Is Sterling Silver Real Silver?

During these hard economic times many people have been looking into the option of investing in precious metals like gold and silver. Today I wanted to mention something about sterling silver. I have noticed that it has become a trend that people on eBay and Craigslist have been looking for items that contain sterling silver, so that they can melt it down, and create sterling silver bars. Sterling silver is real silver however, it is casted with about 7% copper. This is so that it has a harder consistency more like gold. All sterling silver is made this way. The percentage might be different in different pieces but know that it is not PURE silver. It is still a great investment though if you find some sterling silver cutlery or forks and knives. Just make sure you take the knives apart with some pliers and know what is sterling silver and what isn't. You can find some really great deals on sterling silver at estate sales too. Usually estate sales have a lot of things that you could find that could possibly be a good percentage of sterling silver. The biggest mistake people make is they pay for sterling silver candle stick holders, and they are mostly filled with a wax, or sometype of filler and just because they way 3 ounces on the scale, does not necessarily mean that it is all sterling silver. Many people that sell these candle stick holders know this and try to rip you off based on weight alone. Don't be suckered in by this tactic. Know that a lot of sterling silver stuff, including jewelry could have filler in it. If you want to invest in silver sterling silver is a great way to do it, just know that every ounce of sterling silver you collect is not 100% pure silver. Like I said it usually has 7% of copper mixed in with it. So if it is called sterling silver, you know this is the case. Now I will show you a video of a sterling silver collector showing the right way to weight your sterling silver pieces, and to get a real accurate estimate of how much weight in sterling silver is in your collectibles. Happy hunting, purchasing sterling silver antiques and collectibles is a great hobby to get into because of the economy. Silver is on the rise and its definitely a precious metal commodity that a lot of people are investing in right now. Be smart, don't take the merchants word for it. Don't get too excited, and make an offer. Also remember never to send this stuff to places like cash4gold, or cash for gold usa. These guys usually rip you off, because they make money on people that don't know how much silver and gold is worth per ounce. Don't be one of these people. Thanks for reading my post. Please leave comments if you think I have left anything out. Here is the video...