silver grades in tribal jewellery

Ethnic jewellery: its silver content

Published Jan 07, 2024

What silver is ethnic jewellery from the Middle East and North Africa typically made of? Apart from hallmarks, you’ll find a variety of labels used in descriptions such as ‘German silver’, ‘nickel silver’, ‘maillechort’ and ‘coin silver’: what are these? Let’s scrutinize some of the common descriptions of the silver content in jewellery. The more you know, right…?

Silver grades in traditional jewellery from the Middle East & North Africa

Silver in traditional Middle Eastern jewellery is not always sterling silver. That has two reasons.

First, the availability of silver was not always guaranteed. Silver often had to be imported, and silver jewellery could also be made from coins (we’ll get into that below).

And second, before hallmarking systems were implemented in the 19th century, the actual amount of silver could vary with the means of the client. Have more to spend? Then you could afford high grade silver. Still want the looks, but strapped for cash? That is where lower grade silver or even silver imitations come in handy.

Is ‘bedouin silver’, ‘tribal silver’ or ‘ethnic silver’ good silver?

This fluctuation in silver content has rubbed off on our understanding of traditional jewellery. Words like ‘tribal silver’ or ‘bedouin silver’ are often used to indicate uncertain silver content, but that does not do these pieces justice.

Traditional silver jewellery is not automatically always inferior to sterling: there is a lot of ethnic jewellery out there in really good silver!

If you’d like to know with certainty whether your traditional Middle Eastern jewellery is made of silver, and if so which grade, you will have to test it, or bring it to a jeweler to test it for you.

The silver content may vary indeed, and if a piece has not been hallmarked, testing is the only way to be sure. This also comes in handy with cleaning: read why this is essential knowledge to avoid damage here.

Silver grades in traditional jewellery: reading descriptions

In some descriptions online that advertise ethnic jewellery you’ll find terms like ‘German silver’, ‘coin silver’ ‘maillechort’ and ‘nickel silver’: how ‘silvery’ are these?

Not silver: German silver, new silver, nickel silver, maillechort, alpaca

What does German silver mean? German silver is a versatile metal alloy that has found its place in many industries and applications. Despite its name, German ‘silver’ does not actually contain any silver. It was developed in the 19th century in Germany (hence the name) as a cost-effective alternative to sterling silver, providing a similar silvery appearance, but without the hefty price tag.

German silver is typically composed of copper, zinc, and nickel. [1] The exact composition can vary, and additional elements such as manganese or iron can be included for specific properties. The inclusion of nickel makes it resistant to corrosion, but also gives it that silver-like color. It looks a lot like sterling silver! You’ll find it used for tableware and related accessories, but also for jewellery.  

German silver, nickel silver, alpaca, new silver and maillechort are basically the same thing. None of these are actual silver.

Actual silver: coin silver

Coin silver, on the other hand, is actual silver. So what is coin silver? This is a historical silver alloy that played a significant role in the production of coins, which is where it gets its name from.

But unlike sterling silver, which has a minimum silver content of 92.5%, coin silver typically has a lower silver content. Now this is something to be aware of: the silver content of coin silver varies per issuing national mint. This, too, was not standardized until the mid-19th century. So, US coins would typically have around 90% silver, but other coinage contains 75% or even 64% silver.

The exception here is of course the Austrian Maria Theresia Thaler. [2] This was the first coin to have been produced with a guaranteed silver content of 92.5%: these coins were made of sterling silver. They became much sought-after coins, both to string into necklaces or add to dress and veils, but definitely also as material to make silver jewellery from.

Silver content of jewellery from the Middle East & North Africa: 3 points

Returning to the main question: is silver jewellery from North Africa & the Middle East made of good silver…? That varies, as this article has shown, but there is no reason to assume it is always low-grade silver. Here are the three main points to keep in mind:

1. Definitely silver There are two ways of being sure your piece of jewellery is of actual silver: official hallmarks and testing. This will tell you the percentage of silver in the alloy: .600 is 60%, .925 is 92.5% (sterling), and so on.

2. May have a significant silver content When ‘coin silver’ is used in a description, it indicates that the piece does contain silver, but its silver content may vary, especially for older pieces. Testing may provide more detailed insights.

3. Not silver: When you read terms like nickel silver, German silver, new silver, alpaca or maillechort in a description, you can be sure the item is not made of silver.

If you are not sure, ask the seller of the item. I have never met a seller who wasn’t happy to answer to the best of their knowledge! And besides, the cultural and historical value of a piece of traditional jewellery is not just defined by its silver content, but may even be in the absence of precious materials: see my personal outlook on the value of jewellery here.

The main thing is to be aware of the fact that the silver content in traditional jewellery may vary, and to read a description carefully to get the best possible idea of what your next purchase is made of!

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References

[1] See more details in the Encyclopedia Brittanica here.

[2] See this article on Maria Theresia Thaler in Aramco World for more background!

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