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I'm currently collecting the Tuttle Silver Co., Onslow pattern sterling silverware. I've noticed on a few of the utensils, the scrolling has black in the groves, where some do not. Fresh out of the original factory plastic, they are black in the grooves. Is this a patina, or a color they add for contrast? Does the lack of the black in the grooves devaluate them? I noticed that on some, it comes off over time.

Many manufacturers oxidized the flatware blanks before stamping them. Usually this was done on patterns where they wanted the contrast as part of the pattern. I believe this is what you have.