Yemen, in the 1960's when the country first opened up to Westerners, was a very impoverished society with no concept of tourism. The average pay for a laborer or servant working for the Americans was less than 25 cents a day of which 10 cents had to be used to purchase Qat. In 1962 the world price of silver was over $1.00/OZ, a fortune to the majority of Yemenis. Most of the "silver" worn by Yemenis, either Jambiyas or jewelry was typically German Silver.
In the years I lived in Yemen I never saw anyone wearing a jambiya with a silver grip. I did collect one very old white metal jambiya with a silver T-top pommel but it was made of German Silver.
The real quality of the jambiya was based upon the color and translucency of the Rhino horn grip, the blade and the quality of coins in the grip, the best coins being true gold Venitian ducats or Indian copies. The scabbards of the best sheiks jambiyas were usually brass or gold plated filligree metal. The majority of Yemenis decorated the sheaths of their jambiyas with bright plastic, cloth and rivets, similar to the gaudy decoration on the cartridge belts everyone wore due to the civil war.
While there was real silver used on the finials and trim, I am of the opinion that the vast majority of the high grade silver (museum quality) jambiyas, particularly those with silver grips, as well as the tons of very expensive (museum quality) Yemeni jewelry available on ebay and the other internet sources is of very recent manufacture and made for the western market. Hence, the use of silver which is now relatively cheap, to justify the high prices.
Frankly, if you have a german silver jambiya or bracelet, I think it is more likely to be antique than a high grade silver piece which until recent times would have been melted down for its cash value.
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