Silver sterling was a term coined in England during the 13th century. There are several sources of the term sterling and one of these is when it was first mentioned as sterilensis in 1070 AD. Sterling silver then started appearing more frequently in the history books by 1200 AD. The origin of sterling is known to come from esterlin (Old Norman French) which means little star and steire (Old English) which means strong, immovable and firm.

Sterling Silver was initially popularized during the period of 1840 to 1940 in the US and Europe. The hype with silver started with flatwares which became the standard when setting the table in any household. During the Victorian period, the number of courses increased from three to ten or more courses. Even the forks, spoons and knives used were customized to match the courses offered.