Articles made out of precious metals are usually assayed before they are put up for sale. This is done in order to determine the amount of pure metal in the article. Silver articles may be made out of an alloy of silver and some other metal to give it strength. Different marks may be used for indicating the fineness of the metal, maker of the article, country and year of assay. The Silver from different countries may be distinguished by its fineness. A Silver standard is followed in many countries for determining the fineness of Silver in an article. The decimal system where a decimal number indicates the quantity of Silver in parts per thousandth is commonly used.
Sterling Silver is an alloy of Silver and some other metal, usually Copper. Sterling Silver has a fineness of .925 under the world decimal standard.
In terms of antique, sterling Silver flatware, culinary items and jewellery are popular collectibles.