I have an old tea set I am wanting to no how can I tell if its real silver or junk
Answers (1)
1. If it's not stamped "STERLING" it's not sterling.
2. If you tap it and it goes "clunk" it's not sterling.
3. If it doesn't seem oddly heavy it's not sterling.
4. If it doesn't tarnish it's not sterling.
5. If it tarnishes too much it's silverplate, not sterling.
6. If it's not a family treasure, from YOUR family, it probably is not sterling.
Find some actual sterling and you can tell the difference by look and feel. German stuff might fool you because it is normally 80% instead of 92.5%. British stuff has a lion instead of STERLING. Final test: any jeweler or pawn shop can identify it for sure.