Sterling Silver Cutlery

Sterling Silver Cutlery

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Hallmarks were introduced in England in 1327 when the medieval guilds began testing silver to ensure that it was of the required sterling standard. This is regarded as the world's first official quality testing and consumer protection system. Sterling silver was used as an international medium of exchange and was authenticated as genuine by an image of the monarch's head on coinage and by the hallmarks impressed on silverware. Every piece of precious metal still has to be submitted to an Assay Office for independent testing and hallmarking. Hall' refers to the craft guild headquarters, for example the Goldsmith's Hall in London, which is chartered to regulate the trade. It is illegal to sell silver in Britain without hallmarks.

The concept of sterling silver originated when silversmiths found fine - i.e 100% pure - silver too soft to fashion alone, and so had to alloy it with base metal in order to harden it. The most compatible base metal is copper. The ideal amount of copper was found to be 75 parts copper to 1000 parts of total weight, and thus the sterling silver quality contains 925 parts of pure silver. The resulting sterling silver alloy produces the following ideal qualities:

Strength
Malleability in working
It can be polished to give a characteristic high standard of finish with a blue/black Depth of colour - compared with the harder white surface of silver plated wares.
It yields a level of scratching that gives a patina - a softness of colour reflecting from the myriad tiny abrasions that come from frequent use.

This sterling alloy is variously known as sterling, solid silver, hallmarked sterling silver or just silver and the fact that it has been independently tested and accredited to conform to the 925 sterling silver quality has made British silverware trusted and accepted throughout the world. Its intrinsic value is protected from fraud or error as every piece has to be submitted to the Assay Offices whose laboratories examine physical scrapings from each piece. These are chemically analysed and only when the piece of silver has been passed is the hallmark applied. Assay failure results in the object being destroyed. No other country has had this consumer protection for so long - nearly 700 years.

In 1999 a European Convention imposed an additional fineness mark. This is the figure 925' in an oval surround, indicating the standard i.e. 925 parts of fine - pure - silver per 1000 parts. This duplicates the Lion Passant mark, which has been the symbol of sterling silver quality since 1540. Although not generally welcomed and seen by some as an intrusion in our historic hallmarking system, anything made of the cheaper 800' quality is clearly marked with that figure so the level of consumer protection has not been damaged, but made clearer.

About the Author:
For the largest selection of tableware and gifts in top quality hallmarked sterling silver and silver plate Visit www.silverware.uk.com



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