When did they start marking silver with word STERLING?

[SFHunter]

Just wondering when did they start marking silver with word STERLING? What about .925?

I have a silver braclet (sp?) that appears to be older with no markings. I also have a silver ring from the same area that does look older, but it is marked with sterling.

Thanks!!!

 

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[diggummup]

In some countries, such as the United States, no national hallmark was ever adopted, although the city of Baltimore did maintain its own assay office between 1814-1830. The words "STERLING", "925", or "coin" were simply stamped into the piece. Because of this, some companies within the U.S., such as Tiffany and Gorham, adopted their own marking systems.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sterling_silver

 

[AndrewCampbell]

We get a lot of unmarked jewelry and we get it tested with an Niton XL2 Series Analyzer, this tell you the exact elemental analysis of precious metal content in jewellery, coins, and other valuable products.