German Silver (G.Silver) is Not Silver - or very little
I see a lot of antique and vintage items being offered as “German” silver or G. Silver, rather than Sterling.
Now, I know what sterling is, and thought that German silver was simply silver from Germany. That would seem logical, eh?
Wrong.
I have recently resurected a desire for mesh purses and started including them in my jewelry designs. After making several, (and having to make more because someone always insists on buying the one I have), I thought I’d check out and see if there were any available on eBay. Good idea! I did find that there is a little niche market for these wonderful little chain mail mesh purses. Most say they are G. or German silver. So, I bid on a few and won one. Now, I’m expecting a vintage G. Silver mesh bag in the mail and can’t wait to get it. It finally arrives and I see that it is really dark, dull, and doesn’t look much like “silver” except in color, only. Plus, I immediately spot brass! The ball closures are not silver at all! They are brass, and so is the chain handle, and the dangling ball ornaments along the bottom of the purse. Hmmmm. I expected “SILVER.”
The purse, over all, is still a very nice purse and I leave great feedback. I figure the error is mine and I’d better do some research. Sooooo…. here’s what I found:
“GERMAN SILVER” is another name for the alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. It is usually called “Nickel Silver,” eventhough it CONTAINS NO SILVER at all. Other marks on silver colored items that aren’t stamped with “sterling” might be “Mexican Silver”, “Indian Silver,” “Montana Silver,” or just plain “silver,” and none of these guarantee any silver content in the metal used, either.
Go ahead and Google this info. I sure learned something, today, and will hopefully keep learning as I persue my passions in art and jewelry. I’ll never learn it all.
So, if you want to buy or sell anything that is not marked “Sterling” in silver, you might want to understand that you might not be getting “silver” at all.
And, who really cares as long as you like it and are willing to buy it. Right?
Have fun and learn a lot on eBay!