Nickel silver – Harry & Co Jewellery

History and Development

Nickel silver was first smelted in China from unprocessed ore.
It was smuggled into the East Indies during the Qing dynasty, despite a government ban.
In the West, it was known as 'baitong' or 'paktong' and used to imitate sterling silver.
The earliest European mention of 'paktong' was in 1597.
German artificial recreation of nickel silver began in the mid-18th century.
The Chinese alloy was known as paktong, while in Europe, it was initially called argentan.
The term 'nickel silver' was coined in the 19th century.

Counterfeiters have used nickel silver to produce fake silver rounds and Morgan dollars.
Replica bullion bars marked as nickel silver or German silver have been sold without disclosing the absence of elemental silver.

Prolonged contact of copper alloys, including nickel silver, with acidic food or beverages can leach out copper and cause toxicity.
Long-term, low doses of copper can lead to cirrhosis.
Some people have allergic reactions to nickel, causing a persistent rash.

Argentium sterling silver, a different precious white metal with improved tarnish resistance.
Britannia silver, an alloy with a higher silver content than nickel silver.
Britannia metal, an alloy primarily made of tin.
Cupronickel, an alloy of copper and nickel.
Sheffield plate, a layered silver-plated metal.

Reference	URL
Glossary	https://harryandcojewellery.com.au/blogs/glossary/nickel-silver
Wikipedia	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_silver
Wikidata	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q203874
Knowledge Graph	https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/01tspg