HISTORY OF THE CLEARING OF STERLING SILVER

Since silver is a soft metal, it is practically not used in its pure form. Most often it is an alloy of silver and copper. The ratio of the quantities of one and the other metal was constantly changing, until Edward I introduced the branding system in 1300, according to the standard, now the share of silver in the finished product should be at least 92.5 percent. Only in this case could silver be called “sterling” and wear a stamp with a leopard head.
After 63 years, that is, in 1363, the brand of the master was introduced, which made it impossible to falsify the products with the stamp of the head of a leopard. In 1478, a letter appears, which means the year of branding of the product. And in 1544, the image of a walking lion put the final confirmation of the royal control over branding. Continue reading →