X-ray diffraction analysis of the as-cast sterling silver surfaces revealed the presence of
FCC structure characterized by two main peaks of α-Ag(111) and α-Ag(200) at 2
θ of 38.202 and 44.402 degrees (JC-PDS file number 87-0720). Lower intensity peaks that appear at 2
θ of 43.317 and 50.449 degrees are related to FCC β-Cu(111) and β-Cu(200) reflections (JC-PDS file number 87-
0720), respectively. The α-Ag(111) appears as a main peak in all samples except for the samples
containing 1.0Zn-0.1Si which have a higher
proportional ratio of the α-Ag(200) peak.