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How Can You Tell If a Silver Bucket Is Sterling Silver or Silver-Plated?

For an item to be classed as sterling silver, it must contain 925 parts silver per thousand -- otherwise known as .925 fineness. Silver plate is a cheaper alternative whereby a thin layer of silver is applied electrochemically to a base metal body. People use ice buckets made out of sterling silver or silver plate for serving wine and champagne. Solid silver ice buckets are much rarer than the plated variety, so to be frank you are unlikely to come across one.

Instructions

- 1
  Check the bucket first of all for an impressed or laser-etched assay mark. This is the mark which is applied to a piece to prove that it is sterling silver. Find the main assay mark on the base. Look for marks on the bucket handle, lid or liner. On US pieces, look for the the words "Sterling" or "Sterling silver" or the numerical assay mark "925." On British silver the assay mark is an emblem of a lion walking sideways known as the "lion passante."
- 2
  Rub briskly with a tissue over any dark, grubby areas. Silver oxidizes in the atmosphere, resulting in a soft, sooty residue. If the tissue comes away black and a clean pale surface is revealed underneath, then the bucket is probably solid silver. With silver plate, a little of the dirt will come off on your tissue but most of it will adhere stubbornly to the surface.
- 3
  Look for any areas of wear. In the case of a bucket, the main areas where this is likely to occur are the base and the interior. Silver can be deeply scratched and rubbed without showing any change of color. By contrast, when the thin layer of silver on plate is scratched away it reveals another color underneath, usually the pale yellow of nickel.

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