# Silverware ?



## steyr223 (Apr 16, 2012)

Any of you guys silver experts :lol:
Any comments would be appreciated
Thanka


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## Lobby (Apr 16, 2012)

If silverware (made in the U.S) doesn't say sterling, it isn't. It's only silver plate. You can do a google search for that brand, and invariably someone will have asked "is this sterling or not." :mrgreen: 

Do you know how to test for sterling vs silverplate? If not, I'll post it up...


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## steyr223 (Apr 16, 2012)

no silvers really not my thing yet but it will be in the future I would appreciate if you could post it thank you


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## Dan Dement (Apr 16, 2012)

Sorry but it is very simple. No "Sterling " or ."925" stamp, it's not Sterling Silver only silverplate. Yes, I know that the 3 Lions paws on ground and one in air is another Sterling mark but how many are there out in the public. Just other comment for the uninformed, if it is marked Sterling, the knives are Stainless blades with a lead, resin, or cermanic filled handle. Most knives about less than 12-14 grams. 

Dan


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## NobleMetalWorks (Apr 16, 2012)

Ironic, I just saw a set of these exact type of silver plated flatware at a goodwill store in Pleasant Hill, Ca, I could give you the address, for $99.99. I Googled it on my phone while I was there, and read enough to know better than to purchase it.

The 1847 on the flatware refers to the year that Rogers Bros actually started electroplating. So anytime you see Rogers Bros 1847, that really means it was made after that date, and it was electroplated. Most of the stuff you find was made in the 50s and 60s according to what I read. Rogers Bros was one of the very first companies to manufacture silver electroplated flatware. You can Google the information, makes for a very interesting read. I'm sorry to say though that it's definitely silver plate, but not worth much in today's market.

HOWEVER, if I were you, I would hang onto it. Silver is being consumed by industry at a 1:1 ratio to gold. And there is less silver produced than there is gold every year. At some point, silver is going to become very difficult to find, so silver prices have to go up, it is way undervalued at the present time. So what is not worth processing now, will be worth doing so at a later date.

I read an article about 3M's process to extract gold out of sea water, it's brilliant, but at the time 3M was experimenting with the process, gold wasn't at a price that made processing sea water to extract gold, cost effective. This was years ago. I just recently read another article about a company that is currently building a gold/sea water extraction system, now that gold prices are so high it's worth the effort. The same could be said of silver. So if you have anything that is silver plate, or some form of silver too expensive or not worth the time, effort and energy for you, save it, sooner or later it will be worth processing.


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## Lobby (Apr 17, 2012)

Sometimes, we gold and silver buyers are ever the optimists, hoping that every piece of metal we see is precious. Here in Texas, there's a bunch of unstamped karat gold that comes from Mexico. Also, 925 silver jewelry that's not stamped.

But I've NEVER seen silver that wasn't stamped (or had a silver hallmark, like from England) turn out to be silver.

If you want to test it, try this:

- place a drop of Schwerter's solution (it's potassium dichromate dissolved in nitric acid - the silver test solution in your testing kit) on the item.

- if it turns cloudy / creamy red, the solution is indicating the presence of silver

BUT, THAT ONLY PROVES THE PRESENCE OF SILVER, NOT WHETHER IT'S SILVER PLATE!

- file a rather deep gouge in the item and place a drop of the 14k test acid on it

- if it starts bubbling green, this indicates the presence of copper. Thus, the item is plated. If white, then it's silver.


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## nickvc (Apr 17, 2012)

I must admit I'd like to read that article about extracting gold from sea water, I once calculated the the volume of water and the theoretical amount of gold held in it and the figures were mind boggling there weren't enough 0s on my calculator to get a value at full length..
I'd be amazed if anyone can actually make it pay as the cost of the energy required to do the extraction was many many times the value of the gold recovered and even though gold has increased in value the cost of energy has more than kept pace but I'm sure it would be interesting reading.


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## NobleMetalWorks (Apr 17, 2012)

I only did one quick search on Google, I cannot remember where I read the article about 3M, if someone doesn't find it before me, I'll post it when I find it again.

In the mean time, here are some interesting articles on the subject, the first one is really interesting, it has to do with sea sponges that collect gold

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...0t3A6CZ4-3hGJKRwA&sig2=ZKWwWLrNPxuT4CH_HfNUnA

The rest of these links are very interesting and have more to do with directly extracting gold from sea water.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,871061,00.html

http://www.wisegeek.com/can-gold-be-extracted-from-seawater.htm

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4558

http://articles.submityourarticle.com/Phil-Marks-7086/Gold-from-seawater-157174.php

http://goldfever.com/gold_sea.htm


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## MMFJ (Apr 17, 2012)

nickvc said:


> I must admit I'd like to read that article about extracting gold from sea water, I once calculated the the volume of water and the theoretical amount of gold held in it and the figures were mind boggling there weren't enough 0s on my calculator to get a value at full length..
> I'd be amazed if anyone can actually make it pay as the cost of the energy required to do the extraction was many many times the value of the gold recovered and even though gold has increased in value the cost of energy has more than kept pace but I'm sure it would be interesting reading.


Seems to me that two concerns are addressed when using this type of technology
http://cleantechnica.com/2008/11/17/searaser-device-uses-waves-to-pump-sea-water-uphill-could-be-huge-boost-for-hydro-power/
- get the sea water to the degoldination plant (hey, if we can say desalination.... 
- make the energy to process it

Of course, there are some energy (and other) losses, but there is some interesting thoughts of combining this stuff! How about working with these folks to put the gold recovery station just downstream (that way, they do what they do best, maintaining it, etc.) from them? 

Well, just some more thought....


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## steyr223 (Apr 19, 2012)

I think i'd rather have it upstream :shock: 
Thanks everyone
I guess I new about the test solution ,we were using
22k gold test ever since I loaned my partner $700.00+
To brocker a silver deal.
It wad all marked even the 120 gram tiffany chains,
They were all lead with silver solder.

Thanks steyr223


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## Lobby (Apr 19, 2012)

I'm so sorry.

There's thieves everywhere, even those selling gold and silver to mom and pop stores like ours. And when we get stung, it hurts. Fortunately, it hasn't happened to me.

There are some "14k" gold bangles circulating around San Antonio by a ring of thieves. These are copper, but with a rather heavy plating of gold on them. They pass the 14k scratch test, with the procedures most folks use.

They don't pass my procedure.

If I have any question about the item (or the seller, for that matter), I won't rub the item on the stone once, but two or three times. And that's over the same spot on the item.

The look on the thieves is a good one seeing the piece pass the 1st scratch test, but fail the subsequent ones. 


Ya'll be careful out there.


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