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'Tis a Puzzlement!

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Author	Topic: 'Tis a Puzzlement!
jersey Posts: 1203 Registered: Feb 2005	posted 08-09-2007 11:30 AM Good Morning! I am very curious about a mark that I have encounter from time to time on silver bowls, flatware etc. They have a back mark which is stamped & reads Sterling Plate, some times with a B or D in a diamond. Does anyone have a clue as to what company this is, and what is the composition, what does it refer too? I have searched all over & cannot come up with any answers. Thank you so much for listening. Any help would be appreciated. Enjoy the Day! Jersey IP: Logged
vathek Posts: 966 Registered: Jun 99	posted 08-10-2007 06:19 AM My understanding is that most plated wares are plated using pure silver which gives the item a different look than plating with sterling which would have, in my opinion, a warmer look. IP: Logged
agleopar Posts: 850 Registered: Jun 2004	posted 08-10-2007 01:56 PM Vathek, I am no expert but I thought all silver plating was done with pure silver? I just saw Salmoned's very good reply to this subject in the open forum: "Whoa! Chemistry does not allow for simultaneous plating of different metals, due to differing electronegativity (one metal will always display a preference). Yes, trace amounts of different metals may plate out due to random 'local' solution issues, but for the most part only 1 'pure' metal can be plated at a time. In fact, this is a method for metal purification." So I am guessing that the phrase Sterling Plate means Plate in the old use of the word? IP: Logged
adelapt Posts: 418 Registered: May 2003	posted 08-11-2007 08:32 PM I think "sterling" is used in this instance for the prestige or comfort factor, as the word has spread from a specific meaning to a more general term denoting high quality. The same thing has happened to the term "hallmark". IP: Logged
Dale Posts: 2132 Registered: Nov 2002	posted 08-14-2007 11:32 PM There is flatware around with this name on it. And it is clearly plated. The name 'sterling plate co' seems to have been used to mislead the public. My impression from what I have handled is that the work is low level. And most likely a premium with something. IP: Logged
jersey Posts: 1203 Registered: Feb 2005	posted 08-18-2007 03:07 PM Hello! Thank you all for your responses, they were extremely helpful! I've also noted that a D.S. Spaulding company of Mass. marked some goods sterling top......curious as to why this would be done? Jersey IP: Logged
Paul Lemieux Posts: 1792 Registered: Apr 2000	posted 08-23-2007 04:51 PM Well "sterling top" and "sterling front" goods were usually made as cheaper alternatives to all-sterling wares. In my experience, sterling top pieces have actual sterling silver (not merely plate) on the visible portions of the piece, and use a white base metal on the rest. I see a lot of brooches in this vein dating from 1895-1910. The front is a die-stamped sterling design and the back is a flat sheet of white metal. The method of manufacture is the same as Unger Brothers and Kerr jewelry, but by using white metal on the back instead of sterling, the cost of materials for these pieces is half as much and from the front they still look like all-sterling pieces. Consequently, most sterling top pieces are somewhat inferior in quality and design as they were probably marketed to a less affluent demographic who didn't want to buy Unger, Kerr, etc. from high-end retailers like Daniel Low. IP: Logged
jersey Posts: 1203 Registered: Feb 2005	posted 08-23-2007 07:22 PM Hello Paul! Thank you for your help. I will try and stay away from those pieces unless of course they are special (to my eye & taste)! Enjoy the day! Jersey IP: Logged
Scott Martin Forum Master Posts: 11520 Registered: Apr 93	posted 09-05-2007 11:20 AM From the New Members Forum: quote: Sheila posted 09-05-2007 10:50 AM: I just wanted to share the information about what I believe are Trademarks. I didn't have a question. You can pass it on if you want to. In the General Silver Forum 'Tis a Puzzlement! I believe the B and D marks are Trade Marks. B within a diamond is listed as E & J Bass 610 Broadway New York D within a diamond is listed as Deitsch Bros. 14 E 17th St., New York Ref: From 1915 Trademarks book. Bye ------------------ Sheila IP: Logged

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