Why are sterling silver table ware considered heirloom pieces?
2007-09-06 17:06:34 · 2 answers · asked by Hernan E 1 in Business & Finance ➔ Investing
The value of any metal is in the scarcity of that metal. Silver is a rare metal and therefor has value.
Gold is more rare and therefor has more value and platinum even more.
per ounce:
silver - $12
gold - $694
platinum - $1283
A single one ounce fork in sterling is worth about $10 in scrap metal. Some tableware has value above the metal content. Especially that made in the 20's Art Deco period and very early tableware. That value is either artistic or historical and has little to do with what metal it's made of.
2007-09-06 17:21:41 · answer #1 · answered by CoachT 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sterling Silver is a mark of the percentage of silver in the alloy. This is similar to the different hallmarks in gold 18K has more gold than 14K which has more gold than 10K. Sterling is .995 silver. The rest of the alloy is most likely nickel or copper.
2007-09-07 00:13:53 · answer #2 · answered by greybeads 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋