Definitions of Common Terms
Types of Silver:
Silver Plate - A thin layer of silver is electroplated into a base metal to give a shiny finish.
Rhodium - A brittle metal that is electroplated over base metals to give a shiny reflective surface. (similar look to white gold)
Sterling - Contains 92.5% silver with the remaining 7.5% made up of other metal, usually copper.
Pure/Fine - 99.9% silver
Argentium - A type of modern sterling silver that modifies the traditional mix of metals (92.5% silver + 7.5% copper or other metals) by replacing some or all of the copper with metalloid germanium.
Tibetan - Similar to pewter which is often made of copper and sometimes tin, zinc or nickel. Old pieces of tibetan silver will likely contain some pure silver while modern day pieces do not.
Bali - A type of sterling silver that is made on the islands of Bali, in Indonesia in the Indian Ocean. All genuine Bali silver is made entirely by hand, starting with weighing, melting and mixing the 92.5% silver and the 7.5% copper to form sterling silver.
Britannia - Contains 95.84% silver, with the remaining 4.16% usually in copper.
Turkish - Similar to sterling in being 92.5% silver but, the remaining 7.5% is made of cadmium.
German/Alpaca - A type of "fake" silver made from combining copper (60%), nickel (20%), zinc (15%) and tin (5%).
