Well, the answer is that all sterling silver (except jewelry) made in the US is marked as such. This page will help you determine the composition of almost any silver you are likely to have. While there are some exceptions, this page will cover almost everything.
The difference between sterling silver and silver plated is that sterling silver contains 925/1000 ths pure silver. That is 92.5% silver mixed with another metal, usually copper. Silver plate is a cheap base metal with a thin, almost microscopic, coating of silver over it, usually applied using electricity.
We do not buy silver plated items because unfortunately they have no precious metal value. Unfortunately they usually have little or no value of any kind. We know many people will be disappointed to learn this cold, hard fact, but it is true. Believe us… if Silver Plate had any value whatsoever, we would be thrilled. People offer to sell us pounds and pounds of silver plated items every day. We have piles of it sitting in our offices with no way to sell it. Nobody wants it!
So, now that we know the difference, how can YOU tell what you have?
First off, the odds are probably about 99% that the silver you have was manufactured in the United States. In the US, all sterling silver is required to be marked as such. The markings for sterling silver will be one of the three listed below, in order of most common usage:
The word: “STERLING” (most common)
.925
925/1000
If your silver was made in the USA and does not have one of these three marks on it, it is silver plated.
