In response to an old discussion.
The question related to the marking... C.A 925.
There is a lot of information about sterling marks on the internet.
The 925 refers to sterling silver, specifically British and US..... There is also a 800 mark which defines "coin silver" and then there is a different number for Russian silver... The 925, and 800 number refer to the percent of silver in the item... 92.5 % and 80.0 %.
and... If I remember correctly , Russian silver is at a number other than 925 or 800
Coin silver markings can range from 750 to 900
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The specific reference in that discussion was the C.A marking.
This does not refer to Canada as there is no large number of manufacturers of sterling silver items in Canada... link to
https://www.925-1000.com/canadiansilver_01.html
The C.A mark refers to a manufacturer of sterling silver with 92.5 % silver content and the manufacturer can be British or American.
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In Canada we may find other markings...
"IS" .......which identifies silverplate in reference to ..... International Silver
Then there is ....."AI"..... which in French is ... Argent International .
There was once an estate sale where the presence of AI on silverplate was questioned.
The interpretation was ... Argent International.... But then AI also refers to Artificial Intelligence with reference to computers.
Markings on sterling silver.... and silverplate can differ and have many different meanings. Many people only understanding the meaning of 925....
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It was at an auction sale where the marking was 800 and the final price of that cutlery set .... with about 50 items in the set....was very low at less than $50....
This is an indication that one must know much more than just the number ..... 925.....
