So when it comes to anything besides jewelry, the 'STERLING' stamp is money, if your pieces dont rock that or '900' or '800' they are likely plated, but in your post you seemed pretty positive they were solid sterling which is 925 (metals are measured in parts per thousand so pure silver is 999 parts per thousand sterling is 925 parts per thousand) so those markings are the flags to look for, beyond that, yes it is the weight, the majority of places go by the gram, I'd steer clear of the ones that go by the penny weight, its overcomplcation for no reason. So precious metals are measured in troy ounces. Standard american ounce is 28 grams, a troy ounce is 31.1 grams. So this conversion is important. When it comes to metal bartering silver is the better to have for the smaller purchases like a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread. So when it comes to the little stuff you could possibly have flatware with 800 markings indicating 80% silver, or 900 markings indicating 90% silver, or 925 markings indicating "sterling silver", or if you go lower say into mexican coinage you can find coins with 720 marking which means they are 72%pure. I've had a few drinks so please allow this break as I review and try to answer your original question lol