(9) American Sterling Silver Utensils Gorham and Others - 20.605 ozt. Various makers (mostly Gorham), including 1 stuffing spoon, 1 salad spoon, 1 sugar spoon, 1 gravy spoon, and 5 matching Strasbourg pattern serving spoons. Each ornately decorated on the edges and marked on the back, including the word "sterling." 

Size: 2 3/8 x 8 3/4 in. 

Weight: 20.605 ozt. 

#6046 . 

Sterling silver is an alloy composed (by weight) of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925, and this number is usually found on pieces fashioned with it, if the word “sterling” itself is not used. Fine silver, which is 99.9% pure silver, is relatively soft, so silver is usually alloyed with copper to increase its hardness and strength, particularly for use in cutlery or other objects that are regularly used rather than purely for display. Sterling silver is prone to tarnishing, so elements other than copper can be used in alloys to reduce tarnishing, as well as casting porosity and firescale. Such elements include germanium, zinc, platinum, silicon, boron, and in more recent times argentium, sterlium, and silvadium. One of the earliest attestations of the term is in Old French form “esterlin,” in a charter of the abbey of Les Préaux in 1085, and according to the Oxford English Dictionary the most plausible etymology is a derivation from a late Old English “steorling” (“little star”), as some early Norman pennies were imprinted with a small star. The first legal definition of sterling silver appeared in 1275, when a statute of Edward I specified percentages of silver and other metals. With the onset of the Industrial Revolution silversmithing declined as an artistic occupation, but the ability to mass produce goods led to sterling silver cutlery (also known as flatware and silverware) becoming de rigueur when setting a table. The height of this craze was between 1870 and 1920, and flatware lines during this period sometimes included up to 100 different types of pieces. Part of the reason silver became preferred for use on food is that it is not a very reactive metal, and does not react with oxygen or water at ordinary temperatures so it doesn’t easily oxidize. However, it is attacked by common components of atmospheric pollution, and silver sulfide slowly appears as a black tarnish during exposure to airborne compounds (ironically caused by fossil fuels and other castoffs of the industries that led to its widespread use), and low level ozone reacts to form silver oxide. As the purity of the silver decreases, the problem of corrosion or tarnishing increases because other metals in the alloy, usually copper, may react with oxygen in the air. Several products have been developed for the purpose of polishing silver that serve to remove sulfur from the metal without damaging or warping it. Because harsh polishing and buffing can permanently damage and devalue a piece of antique silver, valuable items are typically hand-polished to preserve the unique patinas of older pieces. Techniques such as wheel polishing, which are typically performed by professional jewelers or silver repair companies, are reserved for extreme tarnish or corrosion.