If an item is noted Sterling Silver, or .925 Silver in our listings, it means the item is composed completely of .925 Sterling Silver. It is not plated. If the item is sterling silver plated, it will be clearly mentioned.
All vintage or antique silver may show light tarnish from exposure to air. Tarnish is not soil but is a naturally occurring oxidation process that takes place when silver is exposed to air. Clean your sterling gently with any of the well-known silver cleaning cloths but we do not recommend dips.
CONDITION CLASSIFICATION GUIDELINES
Due to the inherent nature of antique, vintage or pre-owned items, condition descriptions are subjective. We do our best to describe the condition of our items as carefully as possible and we post several photos of the actual item. Photos may be enlarged to show details and we also include measurements for your review. Age/era is an estimation but represented to the best of our knowledge based on provenance or acquisition time frame
We do not attempt to clean, polish, repair or otherwise alter any of our vintage, antique or pre-owned items. Vintage or antique jewelry may show a patina consistent with age. We sell our items as acquired, as is and we are happy to answer any questions you may have.
MINT - Like new. Highly unusual to see this classification as by very definition antique and vintage jewelry has either been worn or handled in some way. Additionally, there is the natural process of time-wear (similar to shelf-wear).
EXCELLENT - Outstanding condition. The best grade you can reasonably expect for antique/vintage jewelry. No wear. May have only been displayed.
VERY GOOD - We place most of our vintage, antique and pre-owned items and jewelry in this category as most all antique and vintage items have some signs of use consistent with age if even only visible under 10x magnification. It may have a small dent, ding, chip, scratch, light scuffing, yellowing, or plating loss. Any signs of wear would be minor compared to the overall integrity of the piece and would not detract from its beauty. More significant signs of wear on the back or inside of a piece may be included in this category.