Matt Wilson, age 13, of Mesa, Ariz., for his question:

WHAT IS NICKEL SILVER?

Nickel silver is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. A composition often used is 60 parts of copper, 25 parts of zinc and 15 parts of nickel.

This alloy is also called German silver because it was first made in the town of Hildburghausen, Germany. It is harder than silver, tarnishes easily but takes a good polish.

Much of the silverware used today is made of nickel silver plated with real silver. It looks like solid silver when it is new, but the plate sometimes wears off with use.

Sometimes when the alloy is used to make casts and candlesticks, a little lead is added.

Iron or steel is sometimes added to nickel silver to make the alloy harder, whiter and more brittle.