Everywhere you look – from fashion runways to Instagram feeds—bold, chunky silver earrings (like those pear-shaped drops at Bottega Veneta’s Fall show), stacked bangle bracelets and all manner of silver chains are having a moment. The good news: with silver jewelry, the price is right when compared to gold jewelry. The bad news: there’s lots of jewelry out there that looks like it’s silver but is in fact some other metal of a lesser quality.
If you want to learn more, please visit our website Starsgem.
Most of the time, the lesser metal is not going to detract much from the appearance of your jewel—it will likely present as a shiny white metal or a matte white metal with an antiqued patina (picture vintage Southwestern jewelry).
The issue is that the mystery “silver” metal content may cause your skin to have a reaction. It might mean that it’s not as valuable as an authentic silver piece (and certainly its price should reflect that). It might mean that it loses its luster more quickly, is more prone to breakage, or requires a special care and cleaning method.
These are all good reasons to check if your jewelry is the real deal. Ahead, we’ll share easy do-it-yourself, at-home tests to help you determine if the silver you own or are looking to buy is the real deal, silver plated, or another metal entirely (such as aluminum, chrome, or stainless steel, which are all used in jewelry).
Did you know that silver jewelry is rarely 100% silver? This is because silver on its own is too soft and brittle to be used for jewelry-making. To make silver jewelry more durable and less prone to scratches and dents, silver is often alloyed (mixed) with other metals, such as copper, zinc, or nickel.
The most common alloy used in jewelry is sterling silver, which is 92.5% silver and 7.5% another metal (often copper). Sterling silver jewelry is the best quality you can get—look for a stamp of “925” somewhere on the jewel for confirmation (more on that later in this post).
Other alloys that may be used in silver jewelry include fine silver (99.9%) and Brittania silver (95.8% silver). Keep in mind that fine silver, while lovely, is more prone to damage.
If the jewelry you’re interested in purchasing is not marketed as sterling silver, don’t be afraid to ask the seller to specify whether the metal is silver or something else. What might that “something else” be? Keep reading…
Unlike sterling silver and pure silver, silver-plated jewelry isn’t made of silver at all. In fact, it’s made of different base metals, such as brass or copper, and then painted with a sterling-silver coating. Silver-plated jewelry isn’t durable and will chip, flake and tarnish easily. If your silver jewelry is imprinted with “EP,” “EPNS,” or “Silver on copper,” you will have confirmation that it’s silver-plated and not sterling. If there are no markings at all, it’s also likely to be silver-plated.
Despite the name, Tibetan silver is neither silver nor from Tibet. Rather, this is a type of costume jewelry made from inexpensive silver-colored metals like tin or nickel. Many Tibetan jewelry pieces feature spiritual symbols and mythological animals and have a matte and muted “vintage” silver appearance.
Nickel silver jewelry, also known as German silver or Alpaca silver, contains 0% silver. Rather, these pieces are formulated from a mixture of copper, zinc, and nickel. If you have an allergy to nickel, this type of silver jewelry should be avoided.
Now that you have a better understanding of silver’s chemical composition, there are a number of tests you can perform at home to verify whether your silver jewelry is real or fake.
One last thing: When trying the methods below, keep in mind that they can’t guarantee 100% accuracy. So when you’re playing silver jewelry detective, leaving no stone unturned is the best approach. That’s why we recommend trying more than one test to be extra sure.
The quickest way to find out if your silver jewelry is real is to check for a hallmark, or stamp imprinted somewhere on the piece (often on its underside or clasp). These markings can be numbers, letters, or symbols and may require a magnifying glass to see up close.
Check to see if your sterling silver jewelry has any of the following markings:
Additional silver purity marks that indicate you’ve got the real thing include:
Silver jewelry that has zero markings or any of the markings below indicates that the piece is not sterling silver:
Although the hallmark test is a good way to confirm the composition of your silver piece, some sketchy sellers may use a counterfeit stamp. Therefore, we recommend using this test in combination with any of the other methods below to know for certain that your silver is real.
As a rule, silver does not attract magnets. To perform a magnet test, you’ll need a stronger-than-average magnet, which you can find at your local hardware store.
Place your silver jewelry on any non-magnetic surface and slowly bring the magnet closer to your piece. Does the piece repel, or have no reaction to the magnet? You’ve got the real thing. If, on the other hand, the piece attracts to the magnet, it’s a silver-plated item made of other metals or one of the other “impostors” described above.
One caveat: The clasps on necklaces and bracelets will often have a steel spring in them which can attract a magnet. For more accurate results, hover your magnet over the body of the piece, not the clasp.
This one’s a fun way to test your silver jewelry: place an ice cube on top of it. (Yes, really!) Silver conducts heat better than most metals, so real silver should melt ice fairly quickly.
Do you know that strong, dingy “dirty metallic” smell that gets on your hands after you grab a handful of loose change? Real sterling silver shouldn’t have this smell. In fact, it should be odorless. So, go ahead—take a sniff and see.
Real silver jewelry tends to tarnish and turn black. To test this theory, rub your silver jewelry with a white cloth. If no black residue appears on your cloth, it’s likely not silver.
Want to know if your silver jewelry is real or fake definitively? Bring the silver piece to a trusted jewelry retailer who will employ professional tools and equipment to get you answers. Many jewelers use expensive, specialized equipment to conduct tests of silver and other metals that are designed to detect every metallic element present in a piece of jewelry. So when in doubt, go this route!
If you do have authentic silver jewelry of significant or sentimental value to you, the ultimate way to preserve and protect it is to obtain personal jewelry insurance through Jewelers Mutual. It’s an affordable option and covers loss, damage, and disappearances. You can check your rate by clicking the button below.
If you are looking for 925 sterling silver at wholesale prices from Thailand, you’re in the right place. We will be talking about the things you need to know about getting one of the best types of silver you can find. We are proud to create all kinds of awesome jewelry using 925 sterling silver.
If you are looking for 925 sterling silver at wholesale prices, we are the supplier that will provide you the goods. We create all kinds of jewelry right out of our factory in Thailand. If you think that’s not the best place to get silver jewelry that is excellent in quality, you don’t know what you’re missing.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of S925 Earrings. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
Let’s talk about things that you need to know about 925 sterling silver:
Sterling silver is made from 92.5 percent silver. The rest of it is made from various alloys such as copper. Contrary to popular belief, sterling silver is not of cheap quality.
Even though it includes copper and other alloys, it does not affect the overall value. If you are looking for something that may be the closest you can get to pure silver, 925 sterling silver might be exactly what you’re looking for.
Believe it or not, sterling silver from Thailand is affordable. But don’t confuse that with low quality. You get excellent quality at a reasonable price.
Yes, they say that if you’re paying a cheap price, you’ll get cheap quality. But surprisingly enough, that’s not the case. Now if you are paying way too low for silver, that’s a different story.
Also, the price you pay may also be a good indicator of whether or not you are paying for the real deal or not. Sterling silver jewelry is slightly more expensive compared to other alternative metals. Another way to determine what’s real from fake is doing the following (which will be discussed right now).
Even though you’re ordering silver jewelry online, there may be no way of knowing whether or not you are purchasing the real deal. We guarantee that we are selling you real sterling silver jewelry such as our wholesale silver earrings or our 925 sterling silver rings at wholesale prices.
To ensure that your silver jewelry is real, you can do what is known as a magnet test. Run a magnet through the jewelry piece like normal. If the magnet doesn’t pick it up, it’s real.
Otherwise, if it does pick up the ‘silver piece’, then it’s not actually silver at all. Silver is not magnetic (not are precious metals like gold or platinum). Alternatively, you can also try out other tests as well.
Using a white cloth, you’ll want to rub the piece of jewelry. After rubbing it, you may notice black marks on it. If that’s the case, then it’s a real piece of silver.
The reason why this occurs is because sometimes silver that is left out in the open air will start to oxidize. This means it can slowly tarnish over the course of time. The black marks are just signs of oxidation (a reminder that you’ll want to properly clean and store your pieces of jewelry regularly).
Carefully inspect a piece of sterling silver jewelry you have on hand at the moment. What you’re looking for is a certain number. If you see the number ‘925’, there’s a good chance that you’re holding a piece of jewelry that is made from 925 sterling silver.
The numbers represent the percentage of silver contained in the piece of jewelry. This may appear prominently or may fade a bit. But it will never rub off completely.
Without this number, there’s a good chance that you might be dealing with jewelry that isn’t real sterling silver.
Of course, all kinds of sterling silver jewelry comes in various types and designs. We’re talking floral pattern earrings, chain necklaces, and everything in between. You may even find small charms such as hearts, clovers, stars, or something related to a specific theme like sea life, spring time, or even the holidays.
The designs are pretty much endless. And we design and create most of them in our factory. Even better, we deliver them to your store no matter where you are in the world.
If you run an online store in the United States and have a fulfillment center or a small retail space in Denmark, we will ship your order of sterling silver jewelry right to you. And you pay a reasonable price for whatever you order.
With all kinds of designs available in our catalog, the question is: where do you begin?
If you are looking for a piece of silver that will shine for a long time, it’s sterling silver. Our sterling silver jewelry does not fade even if you continue wearing it. The more it keeps its shine, the more valuable it becomes.
Thankfully, you can be able to retain its shine simply by caring for and maintaining your jewelry on a regular basis. The same will apply for other precious metals such as gold and platinum.
Do you have customers that suffer from skin allergies? Do they have some kind of sensitive skin? Either way, they will be in good hands knowing that sterling silver does not contain any irritants.
So they can wear their favorite sterling silver jewelry with comfort. Your customers may mention that they have sensitive skin or they might keep it to themselves. Either way, use this unique quality of sterling silver being hypoallergenic as a selling point for your customers.
When they know about it being less irritating on skin, they might be sold even more on buying that piece of jewelry. And their concerns of wearing something that may trigger skin irritation will soon disappear.
If you are looking for a metal that is excellent in durability, sterling silver jewelry is what you want. Especially when you want something that won’t easily break. Because of the inclusion of various alloys, you won’t have to worry about damaging it easily.
The alloys are made to toughen up the silver. Silver alone can wear or tear easily at times. That’s why they need extra special care if it’s a lot more purer than other types such as sterling silver. It can handle regular cleaning and maintenance and it will never easily scratch compared to other metals.
If you are interested in ordering sterling silver jewelry from us, we will be glad to help you out. We are open to new clients and we have served our current clientele for many years. They are jewelry store owners and distributors like you.
As mentioned, we serve clients the world over. No matter where you are, we will be glad to serve you or answer any questions you may have about our jewelry, our services, and everything in between. Don’t miss out on ordering our spectacular sterling silver jewelry collection.
Want more information on Lab Grown Gems? Feel free to contact us.