STERLING

STERLING is the word form of the same fact 925 states as a number: the metal is sterling silver, 92.5% fine.

The distinction between the two is a mild dating clue rather than a rule. American silver has been marked with the word since the nineteenth century and continued through the twentieth; the numeric 925 spread later and is now the international default. A piece stamped only STERLING, in a serif face, is more likely to be older American work than one stamped 925 — but plenty of modern pieces still use the word, and plenty of older ones carry neither.

Look for it on the inner shank, the back of a bezel, or the underside of a cuff terminal. It is frequently struck alongside a maker's mark, and on Southwestern silver it often sits beside a smith's initials or hallmark. Where both appear, the initials are the interesting half.

Two things it does not mean. It does not indicate silver-plate — plated work is marked EPNS, silver-plate, or nothing at all. And it does not certify age, origin or hand-work: it is a metal standard, and a machine-stamped modern piece carries exactly the same word as a hand-raised one.