Quick S&L RK B-frame question

[Leroy]

If they were marked as silver by S&L, then they are silver.

[Danny70]

Thanks everyone for your replies and suggestions.

Matthieu and Leroy,
That was (and still is) my first thought - it would be marked as such if it were silver.

The reason I asked is because the metal under the flaked burnished areas looks to be silver (yes, I am aware that neusilber looks almost the same too!)

I guess I was was just hoping that there were unmarked known silver frames out there.

Again, thanks everyone for all your help.

Regards - Danny

[Leroy]

Danny - I think I wasn't clear. If a piece was marked by S&L as being silver, it really was silver (it didn't cheat). On the other hand, I have seen some unmarked pieces from S&L which I was convinced were silver, too, but just unmarked. The coating which flakes away sometime may be a rhodium finish on top of the real silver (just as K&Q used, as well). I have never had an unmarked one tested for silver content, but it was my opinion (and also the opinion of some jewelers who I asked) that the material was, in all liklihood, silver.

[Danny70]

Danny - I think I wasn't clear. If a piece was marked by S&L as being silver, it really was silver (it didn't cheat). On the other hand, I have seen some unmarked pieces from S&L which I was convinced were silver, too, but just unmarked. The coating which flakes away sometime may be a rhodium finish on top of the real silver (just as K&Q used, as well). I have never had an unmarked one tested for silver content, but it was my opinion (and also the opinion of some jewelers who I asked) that the material was, in all liklihood, silver.

Ahh... now that's very interesting.
The rhodium(?) coating is much 'brighter' - almost a mirror finish, just like on mint W&L EK2's, but the base metal underneath may very well be silver after all.
Thank you Leroy.

Regards - Danny

[Leroy]

Danny - K&Q used rhodium (or something very much like it) on its Knights Crosses, which are silver underneath. Unfortunately, I don't know what the base metal was on their EKI's and II's.

[Danny70]

Well, so much for a "quick" question!!

I'm dragging this three year old thread back up, just so that I can show the patina build up on the cross - and more specifically, on the areas that have lost the burnished 'rhodium' plating. The cross has only been on display (i.e. not kept in its closed case) for about a year, but already is showing quite a lot of dark patina. This is very difficult to photograph as it still gleams in the light - just like some of my other silver frame crosses.

As it stands at the moment, I am even more convinced that the cross is indeed silver framed, but for some reason unmarked.

Any more thoughts from you guys?

Regards - Danny

[Danny70]

..

[Leroy]

It is against German (and U.S., English, etc., etc.) law to falsely mark something with a silver content, but nothing prohibits (and there is no punishment for) failure to mark a silver piece. In the "old days", when the government (or King, or whoever) wanted to make sure they got their "piece of the pie" on sales, imports, exports, etc., you could be punished for omitting a mark with the intent to avoid that obligation.