Hardness of silver

Silver sheet is usually supplied ½ hard, and will become fully hardened as it is worked using cold forming processes. Silver can be easily annealed to return it to a dead soft state, but it is much harder to return it to the ½ hard state that it was supplied in.

Vickers hardness

The Vickers hardness rating is an empirical test value that is commonly used to measure the ability of a material to resist plastic deformation when a force is applied. This means that Vickers hardness is completely different to the Mohs scale of hardness used for gemstones, as the latter indicates a material's scratch resistance.

Approximate Vickers hardness values of silver

State	Sterling	Fine	Britannia	Argentium	Reflections	Brilliante
Dead soft	66-76	54	55-65	50-70	60-70	60-70
¼ hard	78-88	62-71	70-89	90-105	80-100	85-95
½ hard	90-100	77-89	90-109	106-120	105-118	95-115
¾ hard	102-114	84-94	110-114	121-135	120-128	116-119
Hard	116-130	89-108	115-135	136-148	130-140	120-140