§296 Standard of fineness of silver articles; deviation

Summary

Imported, exported, mailed, or transported silver items must meet set purity rules. If an item or its tag shows a fineness mark (not the words “sterling” or “coin”), the metal’s real fineness cannot be more than four one‑thousandth parts lower than that mark. If an item is marked “sterling” or “sterling silver,” it must contain 925/1000 parts pure silver. If it is marked “coin” or “coin silver,” it must contain 901/1000 parts pure silver. For items marked “sterling” or “coin,” a difference of up to four one‑thousandth parts below those numbers is allowed. When testing fineness, the test piece should not include any lower‑grade solder used to join parts. But if the whole item (including solder and alloys) is assayed as one piece, its overall fineness cannot be more than ten one‑thousandth parts below the marked fineness. Both tests apply.