Up until 1918 the frame of the cross was made of silver. During WW II the frame was made of "German Silver" (copper, nickel & occasionally zinc). You may occasionally encounter some WW II EK's with real silver frames. These were made in Japan for presentation to KM personnel in in the Far East. These Japanese crosses often had brass cores, instead of iron. Apparently brass is more resistant to saltwater corrosion than iron. Until 1942 each EK I & II was manufactured by hand. From 1942 to 1945 they were made on a machine, greatly increasing production. RK's (Knight's Crosses) were always made by hand & retained the genuine silver frame.
I've got three EK's myself so it's an area of interest to me. One is a mint condition, unissued WW II EK I with leatherette box and the other two are EK II's (WW I & II).
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