new to buying sterling scrap ,learning the hard way , like ALPACA mexico and items marked german silver contain 0 silver,worthless .. also see lots weighing pounds of damaged candleholders comotes etc [that are weighted ].but after removing fill cement plus steel if are reinforced you end up with very little scrap weight . had one candle holder weighing 6 ounces after removing fill etc ended up with one half ounce of sterling . another is silver ware sets big problem alot of the weight is from the stainless steel blades knifes  plus some handles are also filled with cement .quess live and learn .be carefull ..  also just found new one not sure if sellers are doing this or from orginal owner .. but in ebay you can buy your own METAL jewelry  stamps to mark items  sterling ,925 ,14k .18k etc .i have found some pieces that SOMEONE  has stamped 925 but is not.. .fraud .. quess since sterling and silver prices are skyrocketing there will be fraud .