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How to Identify Silver Silverware

Silver flatware -- knives, forks and spoons used at the table -- can be made from solid silver or from silver plate. Most solid silver items are fashioned from silver of .925 fineness -- that is, with 925 parts silver per thousand, with the remaining parts being metals that lend the silver strength and durability. In the U.S. and Britain, this is the legal standard for items sold as silver. Solid silver can usually be identified by the presence of an assay mark -- a mark that proves that the item has met the legal standard.

Instructions

- 1
  Look for a numerical assay mark. With spoons and forks, this will usually be located on the rear of the handle or stem, although some 16th century spoons have the assay mark on the bowl itself. On knives, it should be in the area of the hilt, although some high-quality knives may have separate assay marks on the handle and the blade. This is because unlike forks and spoons, which are stamped from one piece of silver, knives are often made from two pieces joined together. The assay will be impressed or laser-etched, never scratched in by hand, and it should usually read "'925" for .925 fineness. You might also see "800" or "900," for .800 and .900 fineness, respectively, but bear in mind that items with these marks fall below the legal standard for silver in the United States. Some items have pictorial assay marks as well as or instead of the numerical mark.
- 2
  Scan the item for any pictorial assay marks in the areas already mentioned in Step 1. The one you are most likely to come across is a lion walking in profile. This is the "lion passant," the assay mark of British silver. Others you might encounter are the Minerva of France -- a classical female head in profile, and the kokoshnik -- a lady in a headdress -- of Russia. Whether numerical or pictorial, the assay mark is your guarantee that an item is made of solid silver. Any other marks are there to offer additional information.
- 3
  Inspect any remaining marks. You might find a maker's name, either in full or presented as a set of initials. On British silver, you will see a letter of the alphabet within a shield and another pictorial mark; these are date and assay office marks, telling you where and when the item was made. If these marks are present, they will be on the underside of the stems on forks and spoons and in the hilt area of knives. If you see engraved initials on the topside of the stem or toward the butt of a knife handle, these are the initials of a previous owner, not a maker's mark.

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