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How do i know if a piece of silver may be worth restoring? Can there be a good way to differentiate from silver plated pieces and Silver? What's Sterling silver? The easiest way to determine if your piece is worth restoring is to decide if it's sentimental value.http://www.westwoodbutikk.com/ ,?If so, then your easiest way to make it are generations (or centuries) is with regular and proper maintenance.http://www.westwoodsalg.com/ ,?Whether silver plated or Sterling, the easiest way to safeguard your piece is thru regular and gentle polishing.http://www.solbrillerbillige.com/ ,?At Lawrence Miller & Co.http://www.okularyprzeciwslonecznesklep.com/ , we recommend using Tarni-Shield (by 3M) polishing cream.?Hagerty also makes a good polishing cloth (silver duster), but Tarni-Shield is really a less abrasive polish, it leaves a protective finish, and it is what we use for hand polishing.?Polishing your silver every few months is a good idea. Whether it抯 silver plated or Silver, NEVER put silver within the dishwasher, NEVER store it in a plastic bag, or use toothpaste like a cleaner.?After using a silver piece (flatware or hollowware), wash it having a mild detergent and dry it with a soft cotton cloth.?NEVER make use of a paper towel to dry or clean your silver.? Products and items that contain sulfur may also chemically react with silver and damage it enough where it needs professional attention.?Avoid prolonged connection with rubber bands, latex gloves, foods such as eggs and mayonnaise, and certain paints, because this may also damage silver.?Tarnish is accelerated in humid environments. In general, pieces made from Silver are nearly always worth restoring.?To become considered Silver, a product should be 92.5% silver (or have 925 parts per 1000).?Thus items stamped ?25?are Sterling. Numbers stamped on a bit of silver can also be a great indicator of the item抯 worth.?Although ?25?is easily the most common indicator of silver content (Sterling), different countries have different standards of silver content, and other common stamps are ?00,??75,??00,?and ?50.敔 Again, these numbers are in reference to the silver content out of 1000 (800/1000). In order to determine if an item is Sterling, it is advisable to consider the Hallmarks (stamps often found on the bottom from the item).?Two of the most typical Sterling stamps are ?25?and 揝terling,?although many countries have their own unique stamps that indicate the silver content of an item.?For instance, Sterling silver pieces made in England are stamped having a lion passant to be able to indicate that they are Sterling. Because silver is really a relatively soft metal in its purest form, it is almost always coupled with metals (usually copper) for strength and durability.?Thus, if an item is Sterling (925/1000 silver), it is probably 75/1000 copper. Along with numbers, there are some common letters that can indicate an item抯 worth.?For instance, if there is an 揈.P.N.S.?on an item, which means that the product is silver plated.?To be more specific, 揈.P.N.S.?means: electro-plated nickel silver.?In other words, the item is silver plated with nickel as the base metal.? In general, whenever an item is stamped with a series of 3-5 letters, which include 揈.P.,?this means that it is electro-plated. Another good way of determining if an item is plated or perhaps is Silver, would be to simply view it and find out if there are any spots of discoloration, particularly on the higher parts, ridges, or edges.?Because these spots stick out, they have a tendency to put on faster than other parts of a silver piece, and it is sometimes possible to ascertain if the base metal is showing through.?The two most common colors are a duller grey (nickel) and an orange (copper). Because there are so many silver Hallmarks plus they can be very confusing, it is very likely that you may still have questions regarding a specific item.?If you are still uncertain by what a product is or what a stamp means, it may be ideal to see an expert.?