Nickel vs. Silver

[Mark A. deJong]

What are the main differences between nickel mounts and silver mounts? I've seen engraved nickel mounts on several different makes and they seem to be a replica of the engraved silver makes but thousands of dollars less.

[Chris Hamilton]

I think it's fairly simple - the silver is a precious valuable metal. The nickel is not.

Chris

[Chairman Mao]

Chris:

I work for the Nickel development institute (Nidi for short) and we like to think that nickel is precious.... everybody needs nickel, you just may not be aware of it....


Scott

[Jim McGillivray]

In the past, nickel mounts tarnished almost irreparably to a yucky brown colour within three or four years. I believe there is some treated or plated nickel out now that doesn't tarnish so much, at least over the course of a couple of years that I've been following some newer sets. These engraved sets look pretty good, but they do lack the refined sheen of the silver mounts. I'm not sure how they'll hold up long-term to tarnishing. However, I would say that if engraved silver is beyond your means, engraved nickel is worth a look.

I would recommend at least monthly polishing whether it looks like it needs it or not.
Cheers,
Jim

[Chris Hamilton]

Originally posted by Chairman Mao:
Chris:

I work for the Nickel development institute (Nidi for short) and we like to think that nickel is precious.... everybody needs nickel, you just may not be aware of it....

Scott Reminds me of that Kentucky Fried Movie skit - "Zinc Oxide and You"

I recall that the German campaigns in Scandinavia during WW2 were launched to ensure a good supply of nickel.

Chris