There are many different types of silver jewelry items for sale on eBay but what's the difference between them all? The main types I'll be explaining are: sterling silver, silver plate/electroplate, alpaca silver and silver tone. 

STERLING SILVER

As a general rule, the best kind of silver jewelry to buy is Sterling Silver. Genuine sterling silver will be hallmarked .925 in most cases but sometimes there are other hallmarks using part of the "Sterling Silver" words. In England and some other nations, the hallmark might be a picture or symbol. Some silver jewelry manufacturing companies even have their own unique imprint. The beauty of sterling silver jewelry is that for people with sensitive skin, like me, you can wear it without breaking out in a rash. The downside is that it can lose its lustre quickly if it isn't cared for and will tarnish over time. Fortunately, when cleaned with any of the many silver cleaners available today, it will come up clean again. Because it's made up of  92.5% silver and 7.5% copper, it's the closest to pure silver you'll find in jewelry. (Pure silver is impractical for jewelry making.)

SILVER PLATE/ELECTROPLATE

Next down the line we have silver-plated or silver-electroplated. This means that the jewelry is NOT real silver. It doesn't matter how thick the plating is or how great the alleged quality - it's still just costume jewelry. Usually, there's no hallmark but if there is, the letters SP or EP (or similar variations) will appear on the jewelry. Despite the fact that many sellers will claim a RRP (recommended retail price) of some ridiculously high figure, just remember that ultimately, it's just costume jewelry and a recommended retail price does not mean the item is actually worth that amount! As little as 5% of the item might actually be silver. Over time, the plating will wear away and once that happens, you really can't use any jewelry cleaning agents to restore the jewelry to its former glory. Why? Whatever is underneath the plating is going to start showing through. 

ALPACA SILVER

Alpaca Silver comes under the category of costume jewelry. It's an alloy of copper, zinc, nickel & iron and has the colour of silver. In most instances it does NOT contain any real silver but may be plated with sterling silver. It has the appeal of not tarnishing or rusting but can cause skin irritations in those who have sensitive skin.

SILVERTONE or SILVER TONE

Silvertone or Silver Tone is just silver coloured metal. Again, this falls into the costume jewelry  category. Because silvertone jewelry can be made of so many different combinations of metals, the quality will vary from piece to piece. Some jewelry will be hard-wearing, won't tarnish and will look just like real silver while other pieces will be cheaply made, tarnish quickly (often leaving you with a line of green or black where the jewelry has rested on your skin) and break easily. While still new, it will quite often look like real silver but even when new, can irritate those with sensitive skin. This jewelry generally tends to tarnish fairly easily, especially when frequently exposed to water, chemicals, perfumes, etc.

A WORD ABOUT THE SELLERS...

Unfortunately, some sellers don't know what constitutes fine jewelry and what constitutes costume jewelry and it's very common to find costume jewelry item listings being presented as fine jewelry. I'd like to assume it's simply the sellers' ignorance because I'd hate to think they're deliberately deceiving potential buyers but the reality is, their advertisements are craftily worded to give the jewelry the appearance of being something it isn't. Basically, I apply just one simple rule when determining what kind of silver I'm buying and determining a price - it's either sterling silver or it's not.