SILVER GLOSSARY

ACID ETCHING: method of customizing a product with an emblem logo or seal, etched into the item by transferring a tissue lifting of a logo from a steel engraving plate. The impression left is surrounded by wax resin. Acid is applied to the immersion and resin is then removed, cleaned, and a permanent etching is left.

APPLIED BORDER: cast or rolled border soldered onto a piece of hollow-ware.

BRITTANIA METAL: silver-like alloy of tin, antimony, and copper first used in 1770. When used as a base metal for electroplating, it is referred to as E.P.B.M.

BRONZE CASTING: old world art where hollow fittings are made by the caster pouring molten metal into bronze molds of fittings, handles, feet, finials, spouts, or candleholders.

BUTLER FINISH: or SATIN: Originally, the result of years of hand rubbing by English butlers. Today, a mellow surface luster is produced by a revolving wire wheel.

CHASING: decoration in high or low relief, achieved by punches which push the surface into patterns.

COIN SILVER: Up until the Civil War, most hollow-ware was made from melted coins which were made of silver assayed at 900 parts pure silver to every 1,000 parts, 25 parts lower than the sterling standard.

CUT-CARD: decorative technique similar to applique-work in sewing. Thin sheets of silver are cut into patterns which are then applied as ornamentation.

DIE CUTTING: or SINKING: process where a master pattern is reproduced in steel to form a die from which an identical article of a softer metal can be stamped out.

EMBOSSING: decorating process of working in relief on piece’s back.

ELECTROPLATE: base metals coated with pure silver when electrical currents pass through a plating bath which deposits the silver on the base metal.

ENGRAVING: designs achieved by cutting the surface of metal by the use of sharp tools - called gravers - which remove small amounts of metal.

FLATWARE BLANKING: another form of pressing and cutting a thick slab of metal into a rough form. Subsequent additional hammer drops define the flatware before rough and final finishing.

FINAL FINISH: this hand polishing step is precise and affords a smooth satin finish or a bright mirror finish. All fine polishing is stroked in the direction of the metal’s grain.

HAMMERED FINISH: uneven finish.

HAND SPINNING: spinners pull metal over a form by exerting up to 900 pounds of leverage per square inch into precise curves and contours.

NICKEL SILVER: composition of copper, nickel, and zinc. When used as a base metal for electroplating, it’s referred to as E.P.N.S.

OLD SHEFFIELD PLATE: made by fusing silver to both sides of a base metal to create a silver sandwich. Widely used method from 1765 to 1840.

OXIDIZING: method used to accentuate the beauty of ornamentation by applying an oxide which darkens the metal. Eventually, a natural oxidation forms on all silver as oxygen reacts to metal.

PATINA: special soft sheen, color, and feel which develops years after using silver.

PEWTER: soft alloy because its primary element is tin. The combination of tin and antimony gives pewter its strength.

PRESSING: dies are used in hydraulic presses utilizing as much as 150 tons of pressure to blank or cut unusual designs or geometric shapes that cannot be formed by hand spinning.

REPOUSSE: process of embossing metal from the back by hammering then giving further definition to the relief by chasing up from the front.

SAND POLISHING: a felt or leather spinning wheel removes all marks, creases, and major porous openings. A sand polisher uses pumice as an abrasive between the wheel and metal.

SILVER: often incorrectly referred to as solid silver, sterling silver is 925 parts pure silver and 75 parts alloy, usually copper. Continental silver varies from .800 to .833. In England, 925 is always called silver, not sterling.

SILVERPLATE: a base metal -- usually an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc -- which is plated with silver.

SOLDERING: attaching bases, handles, fittings, or bowl bodies by fusing the metallic surfaces together with a soldering iron.

STAINLESS: an alloy made of steel which is composed of iron, chromium, and nickel. 18/8 and 18/10 refer to the ratio of chromium and nickel. 18/10 has more nickel, assuring a satin-like sheen.

TRIPOLI: a form of hand finish polishing which removes coarse marks of sand polishing.

TROY WEIGHT: unit of weight employed by silversmiths. One pound equals 14.58 troy ozs; one ounce is .91 troy ozs.

VERMEIL: silver which has been gilded.