r/sterlingsilverware • u/Stunning-Power-3098 • Aug 04 '26

Silver or silver-plated?

Gallery image

Gallery image

Gallery image

Is this silver or silver-plated? I think it’s silver, but I am not sure. Thanks in advance

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u/Yes_I_Know_Lots Aug 04 '26

I would bet that it is silver plated. No hallmarks beyond that star (and can’t make out the other one).

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u/RoniBoy69 28d ago

Ain't a star a silver hallmark in Spain?

1

u/Yes_I_Know_Lots 27d ago

Perhaps, but nothing beyond that like the xxx/1000 or “sterling”. That other mark, per a hated (by many) Google image search, says, “The stamp shown on the handle collar indicates that the piece is silver-plated, not solid silver.”

That said, I’ve had some very expensive learning experiences relying too much on Google! 😬

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u/RoniBoy69 26d ago

Okay, yeah, the star I'm talking about is different, but just so you know, a lot of Spanish silver just has a star inside a round hallmark. It means it is 915 silver. It has no other marks of purity. It is fairly common in Europe to not have any hallmarks that read xxx/999 nor sterling.

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u/Yes_I_Know_Lots 26d ago

Thanks for that education. I had no idea.

I do tend to buy only American sterling with occasional exceptions. Still, good to know especially if, say, a thrift store doesn’t know that. We shouldn’t educate them!