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Sterling Silver Trivia
Sterling silver is an
alloy of
silver
containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually
copper. The
millesimal fineness is 925. Sterling silver objects are usually
stamped with either the word "Sterling" or ".925", or the Lion Passant mark as
part of the
Hallmark.Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large
functional objects, and in Sterling the silver is usually alloyed with copper
to give strength whilst preserving the ductility of the silver and a high
precious metal content. Other metals can replace the copper, a recent
development being the use of
germanium
to reduce firescale in manufacturing and to give a high resistance to tarnish.
Origin of the term The term "Sterling Silver", in reference to the .925 grade of silver, emerged
in
England by
the
13th century.The terms "sterling"
and "pound sterling", seem to have acquired their meaning over a period of time,
and from several convergent sources. The first mention is that of "sterilensis"
in
1078, and by the
thirteenth century (by the 1200's) the term sterling had appeared.
"Easterling" Theory
It seems quite possible that Sterling Silver may have been known first as "Easterling
Silver". The term "Easterling Silver" was used to refer to the grade of
silver that had originally been used as the local
currency in
an area of
Germany, known as "The Easterling". This "Easterling" consisted of five towns in the eastern part of Germany
which banded together in the
12th
century under the name of the
Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League proceeded to engage in considerable
commerce with England. In payment for English
cattle and
grain, the League used their local currency. This currency was in the form of
92.5% silver coins. England soon learned that these coins, which they referred
to as "the coins of the Easterlings", were of a reliably high quality and
hardness.King
Henry II set about to adopt the
alloy as the
standard for English currency. He imported metal refiners from the Easterling
and put them to work making silver coins for England. The silver these refiners
produced came into usage as currency by
1158 in the form of
what are now known as "Tealby
Pennies", and was eventually adopted as a standard alloy throughout England.
The original term of "Easterling Silver" was later abbreviated to "Sterling
Silver". Though the coin weights and silver purity changed considerably in the
intervening time (reaching a low point before the reign of Elizabeth I, who
reinstated Sterling Silver coinage for the first time since the early
14th
century), the pound sterling was used as currency in England from the 12th
century until the middle of the
20th
century. Specifically this was in the silver coins of the
British Empire --
Britain,
British colonies and some former British colonies. This sterling coin silver
is not to be confused with the
Coin silver standard.Sterling silver, while no longer used in circulating currency anywhere in the
world, is still used for
flatware,
jewellery
and
plate, and is
a grade of silver respected for both relatively high purity and sufficient
hardness to form durable objects in daily use.
Mint Mark Theory Another credible theory is that, since mint marks on Sterling Silver pennies
have included a star and a
starling,
this may be the origin of the word -- as a simple corruption of, for example,
"starling silver" with common reference to the circulating coin
This article is licensed
under the "GNU Free Documentation License". It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sterling
Silver".
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