How can you tell silver plate from sterling silver?

Answer 1

When looking at silver jewelry, the hallmarks is key, .925 silver is the standard silver quality (sterling silver).
99% of silver jewelry will have a hallmark, I have a lot of it so I recognize it instantly. More often that not, silver plated jewelry will have a hallmark that says .925 pltd or plated this is the easiest way to tell. Another way to tell is if you look at the jewelry itself you can sometimes see copper or another coloured metal around edges and places where the jewelry is exposed to oil from skin or the plating is eroding. These are the best ways to tell.
Hope this helps!

All of the above are true but to know if the item is sterling or silver plated if it is unmarked, you will need to test it. There are electronic and acid testers on the market specifically for this purpose. If it is jewelry then you can ask a jeweler to test it for you. When using acid testers, it is advisable to test in an inconspicuous place on the silver, otherwise, the acid will ruin the finish of the jewelry if it turns out to only be silver plated. We at YearsAfter (see the related link) test our unmarked sterling silver jewelry and it takes about 6 seconds. It's very easy but if you are using acid, please be careful and follow the instructions.