In jewelry, the word “silver” can have different meanings. It can refer to an alloy metal that is the color “silver,” but that actually contains no real silver at all. Or it can refer to a piece made with actual silver. A good way to identify the quality of silver is to turn it over and look for a mark.
If it reads “Sterling” or has the number 925, it is 92.5% silver. This is the designation for Sterling silver.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/691335782/vintage-sterling-silver-reptile-ring
Sometimes you will see other numbers, such as 800, which means that it is 80% silver. (not quite Sterling, but still a piece that has a good amount of silver.)
Or you may see a number as high as 999, which signifies that it is 99.9% silver or “fine silver.” This is an even higher quality than Sterling.
The higher the number the more valuable the metal.
Sometimes you will find an older piece of jewelry marked 925 silver that is actually gold in color. This could mean it is Vermeil (pronounced “ver-may,)” which is a thick gold plate of 10k gold or higher over 925 Sterling silver.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/601730414/huge-vintage-vermeil-brooch-gold-filled
Sterling and vermeil were commonly used in 1940’s “costume jewelry” during WWII when other metals were being used for the war effort.
Silver Plate is a metal covered with a thin layer of silver.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/740135611/vintage-monet-silver-bracelet-with
Pewter is a gray metal that is a mixture of tin and other metals such as antimony, lead, copper, and sometimes some silver.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/540698449/vintage-pewter-dangle-post-earrings
“Tribal” silver may contain base metal alloys that are only silver in appearance. Contents of the alloys vary tremendously and many contain no silver content whatsoever. Some of the imports from the 3rd World contain dangerous metals such as lead. This jewelry should be purchased with caution and never given to children. Tribal pieces can be very beautiful, but you should purchase them for the value of their design rather than the value of the metal.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/558129161/antique-blue-crystal-silver-necklace
Alpaca Silver and Nickel Silver actually don’t contain any silver at all. Pieces with this mark are likely to be an alloy of – you guessed it – nickel, along with some other metals such as copper and zinc.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/768320614/set-of-4-vintage-blue-and-white-mother
Caveat Emptor
A word of caution about marks on jewelry.
You can’t always be sure the mark is correct. I once sold a bracelet marked 925 that turned out not to be silver at all. When the buyer took it to her jeweler he identified it as counterfeit. Fortunately the buyer assumed my mistake was unintentional and I had the opportunity to refund her money without any other negative consequences. On this particular piece, the number 925 was on a separate piece of metal welded to the bracelet. Beware when you see something like this rather than a mark that is pressed directly into the jewelry.
You can’t be absolutely certain it is real silver unless you have it tested by a jeweler.
Laurie Prindle is a collector and purveyor of vintage jewelry. You are welcome to visit her Etsy shoppe at www.etsy.com/shop/vintagejewelryetal
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