The silver we see in cutlery, ornaments and jewellery is not completely pure, as it would be too soft to use. It is mixed with 7.5% copper. This alloy, called sterling silver, has been used since the 1300s.
The name pound sterling, to refer to the monetary unit of a pound (£), is based on the fact that it originally represented the value of one tower pound (about 350g) in mass of sterling silver. The mass unit of a pound is not universal, in that there are many different ‘pounds’, which are distinguished by prefixes (such as troy and avoirdupois).
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