Sterling Silver: is a mixture of pure silver and some other metal, usually copper. The resulting alloy gives the silver strength. Sterling silver is at least 92.5% pure silver. Hence, the .925 stamp you see on some sterling silver items. Sterling silver will not peel or chip. With proper care and cleaning, it will retain its shine and lasts a lifetime.
Silver -plate/d: is another material, brass/pewter/white metal/plastic etc that is plated with a layer of pure silver. Silver plate is not sterling silver. It is a material that is of far lesser value than sterling silver. Like gold-plate, the color can wear off and cause the plated item to look dull.
Alpaca or Nickel Silver: is a metal alloy of copper with nickel and often but not always zinc. The usual formulation is 60% copper, 20% nickel and 20% zinc. It is named for its silvery appearance, but contains no elemental silver.
Gold-filled: also called rolled-gold. These jewelry items are not actually filled with gold. They are made of a base metal (usually brass or copper) covered by sheets of gold in a mechanical bonding process. Effectively a thick coat of gold: the gold content is 5% or 1/20 of the total weight. Usually made with 14k gold, it is hard wearing. With reasonable care it will not peel or flake, and should last as long as solid 14k gold jewelry. It is safe for most people with sensitive skin.
Gold-plate/d: A base metal such as steel or brass is dipped into a bath of electroplating solution, with a lump of solid gold. When an electric current is applied, a thin layer of gold is deposited on the metal. Since the plating is quite thin, the plate (and hence the color) on can wear off.
Vermeil: (Pronounced: Vermay) is sterling silver that has been gold-plated. Most vermeil is plated with 22K-24K gold. This is a good combination for those with allergy to normal, plated jewelry items. The difference between vermeil, and gold-filled, is in the thickness of the gold and the base metal used. In vermeil, the base is sterling silver.
