Phil T. wrote:
Would like to know more about this base
metal that contains no silver content. Are these one
and the same? Was there a period of time that was popular
for its use in jewelry? How is it valued in todays market?
Thank you for your time.
If you look up Nickel Silver
in Bartleby.com
Dictionary - NOUN: A silvery, hard, corrosion resistant,
ductile, malleable alloy of copper, zinc, and nickel,
used in tableware and as a structural material for hospital
and restaurant equipment. Also called German silver.
German silver and Nickel Silver are
the same metallurgically
and are an alloy of nickel, copper and zinc. This alloy
contains no precious metals and yes, you are right it
would be considered a "base metal" of little
or very low "value" as metals go. It is a
relatively strong metal that is still in use today in
better costume jewelry, fly fishing rods, flatware (knifes
& forks), dart points, drawer pulls and other pieces
needing a hard, inexpensive metal.
Here is a great site with more history
of - "Nickel Silver, German Silver and related
alloys" - "History
and metallurgy of nickel silver with resources for metalsmiths
and collectors."
Time periods vary, as do "values"
of different items made in the alloy. This article
notes "a 1500's German silver-gilt beer stein"
selling at auction for $4920. So, as you can see from
this article, "value" is closely related to
the design and construction of the pieces not only the
metal content.
It is interesting to note that the first
link about "history" notes "Nickel Silver
alloys has been known since the early 18th century"
and in the the second you have a stein dating back to
the 1500's. From my research there were many Arts and
Crafts period (1890-1920) pieces of jewelry and "wares"
produced in "German silver" - these pieces
are collectable, but the "value" is considerably
less than Sterling silver items of the same period.
And in my field of study (Jewelry) the strongest time
period of this metals use is from the Victorian period
(1837-1901) into the 1920's.
Here is more information on the internet
about Silver - "A
Buying Guide to Silver"
FYI - Here is an interesting article
on "Trade
Silver" in North America.
Email
ADAM for more information
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