Have you ever purchased a silver jewelry item but felt unsure whether it was original or not?
This issue is not only common to you, as more than 85% of customers face a similar situation. Therefore, it is essential to learn some tips to identify original vs fake silver, even if you are not an expert. In this article, Senyda will reveal 6 tips to help you identify original vs fake silver. Let's find out now!
Learning about original silver and fake silver
Original silver is a pure metal that is not mixed with other metals such as copper, zinc, nickel, etc. It is a precious metal produced from natural silver ore, with good electrical and thermal conductivity, and has a natural silver-white color.
Many people mistakenly believe that 925 silver is fake or of poor quality. The fact is that 925 silver is made from a silver alloy with a purity of 92.5%, with other components blended in the correct proportions to create a silver product with the necessary properties and meet the standards of the jewelry industry. Therefore, 925 silver is original silver.
Original silver jewelry will have 92.5% pure silver.
Meanwhile, products with a high alloy ratio but a silver content of only 80-85%, or even as low as 30-50%, will not meet the standard to be considered sterling silver. However, sometimes these products are falsely labeled as 925 silver, with the S925 stamp, which can easily mislead people into thinking they are buying sterling silver at a cheaper price. These products are of poor quality silver, as they do not meet the standard of pure silver content.
How to identify original vs fake silver?
One of the simplest ways to identify original vs fake silver is not to rely on the price. To avoid buying fake silver, it is important to have experience and knowledge about silver. Below are some tips that Senyda will reveal to help you identify original vs fake silver:
Using tarnishing to make distinctions
Original silver and imitation silver will tarnish to different degrees. Even though the 925 silver jewelry may have some areas that appear slightly tarnished due to the layer of rust, it will still retain its overall beauty, and you can clean this "sign of age" and use the jewelry as though it were brand-new. On the other hand, the rust coating on imitation silver is darker, making a distinct contrast, which makes the jewelry appear to "age" and makes it more susceptible to harm. Be wary if you encounter something made of silver that appears to be excessively tarnished, especially if there are heavy tarnish stains on it.
Silver jewelry after cleaning still retains its shiny beauty.
Fake silver tarnishes a lot, especially dark tarnishes, which look very old.
Differentiating based on peeling and flaking
Under the influence of time and external factors, silver jewelry can also be scratched or peeled off. However, fake silver often has a thin layer of silver plated on the surface of the product, making it easier to peel and flake and making the jewelry look very bad.
Differentiate using a magnet
Testing original silver and fake silver with a magnet is a simple and effective method. You just need to bring the magnet close to the silver jewelry to determine its nature. Real silver will not be attracted by a magnet, while fake silver containing many alloys will be strongly attracted by a magnet.
Original silver will not be attracted to magnets.
However, this method is not entirely accurate as some other alloys such as copper, lead, aluminum, etc. do not attract magnets like silver.
Distinguish based on a white cloth
Another simple way is to distinguish using only white cloth. You can use the cloth to gently wipe the surface of the silver jewelry, if the white cloth has black stains or changes color after cleaning, it is definitely genuine silver. However, if the white cloth retains its original color and there are no signs of any changes, then the item is fake silver.
If the white cloth has black stains on it, it is definitely real silver.
Distinguish by fire or ice
To identify original vs fake silver, you can use the method of testing with fire or cold stone. If you burn a silver jewelry piece and its color turns black, it is likely, not pure silver.
You can also perform an experiment by placing a cold stone on the silver jewelry and another stone on a frying pan. If the stone on the silver melts faster than the stone on the pan, then there is a high chance that the item is real silver.
Differentiation based on standard validation mark
To identify original vs fake silver, the methods above may not guarantee 100% accuracy. Therefore, if possible, you should buy silver products from reputable jewelry stores that offer warranties and exchanges, because if silver products are not of good quality, they cannot be renewed like high-quality silver products. In addition, you should pay attention to finding silver jewelry products that are confirmed to meet standards by checking the marked numbers on the inside of rings, necklaces, etc. The number 990 represents 99% pure silver, while the number 925 is equivalent to 92.5% pure silver. However, as mentioned above, many fake silver jewelry models still bear the stamp S925, so the stamp cannot guarantee 100% that the product is real silver.
See the numbers marked on the inside of the jewelry to distinguish original silver from fake.
With these tips, hopefully, you will be able to accurately identify original vs fake silver. This will help you avoid buying fake products, not only saving costs but also ensuring the quality of the product. If you are looking for original silver jewelry, come to Senyda's reputable store to find the best quality and most satisfactory products.