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Need help with Silver Coffee Urn/Samovar please
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<p>[QUOTE="Bakersgma, post: 9537859, member: 59"]Without marks there are a few things you could try. Start with Magnet, If it sticks to any part of the pot, it is likely silver plated, since sterling does not attract a magnet. But the magnet will only stick if the base metal under the plating contains some amount of iron or another ferrous metal.</p><p><br /></p><p>Even testing with acid is not ideal for two reasons. First you need to scratch into the surface in an inconspicuous place to get far enough into the plating to expose the base metal before applying the acid. That can be very disfiguring. Second, not scratching will mean that you are only testing the surface, which if it is plated will be all sterling anyway and give you an erroneous result. You should probably take it to a professional to be tested.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Bakersgma, post: 9537859, member: 59"]Without marks there are a few things you could try. Start with Magnet, If it sticks to any part of the pot, it is likely silver plated, since sterling does not attract a magnet. But the magnet will only stick if the base metal under the plating contains some amount of iron or another ferrous metal. Even testing with acid is not ideal for two reasons. First you need to scratch into the surface in an inconspicuous place to get far enough into the plating to expose the base metal before applying the acid. That can be very disfiguring. Second, not scratching will mean that you are only testing the surface, which if it is plated will be all sterling anyway and give you an erroneous result. You should probably take it to a professional to be tested.[/QUOTE]
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Need help with Silver Coffee Urn/Samovar please
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