This piece is a traditional French solid silver brandy or chocolate warmer (or casserole en argent massif) featuring a beautifully turned Ebony handle ( Maybe blackened wood but I do not think so) While standard sterling silver is denoted as .925, authentic French solid silver from the 19th and early 20th centuries typically uses the Minerva 1st Standard hallmark, which guarantees a higher purity of .950 silver (95% pure silver) I had a hard time taking photos because of the reflection and when shooting close-ups, I was surprised to see micro superficial scratches that I had not noticed by eye. So, I apologize for the poor quality photos...