If your silverware is marked sterling it is likely sterling silver unless, of course, it is a forgery. See the article how to tell if silver is sterling or plate by the back stamp or marks for more details. Silver plated items typically have little intrinsic value. There are many silver plate marks that resemble sterling marks. If the item is not marked ‘sterling’ or one of the typical silver plate marks listed in the above linked article, it can be confusing and require advanced knowledge and experience with silverware to identify the mark. There are several tests that can be used to distinguish between the two. Continue reading “How to test silverware to determine if it is sterling silver or silver plated?” »
Author Archives: The Silverware Guy
How to tell if silver is sterling or plate by the back stamp or marks?
You just inherited your beloved grandmother’s silver collection. How do you tell if it is sterling silver or silver plate? Continue reading “How to tell if silver is sterling or plate by the back stamp or marks?” »
What is the difference between a COMPOTE, COMPORT and a TAZZA?
While looking through several books on antiques and searching on the Internet, I found the words compote, comport, and tazza interchangeably used to describe footed bowls or plates. For instance, several Millers’ antique books use all three. Table 1 gives some statistics of their use on select websites when viewed on the 13th of June, 2013. Continue reading “What is the difference between a COMPOTE, COMPORT and a TAZZA?” »
How to polish silverware
Now that you know the name of your cutlery pattern it is time to make it look shiny and beautiful again. If your silver is very black and heavily discolored start from step 1, otherwise skip ahead to step 3. Continue reading “How to polish silverware” »