How can you have real silver jewelry differentiated from the fake one?

p&Kjewelry
Nov 4 · 4 min read
Silver Jewelry

Silver jewelry may not be as expensive as gold, but one should be able to judge whether (s)he is investing in the real product or its imitation. This discussion shall prove certainly definitely in purchasing your next sterling silver wholesale set, or even the simplest form of jewelry made out of silver.

To a layman, it is really painful to buy the product without knowing its real value. Therefore, everyone needs to be accustomed with basic characteristics the real silver metal illustrates, which a fake one would never depict.

Such characteristics include:

Pure Silver- 999 touch containing 99% silver.

Sterling silver- 925 touch containing 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper mixed for the strength of alloy.

How fake silver jewelry be identified?

There are some tests by which you can easily find out whether the silver jewellery is real or fake. Let us see what they are.

  • Color Test

On being exposed to heat, fake silver turns into a bright copper like color with a tinge of green and orange — which indicates only the surface layer of real silver and not the base one.

If the item is pure silver, exposure to heat or other chemicals will turn it into black spots. Simple polishing will revive the color, eradicating black spots, whereas, fake silver jewellery cannot be polished back to its original silver color.

  • Acid Test

Put a drop of acid on the silver jewelry. If the acid’s color doesn’t change, then your piece is genuine.

  • Hallmark Stamps

Certain agencies and sterling silver wholesalers have been authorized to engrave a hallmark on the piece, as a mark of authenticity of the product. Please note that a non-hallmarked product should be avoided at all cost, especially offered on discounts or at a lesser price than the market.

Silver hallmarks are registered as — 800, 830, 875, 925, 960, 999. Wherein 800 means the item contains of 80% pure silver and 20% of other metals like copper or nickel.

  • Magnet Test

If the major constituent of an item consist of iron, then it will be magnetized to a strong magnet, whereas pure silver won’t. But this should not be a sole decision maker as most metals don’t get magnetized.

Other tests-

  • If the item starts turning black on rubbing a chalk, you are dealing with real silver.
  • Silver pieces start to tarnish in the air and turn black whereas the fake ones remain fresh and glowing for long.
  • This test need little expertise. Silver gives off a sharp ringing sound when struck on a metal table, whereas fake ones emit a dull sound.
  • If the color of skin starts to turn green or causes any irritation, then the item is not really genuine, since silver will not react with your skin.

What precautions be taken while buying real silver jewelry?

Purchasing real silver can be one heck of challenge if certain points not taken into account. Take a look at what those points are, so that next time you aren’t fooled at the time of buying sterling silver wholesale or purchasing for a personal use.

  • Purchase from reputed enterprise

The credibility of the dealer will say it all. Ask your acquaintances regarding the trustworthiness of the seller and the experience in the market. Also, test the item with the jeweler’s loop. The look, the feel, its weight will speak for itself.

  • Ask for a ‘Return Policy’

A ‘Return Policy’ will ensure that at any given point, if the item is not up to the mark as it had been claimed during selling; you can return it back for full refund. If the seller hesitates to give any return or refund policy, that reveals that there is something wrong with the product. Avoid buying anything from such dealers, even if they are selling it for a lesser price.

  • Proper documentation

Check if the seller provides correct invoices with certification of the purity of the silver mentioned clearly in it.

  • Beware of Illegal marking

Unfortunately, unethical people put a fake stamp on the item and claim it to be real silver jewellery. Therefore, one has to be cautious and cross check fonts and style of hallmark with that of another dealer’s product. If it differs, then avoid buying it from there.

Next time, see before you buy!

Generally, the sterling silver wholesalers will try very hard to sell off unreal pieces. But real pieces will speak for itself. Therefore, one must focus on all above aspects and develop a basic sense for metal ‘Silver’ before investing sensibly well into it.

p&Kjewelry

Written by

P&K Jewelry is one of the world’s largest sources for Sterling Silver & Marcasite Jewelry wholesale.

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