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How to Identify an Unmarked Silver Plate Coffee Set

Silver plate is a term used to describe a base metal item that has been plated with silver. Chandeliers, flatware, figurines, jewelry, and tea and coffee sets are all items that can be made from silver plate. If your coffee set is not marked by a manufacturer or with any other distinguishable mark to determine its origin, there is a chemical test you can do at home to determine if it is silver or silver plate.

Things You'll Need

Nitric acid (available for purchase at offline and online stores)
Dropper
File

Instructions

Determine the Composition
- 1
  Find an unnoticible spot on a piece of the coffee set. Using the file, make a scratch in that area.
- 2
  Take the dropper and fill it with the nitric acid. Apply one drop of nitric acid directly on the small scratch you made.
- 3
  Wait for a reaction. If a milky color appears the coffee set is made of sterling silver or an even better quality silver. If a green color appears, it is silver plate.

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