for most practical use, so the copper alloy provides necessary strength and durability while maintaining the beauty, weight, and value of a silver precious metal.

Sterling silver has been a regulated standard since 1300 in England, when King Edward I decreed that silver items must meet the sterling standard and be verified by assay offices. Hallmarking (the system of stamps that identify silver content, maker, date, and city of assay) has been in continuous use since the medieval period. When you see hallmarks on a piece of antique silverware, they are a government-verified guarantee of silver content.

Silver-plated items are made from a base metal, usually copper, nickel, or brass, coated with a thin layer of silver. Common markings include EPNS (Electroplated Nickel Silver), Sheffield Plate, and modern silver plating designations. The base metal has no silver content; only the surface coating is silver, and it is typically just microns thick.

Over time and with wear, silver plate rubs through and the base metal shows. Silver-plated items have no intrinsic precious-metal value. Many items marketed as "silver" are actually silver plated, especially in mass-produced jewelry sold online.

Check for hallmarks and stamps: "925," "Sterling," lion passant (UK), or maker's marks indicate genuine sterling. "EPNS," "A1," "Silver Plate," or "Plated" indicate silver plate.

Examine wear points. Silver plate shows a different coloured metal underneath at edges, handles, and high-contact areas. Sterling silver may tarnish or show patina, but the metal underneath is always silver.

Test the weight. Sterling silver is noticeably heavier than silver-plated base metals of the same size.

Magnet test: silver is not magnetic, but many base metals used under silver plate are.

Acid test: a jeweler can use nitric acid to confirm silver content. Do not attempt this at home on valuable pieces.

Sterling silver jewelry has lasting value, is hypoallergenic for most people, develops a beautiful patina with age, and can be polished and restored indefinitely. Silver-plated jewelry has a limited lifespan, can cause skin reactions when the plating wears through to the base metal, and cannot be restored once the plating is gone.

For antique silverware jewelry specifically, the distinction is important. A spoon ring made from genuine sterling silver cutlery contains real precious metal, carries authentic hallmarks, and will last for generations. A ring made from silver-plated cutlery is essentially a base-metal ring with a thin silver coating that will eventually wear away, though antique silver plate can still have heritage value and beauty in its own right.

Waresmiths works primarily with verified sterling silver and antique coin silver. When we do offer pieces made from antique silver plate, every listing clearly states the composition so you always know exactly what you are buying.