STERLING SILVER An alloy of silver 92% silver and 7.5% copper by weight. Fine silver (99% pure) is too soft for large objects. which is why copper is added. As the purity of silver decreases the problem of corrosion (tarnishing) increases. NICKEL SILVER (known as GERMAN SILVER) An alloy of 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. Resembling sterling silver in shine and luster it contains NO silver content. It is sometimes electro-plated with sterling silver or gold MONEL A trademarked name for a nickel alloy primarily composed of 70% nickel, 20% copper and 10% iron and manganese plus other trace minerals. Tough more expensive than stainless steel Monel is less expensive than Nickel Silver and polishes to a nice silver shine. |