Silver-plated metal is a metal tinted with silver, indeed of a silvery color. It is a galvanizing process that consists of adding silver to the surface of a metal object such as cutlery. This coating gives cutlery a traditional appearance. Added to this is the typical shine of silver plating. Furthermore, the base to be silvered is more important than the silver plating for silver-plated metal. For this, only superior quality Steel Chrome Nickel should be used, that is, 18/10.
A silver coating
This coating is suitable for cutlery as well as for other items to be silvered. For this, the metal object must be immersed in a liquid in which the silver is applied by electrolysis. In other words, the silver particles come into contact with the product and attach themselves to the steel, and the longer the product remains immersed, the more the silver particles adhere.
Maintenance of silver-plated items
A good silver-plated metal must comply with the European standard EN ISO 8442-2. As for stainless steel and silver-plated cutlery, they should follow the German standard RAL 691B3. Given that these are silver and silver-plated products, they are likely to corrode over time. This appears as a darkening of the product. In fact, the oxidation of silver occurs when it comes into contact with oxygen. However, it is possible to treat this natural process with products dedicated to silver care. Thus, discoloration is quite inevitable when regularly using silver-plated items and cutlery, although regular washing slows down oxidation.