Sterling or Silverplate 925 Mark No Photos

Hi,
I've been researching cane handles and came across some that are called sterling silver with the mark R925, which I thought would mean sterling. At the bottom of the description is this:
HALLMARK EXPLANATION: The Italian-made handle is hallmarked 'R925': the European hallmark for silver that has been applied in a layer over a moulded head. The R stands for 'rivestito', Italian for 'covered'. The '925' means that the metal used contains at least 925 parts pure silver to each 1000 parts. European '925 silver' is the same quality of silver that in the UK is referred to as 'sterling silver'.

Wouldn't this mean they are silver-plate rather than sterling?
Mary

 

Well, the silver covering would be the sterling standard, 925, so not silver plated (like electro-plated) but the mold is covered in (solid) sterling silver.

 

Probably the thickness of foil.

 

Like that silver tinfoil "weighted" stuff. The silver over the plaster/plastic core is sterling. Most of the weight is trashcan bait.

 

I doubt the R925 has anything to do with the metal

Certainly not a hallmark

 

Though the underlying form is 'covered', the 'R' actually stands for 'Riempito', meaning filled. On items like cane handles, figurines, etc, the 'R925' pieces are usually electroformed, the resulting layer of silver is much thicker than plating - there's also usually a 'g' mark indicating the precious metal weight.

Scroll down for a pic and a translation of the regulations:

http://www.silvercollection.it/italianhallmarks.html

~Cheryl

 

I can't find the original piece I was looking at but I'll attach a link to a similar one. I can see someone buying this thinking it was solid silver rather than a layer of silver over a mold.
http://www.fashionablecanes.com/84085.html

 

Thank-you for the link Cheryl. I've never seen this mark before so it is good to know what the R stands for - I would have thought it was a company initial.