Buy a Silver Testing Kit

If you are unsure about the purity of your silver or even if the metal you are looking at even is Silver, then you probably need a Silver Testing Kit.

A silver testing kit uses a mix of chemicals that react on contact with silver. The contact mark made can be then wiped off after you have identified the metal.

This kit provides an accurate, affordable and easy-to-use means of testing precious metals. The kits are produced in a specialist laboratory (fully compliant with ISO9001:2008 standards) This ensures that the products are always manufactured to the highest industry standards.

The kits are all supplied laboratory-fresh with a long shelf-life.

This is a special solution for testing only silver. Unlike other kits which use the same solution for silver and gold, this kit has been designed for users who have no need to test gold.
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Contents:
Silver Testing Solution.
Full testing instructions.
Miniature needle file.
Used to check whether an item is plated, by removing a small part of the surface in a concealed spot before retesting.
Magnet.
Allows the item to be identified as possibly steel if it tests negative for silver.

Just apply a small spot of the test solution to the metal and wait. The spot will change colour depending on the metal underneath. If it turns red you have Silver. You can use the file to test if the metal is plated.

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Identify Silver fountain Pens

Pens uniquely express our personality, the thought, to the hand, to the paper. 

Perhaps the most famous of these is the Montblanc Pen.
 

The first Montblanc pen model was the Rouge Et Noir in 1909 followed in 1910 by the pen that was later to give the company its new name, Montblanc. The first Montblanc pen (a fountain pen) known as the Meisterstück or "Masterpiece," was produced in 1924.

The Montblanc pen is still considered as "the pen" that shows both wealth and style. Fountain pens can reflect the user’s personality from the simple biro to the finest silver or gold fountain pen.

The Earliest Fountain Pens

The first fountain pen can said to have been invented by the Egyptians in the 10th century. The caliph wanted a pen that wouldn’t drop ink onto his robes so an early fountain pen – a pen with a reservoir of ink was invented so that he could write without spoiling his clothes.

However, the Europeans were slower to catch on.

In 1636, a German inventor Daniel Schwenter described a basic early fountain pen but it was not until 1827 that a Romanian inventor Petrache Poenaru took out a patent on the invention of the first fountain pen with ink cartridge. Many inventors followed suite and by 1850, the fountain pen was in production.

 

Waterman became the first mass producer of fountain pens in the USA in 1880 followed by Parker in 1888. By the early 1900s fountain pens were made from a variety of materials and were being manufactured as luxury goods by some of the most prestigious companies in the world including Cartier, Mont Blanc pens and DuPont

So how much will a silver fountain pen set you back?

Well, a diamond encrusted Mont Blanc pen can sell for in excess of a million dollars but if you are considering buying a silver fountain pen, a vintage Parker silver fountain pen can be found on auction sites for between £30 around £80.

Many people collect fountain pens and they hold their value well. When you are looking to buy a silver fountain pen, always check the hallmark and the condition, and take into consideration the maker and whether the pen is in its original box.

Buying silver pens is an affordable hobby from the collectable found in the back of your drawers to the Silver Montblanc fountain pens they can be an investment as well as a functional way to express yourself on a daily basis.

What is a Silver Standard

Sterling – Most Countries, including the UK and the US define Sterling Silver as an alloy containing at least 92.5% pure silver.

The other silver standard metal in the alloy is copper which strengthens the metal so it can be worked into useful and decorative items. Pure silver is too soft so an alloy is neccassary for fabrication.

The Sterling standard began in the UK in the 1300’s and has been the standard in Great Britain and elsewhere has been 92.5% (925) fineness since that time.

The numbers 925, 0.925 or 925/1000 will be found stamped in the item. The number only represents sterling when the countries official hallmark of origin is also present. The number on its own does not guarantee the metal is sterling.

Solid Silver
Like Sterling, Solid Silver contains 92.5% of pure silver and an alloy. It is illegal in the U.S. to represent any product by this name that is not Sterling Silver.

Coin Silver
This is an alloy with a Millesimal fineness of 90% or 900 purity. It gets its name from American Silversmiths active in the 18th and 19th Century. These silversmiths would melt down silver coins to create new silver ware items. It is illegal in the US to sell items with less than 90% purity as coin silver.

Continental Sterling
This means European Silver with a purity of less than 92.5% but the official hallmark and assay mark are also present to authenticate the metal. The same type of term applies to Russian, German and French Sterling but again with their official hallmarks and assay marks.

See More:
What are Official Silver Standards?
What are Loth Numbers?
What are Zolotnik Numbers?

How to sell silver on eBay

There are many opportunities for eBay sellers and buyers in the growing market for antique and collectible silver. The fast rising prices of silver and gold assure this but it is easy to make mistakes in this arena.

Fact: An amazing one-third of the eBay sellers incorrectly list and describe items because they've learned just enough information about marks to be incompetent. Often these sellers think because there is a lion, crown, or anchor mark on their item it is English sterling when, in fact, it is a silver plate bearing a pseudo mark.

If least 30% of the 12-15,000 weekly listings in the 'Antiques-Silver' category have inaccurate or misleading descriptions. The resulting buyer confusion and uncertainty will cause low selling prices, lost sales and seller credibility problems.

Those who are just starting into antique silver selling need to be very wary not to misinterpret marks. As already mentioned, one-third of the eBay sellers incorrectly list and describe items because they don’t know enough about silver and gold.

“So, how does one avoid these mistakes to become successful on selling silver on eBay”.

The best answer is, “With knowledge and care”.

Please take a look at the best way to list and silver correctly on ebay and avoid making the mistakes that will lose you credibility and sales on eBay.

What is Sterling Silver

What is Sterling Silver?

Many people think that sterling silver refers to silver that has a British hallmark. Although this is true in Britain, sterling silver does not have to be British.
How do you tell if the metal you are looking at is real sterling silver?

Picture the scene!

You are looking at a pair of expensive silver candlesticks at an antique fair.
The colour is tarnished and although they have a great shape, you are concerned that you might be about to “get done”. The stall holder assures you that they are sterling silver but, sterling silver goblet

But what does this actually mean?

Many people think that sterling silver refers to silver that has a British hallmark. Although this is true in Britain, sterling silver does not have to be British. It can come from any country of origin but should carry a maker’s mark or assay office stamp to guarantee it is authentic.

Sterling silver is the good quality solid silver that we think about when considering silver. It is not pure silver. Pure or fine silver is too soft for most uses – it can wear away and be bent out of shape. Sterling silver keeps it’s shape and is hardwearing for most uses such as jewellery or any kind of object or implement such as the candle sticks that you are considering

What is sterling Silver (part 2)