What does A2 mean on silver?
The A1 and A2 marks refer to the quality or thickness of the silverplate. Mappin & Webb were also a retailer later in the 20th century. Not sure about this, but maybe the S&L stands for Sheffield & London.
What does the letter a mean on silver?
A1 and AA: These discreet markings indicate the number of ounces of pure silver used in the plating. Silver Soldered: This is another way of signifying that the piece is silver-plated.
What do numbers mean on silver plate?
925
Silver products sometimes may be marked 925, which means that 925 parts per thousand are pure silver. Some jewelry described as ”silver plate” has a layer of silver applied to a base metal. ”Coin silver” is used for compounds that contain 90% pure silver.
How do you identify a silver mark?
Silver hallmarks are one of the most important factors in identifying antique silver jewelry, flatware, and other items. These small stamped symbols on the back or underside of silver items can tell you the purity of the silver, the manufacturer of the piece, and sometimes even the date it was made.
Are silver plated items worth anything?
Silver is a valuable metal that has a long-lasting intrinsic value. On the contrary, silver-plated items are only worth what the buyer has to offer. Unlike silver that has a melting value, silverplate doesn’t. Besides, each item has a small amount of silver.
What is the mark for silver on jewelry?
Because Sterling Silver is 92.5% silver, the common purity mark used today is “925.” Most vintage Sterling Silver pieces have the older marks: “STERLING,” “STER,” or “STG.” Some modern jewelry today will use “STERLING” either with “925” or without it, usually in conjunction with the maker’s mark.
How do you identify sterling silver hallmarks?
Know the Common Marks For example, the lion passant is standard to identify a piece as sterling silver. If this mark isn’t there, it means the piece is most likely silver plated. You can find a list of the common town marks, date letters, and other hallmarks online or in a number of different guide books.
What is hallmark sterling silver?
Silver jewellery is made from sterling silver – 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. A hallmark is not be to confused with a manufacturers ‘925’ stamp. ‘925’ stamped into a piece of silver jewellery does not guarantee quality or that the product is really sterling silver.
What are the letters on a silver hallmark?
Two or more letters will almost certainly be the maker’s mark. In this case “GA” in two conjoined circles. This would refer to possibly two makers: George William Adams, or George Aldwinckle. This stamp is the classic Lion passant facing left, and confirms the item is made of Sterling quality silver.
Are there any silver hallmarks left in the UK?
However, there are two silver hallmarks that have been discontinued: Beginning on 1 December 1784, British law mandated that a duty mark be applied to silver pieces. An additional British hallmark that is no longer used is the tally mark, which was the unique mark of a journeyman finishing his apprenticeship.
What is the fineness of a silver hallmark?
EPNS denotes Electro-Plated Nickel Silver, and EPBM is Electro-Plated Britannia Metal. A silver plated item should not have a legal hallmark, as it will not be pure enough to be considered as silver. To be eligible for hallmarking a silver alloy should be at least 800 fineness – a silver plated item will likely be far below this number.
How are silver hallmarks used to determine purity?
8am to 10pm – 7 days a week Silver hallmarks are a key part of determining the purity of an item purporting to be made from silver. Hallmarks are legal stamps, applied to items manufactured from a number of precious metals. These include gold, silver, platinum and palladium.