Silver jewelry and products made from this metal are very popular. Silver is cheaper than gold, but its appearance is no worse. The metal is considered noble, has a calm silver hue. It is especially suitable for girls and boys, as well as people with blond hair and eyes. Therefore, it is not surprising that silver has so many fans. But often buyers get into trouble when they find out that the jewelry is not real.

Since such cases have become more frequent, it will be useful to learn how to distinguish silver from a fake. Moreover, in addition to jewelry made of this metal, people order interior items or accessories for decoration.

Silver items

Before purchasing a product

To understand whether this product is silver or not, look at the reverse side of the jewelry or accessory. If a thing is made legally, it must have a stamp and a sample on it. They are located side by side in the form of an imprint. In different countries, the stamp can be of different shapes, but the sample of the product must be indicated in numbers. The higher the sample - the more silver in the alloy from which the thing is made.

If the jewelry was ordered from a jeweler, take the trouble to get documents that confirm the sample of the metal and guarantee the quality of the product. In other cases, when it is not known how genuine the jewelry is, there are several ways in which you can determine whether this thing is silver or not.

What can be sold under the guise of silver:

• aluminum;
• bijouterie;
• brass;
• zinc;
• nickel silver (copper, nickel, zinc);
• other low grade alloys.

Ways to determine a fake house

Test your jewelry with simple test methods:

• If, after wearing a silver item for a long time, a trace remains on the skin, most likely the jewelry is made of zinc.
• The method with a magnet is unlikely to help. So obviously silver is not forged. Fakes in today's time are skillful, so this simple method will be powerless.

• Immerse the silver item in boiling water. The fact is that silver quickly conducts the body, so it will become very hot in 5 seconds. But a low-quality product will remain warm.
• Scratch the jewelry with a regular needle. If there are no traces left, it is silver. If the top layer is worn off at the site of the scratch, this is a brass product.
• Silver bends easily and does not spring. But it is better not to use the method if you want to save your thing.
• A piece of chalk will also help identify a fake. If you run it over the decoration, black marks will remain on the chalk. The chalk didn't change color? Then you have a fake in your hands.
• should react with halogens and iodine as well. It is enough to apply a few drops of a regular pharmacy product and the decoration will darken. Jewelers use this method to artificially age silver. Such a thing becomes like an antique. Please note that it will be difficult to wash the iodine. If the jewelry has become cloudy, has acquired dirty stains, most likely, you have a substitute for silver - nickel silver.
• At the moment, it makes no sense to determine silver by smell, since there are a lot of modern flavors that are added to fakes in order to hide the cheapness of metals.
• Sulfur ointment, which is sold in a pharmacy, will also help in this matter. It is enough to apply it on a thing made of silver, and it will darken somewhat. But the trick will not react in any way to such manipulation.
• A lapis pencil, which is rarely found in home medicine cabinets lately, can also help out. But after passing it over the decoration, it should not change color or leave marks. A lapis pencil is also a fake item.

Of course, all these methods of determination are designed for home conditions. They are imperfect and do not allow to accurately confirm the authenticity of the product or indicate the sample.

In order to find out all the details - you can bring the jewelry to the jeweler or appraiser. There, the thing is manipulated with the addition of nitric acid and potassium bichromate: the solution is dripped onto the product and the degree of color change is determined. Normally, it should acquire a reddish tint. Depending on the intensity of the resulting color, a sample of the product is determined.

In addition to manual methods, there are also automated methods for determining authenticity. A special device with a sensor has been developed that shows not only the metal from which the thing is made, but also its sample. Remember that the most common sterling silver is 925.

As you can see, there are evaluation methods of different complexity and cost. Choose the method that suits your situation. If you are interested in learning for yourself about the authenticity of the jewelry, do some simple experiments at home. But if you are interested in selling the item, you most likely need documentary evidence, which can only be obtained from jewelers.

Add site to bookmarks

Determination of the authenticity of silver products

Silver is not just a chemical element from the periodic table, but a noble metal with unique antiseptic and chemical properties. It has been known and widely used by man since the dawn of civilization. Due to its natural properties, it aroused the interest of shamans, healers and alchemists, who attributed magical abilities to the metal. Only a silver bullet can kill a vampire and a werewolf. Precious metal products can protect against evil spirits, restore youth and cure all diseases. Today, silver is widely used both in household needs and in industry, technology and medicine. From it they prepare: rings, earrings, dishes, cutlery and contacts of electrical products.

Due to the extreme popularity of the metal, it is often counterfeited. How to define silver? The first thing you should pay attention to even during the purchase, in order to prevent the possibility of being deceived, is the brand of the factory manufacturer or, in other words, the test. It must be of high quality and well visible. It cannot be faked with your own hands; this requires special technical equipment. The sample is a small rectangle of factory origin, inside of which there is a three-digit number indicating the proportion of silver in this product. To determine the authenticity of silver, it is not necessary to have deep knowledge of jewelry, technical equipment and special conditions.

The most common samples of silver

The quality of silver depends on the degree of impurities in it. The most common samples are , 800, 875, 916, 925 and 960, and 720 samples are also found in Russia. An alloy of 750 and 800 tests, due to the high content of copper, has acquired a slightly yellowish tint and is quite easily oxidized upon contact with oxygen. It is often used to make cutlery. - an indicator of the low quality of silver, but, due to its low cost, it is quite widespread. The alloy is used in the production of enameled cutlery. The most common is . It is of the highest quality and is widely used both in the manufacture of jewelry and cutlery. The highest breakdown is 960.

If you become the owner without a factory brand, then there are many ways to check it for authenticity.

One of the most faithful and reliable is to contact a jewelry workshop, where an experienced employee, after conducting a professional test, will determine the authenticity of the product. But you can try and independently check the quality of silver.

How to determine the authenticity of silver at home?

To find out if silver is real, you can use a magnet - the precious metal is not attracted.

1. Silver is determined at home and with the help of sulfuric ointment, which is quite affordable, it can be purchased at any pharmacy. After applying the ointment to the product, you should wait a couple of hours. After time, the genuine metal should change its color, turn black.
2. To find out at home whether silver is real, you can experiment with iodine. If you put a drop of iodine on a cutlery or decoration, then it should also turn black, and the richer the color, the higher. Although manipulations with iodine can lead to damage to your favorite product.
3. You can try to make a small scratch in an inconspicuous place. If a reddish stripe appears in this place, then this product is not made of silver, but of brass. In small layouts and spontaneous markets, you can often buy silver-plated brass or copper.
4. it can be like that too. Contact with skin should not leave traces. If, after removing the jewelry, you notice dark marks at the places of contact with the skin, then most likely you are wearing a fake.
5. Real silver has a high degree of thermal conductivity. When such a product is lowered into hot water, it instantly becomes the same temperature.
6. The definition of silver is also possible with the help of chalk. To do this, apply ordinary school chalk to the product. If the silver is real, then it will turn black.

Of course, none of the above verification methods will give a 100% guarantee and confidence in the authenticity and quality of the product. Therefore, it is better to buy the so-called "silver test". This is a common reagent, simple and safe to use. It is on open sale, so there will be no problems with its acquisition. With this test, you can easily and with high accuracy determine not only the authenticity and quality of silver, but also the approximate fineness of the product. In addition, such a check is considered the safest.

Recently, cases of counterfeiting of precious metals, both on the domestic and international markets, have increased. Because the technology is getting better and better. Therefore, if you decide to purchase silver jewelry, try to approach this issue very seriously and responsibly. Try to buy precious jewelry, cutlery, cutlery, crockery and other silver items in trusted stores, and not in kiosks and layouts in the markets.

Also, to determine the authenticity of the jewelry, the brand of the manufacturer is a test. Such simple precautions can protect you from scammers, save your money, nerves and time.

Silver is a noble metal used to make both jewelry and household items, utensils. Although counterfeit silver items are much less common than gold items, sometimes it becomes necessary to verify the authenticity of an item that is in your home or purchased for the occasion. How to determine the authenticity of silver at home, we will describe in the article.

How to determine the authenticity of silver?

In its pure form, silver is a very soft metal, so products made from it will be fragile. One of the purest samples - sterling silver, consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. The alloy is much harder than pure metal, which allows it to be used in the production of coins, jewelry and other household items. Each product, which is positioned as silver, must be marked with a hallmark indicating the metal sample. However, if there is no hallmark on the item, this does not mean that the product is not silver, it is simply made in a country where the label is not required or the product itself is not certified.

Important! To determine the quality of a marked silver item, arm yourself with a magnifying glass and study the numbers on the hallmark. According to international standards, the product is marked with numbers: 925, 900, 800. The numbers show the percentage of silver in the alloy:

• The number 925 means that the alloy is 92.5% silver, and the rest is copper.
• Stamps 900 and 800 mean that the product contains 90% and 80% silver, respectively. Such alloys are considered coin-operated because they contain a high proportion of copper.

Sometimes even the presence of a stamp with numbers does not fully guarantee the authenticity of the product. Therefore, it is better to use the physical properties of the metal and test the item at home. Consider the main simple ways that will help answer the question of how to check silver at home.

Method number 1. By appearance

Real experts with a high probability determine the authenticity of silver by eye:

• The metal reflects light well, so it shines a lot. The color of the metal is silvery white. If the product is not cleaned, then it becomes covered with a dark film and becomes dull, with a pink tint.
• If you rub cupronickel dishes, then a metal of a different color (usually pink) will appear under the whitish top layer. Chrome - gives a bluish tint, and nickel alloy - yellowish. Silver does not change color - both inside and outside remain white.
• Check the authenticity by touch: hold the item in your hand. Since silver conducts heat very well, after a while its temperature will equal the temperature of your body.
• You can distinguish silver from aluminum by weight: silver is denser, therefore, in the hand it will be much heavier than aluminum, since the second metal is very light.
• The product, in which many scammers mix zinc, will leave a slightly noticeable coating on their hands. Rub your finger on the silver jewelry: if the hand remains clean, then this is a genuine product, and if a darkened coating from zinc remains on the finger, then a very small amount of noble metal is mixed with zinc in the product.
• If you have good hearing, then throw the object from a small height onto a hard, flat surface. The sound when falling should be sonorous, loud, vibrating, but not deaf.

Method number 2. Checking magnetic qualities

If you are just going to buy jewelry, then you can determine the authenticity of silver with a magnet. Swipe over the decoration with a magnet.

Important! Genuine noble metal is categorized as diamagnetic and will not be attracted to a magnet.

If you need to check the authenticity of a metal ingot, then use the magnet as follows:

1. Place the silver bar in such a way that its smooth side is tilted at 45 degrees.
2. Place a magnet on the smooth side.

Important! On a genuine ingot, the magnet will slide down smoothly. The magnetic field of the magnet creates a braking effect, which slows down the slip.

Method number 3. Ice check

Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of all metals. The ice test works well on bars, coins, but badly on small jewelry. Use this method if you are faced with the question of how to check a coin for silver left over from past generations.

Keep the ice in the freezer until the very moment of the test, and then proceed as follows:

1. Take out the ice.
2. Place a piece of ice on a silver object.
3. Watch the ice carefully: it will melt as if it had been placed on something very hot, even though the metal itself is at room temperature.

Important! If you notice that the metal began to change color over time, this may not be a sign of its poor quality. Read more in our separate publication about one or another piece of jewelry made from such an alloy.

Method number 4. Chalk check

This is one of the easiest methods to determine the authenticity of a metal:

1. Rub the silver item with chalk.
2. If the chalk turns black, you have real silver in front of you.

Method number 5. Using a chalk pencil

Instead of chalk, you can use a lapis pencil to determine the authenticity of silver at home:

1. Wet the surface of the item.
2. Run the tip of the pencil across the metal.

Important! After a few minutes, the noble metal should darken at the point of contact with the pencil.

Method number 6. How to test silver with iodine

Very few substances can attack precious metals. Iodine - has such properties. If you anoint genuine silver with iodine, then a stain forms on it. The greater the concentration of silver in the alloy, the blacker the spot will be and the faster it will form.

Important! Use this method very carefully, as you can ruin a beautiful product. For the experiment, choose an inconspicuous area and apply a minimum of funds with a cotton swab. After applying iodine, immediately wipe it off with a cotton pad. And you can start.

Method number 7. Use of sulfur ointment

Sulfur ointment is sold in a pharmacy. To check the authenticity of the metal, proceed as follows:

1. Lightly rub the product with fine-grained sandpaper.
2. Apply a small amount of ointment to the surface.
3. Leave the item on for 10-15 minutes.
4. Examine the surface: a dark spot will indicate authenticity, but there will be no such spots on nickel and stainless steel.

Important! The method using sulfuric ointment is risky, but effective. If the silver turned black under the influence of sulfur, then you can return the product to its original color by boiling the object with pieces of aluminum foil and adding soda.

Method number 8. Hydrostatic weighing method

This method is based on the principle of Archimedes. For its implementation, accurate scales are needed. The essence of the method:

1. First, weigh the object in the usual way and determine the dry weight.
2. Immerse the product in water and determine the mass in water.
3. Divide the dry mass by the difference between the two masses to get the density of the metal.
4. The density value for silver should be 10.5. If the density is about 7 - in front of you, most likely, tin.

Method number 9. chemical test

This method is used if you need to determine the authenticity of silver, and the product without a stamp. This method at the household level is used extremely rarely. It is mainly used by jewelers and laboratory workers. But if you decide to go into chemistry, then buy the usual reagent "test for silver" and rubber gloves, as you will have to work with caustic acids.

Instructions for using the reagent:

1. Remove the thinnest layer of silver plating from the item. To do this, swipe once on the surface with a needle file.

Important! If you do not want to leave scratches on the product, then use the touchstone. You can buy it in the same place as the test kit. Rub the object on the stone to get a relatively large piece of metal (several centimeters in length) on it. In this case, apply acid on the trace that remains on the stone.

As it turned out, it is not difficult to recognize real silver items on your own.

Silver products are now in great demand, however, as at all times. But there is a great risk of acquiring an ordinary fake instead of a pure precious metal. Therefore, you should know how to distinguish silver at home from another metal alloy. For example, any silver product should have a sample: 800, 830, 875, in addition, 925, 960 or 999. Sometimes masters prefer not to put a sample on the author's products, in this case there are other methods.

Silver is an excellent heat conductor. It quickly heats up to body temperature in the hands or warms up when lowered into hot water. When you bring a magnet to a silver object, it will not be attracted to it. Real silver will not be magnetized. A jeweler will distinguish silver even by its smell, but counterfeiters have already learned how to imitate this smell with the help of flavors. You can scratch the silver product with a needle. If at the same time a reddish color appears at the place of the scratch, then the silver is mixed with brass. Sulfuric ointment, nitric acid and iodine are also used to verify the authenticity of silver. After iodine gets on silver, it turns black. Then it will be difficult to wash it off.

Of course, when choosing silver jewelry, it is best to give preference to stores with a good reputation. But sometimes it’s enough just to turn to well-known brands. For example, craftsmen have been creating unique elegant Kubachi silverware since ancient times. If we talk about silver of the highest standard, then it is Kubachi jewelers who are still actively working with it, creating silver dishes, exclusive weapons, and jewelry. It turns out real works of art, the quality of which is beyond doubt.

“The easiest way is to take a silver item to a jewelry workshop. An experienced eye of a specialist will immediately distinguish a fake from a genuine precious metal, ”the craftsmen advise.

The editors of the "site" reminds that the authenticity of silver at home must be carried out carefully so as not to spoil the product.
Subscribe to our channel in Yandex.Zen

No wonder they say that not everything shiny is a jewel, so you should know how to determine silver at home. Our age of technological progress, the emergence of new chemical developments makes it possible to fake almost everything. Yes, this is not the most expensive of the noble representatives. However, increasing the mass of objects, it is often diluted with various impurities. Even a jewelry store is not a guarantor of the authenticity of jewelry. So, how can you recognize the real thing at home or not?

Learning to determine the authenticity of silver by its characteristic properties

First of all, taking a silver thing, carefully inspect it. A ring, chain, bracelet or spoon must be branded or stamped. These are three small numbers outlined by a rectangle. Unfortunately, neither the presence of such a hallmark, nor the purchase of jewelry in a specialized store is a guarantee that the bracelet or service is genuine.

Therefore, you need to have some knowledge that will insure you from purchasing low-quality goods. Take the thing in hand. Silver is a good conductor, therefore it instantly warms up from the warmth of the palms. Dip the object in a glass of boiling water. After a few seconds, try to gently remove it. Watch out, it's hot. A real precious metal will acquire the same temperature in an instant.

If, upon contact with a silver object, the hands remain clean, it means that the metal is of high quality. A poor-quality alloy diluted with zinc will give out blackened palms. Often under the guise of pure jewelry, dishonest sellers try to sell items made of copper or brass that have a silver-plated surface. An ordinary needle will help bring false merchants to clean water. Pass the needle in an inconspicuous place on the jewelry. The top layer of spraying will be erased, exposing the insides. If the color under spraying remains the same, then everything is fine. And if there is a red or yellow tint - before you is an alloy of brass or copper with a silver-plated surface.

There are a great many interesting ways to determine silver at home. It turns out that this noble precious metal can be distinguished by sound. The silver ringing is fundamentally different from the dull grumbling and grumbling of the voices of metal brothers. It is light, lingering and vibrating. One thing is certain, this procedure requires an excellent ear for music.

Previously, some people could distinguish a silver item by its smell. Now this method is no longer relevant. In our age, there are many means that allow you to fake even such a noble aroma. There is no need to bend, say, a silver spoon either. There is an opinion that she will bend. And an object made of another alloy will spring when bent. But this technique is too extreme, so it's not worth the risk.

Another well-known property of silver things is an increased ability to reflect light. Place the fine spoon in direct sunlight. She should play under bright rays, blinding you with her light.

A simple magnet is fine for recognizing clean samples. Pure and noble, without impurities, he will remain indifferent to him. This precious metal, like all the others, is a diamagnet.

Silver Authenticity Tests with Reagents

How to determine the authenticity of silver at home using various reagents? The easiest method is to rub the item with a clean, soft white cloth. If a dark mark remains on the fabric, then the precious metal is real. Without a doubt. This happens because real silver oxidizes from oxygen, and the oxidized particles remain on the fabric.

Sulfur ointment will help determine a pure silver thing. It is sold in all pharmacies. It is enough to smear the test material with sulfuric ointment. Then leave for two hours. After the time has elapsed, wipe off the ointment with a napkin. Summarize. If the thing turned black, then the precious metal is real. If it has acquired a red tint or the tone has not changed at all, then it is a fake.

There are two more ways to determine the authenticity of silver. You can use iodine. This is the first method. Second, use ordinary chalk. Try rubbing, for example, a chain with a piece of chalk. If the chalk has acquired a grayish metallic tint, the authenticity is beyond doubt. Or drop a drop of iodine. This reagent will blacken the pure test material. The stronger the blackness, the higher the content of the noble metal in the product. Apply iodine and sulfuric ointment carefully, because blackened jewelry is quite difficult to clean.

Here is one of the grandmother's recipes or folk methods that allow you to reveal the purity of an expensive thing. For example, we use ordinary black bread. You need to put the item in the crumb. Wait a few days. If the product is very blackened, there is a high probability of happy possession of a wonderful metal.

The most accurate results in home testing are given by the use of nitric acid. The test is carried out as follows: select the most inconspicuous place, for example, on a bracelet, scratch it lightly and carefully drip one or two drops of nitric acid. The appearance of a green color means that you have silver-plated brass, cupronickel or a very low quality jewel. Pure metal with this test will turn black.

Here is a more complex way to quickly recognize the quality of a jewel. Amateur chemists. It is necessary to remove the thinnest layer of coating from the jewelry. It is advisable to do this in an inconspicuous place by swiping one
once with a file. Then draw the place of the cut on the stone for testing. Get a metal strip. The touchstone is usually black slate. Now you need to prepare assay acid from potassium dichromate with nitric acid, observing the proportion of one to one. We moisten the test stone, or rather the strip, with the resulting mixture. According to the resulting color, we establish the presence or absence of precious metal in the product. If the test material contains a third of silver, then the band on the stone will turn red.

The easiest way to determine silver or not is to purchase a special compound called the "Silver Test". Fortunately, the modern world is a world where absolutely everything is sold. This reagent is safe to use. It will help to easily establish the authenticity of the jewelry, and also reveal the approximate quality of the precious item.

Learning to determine the sample of a silver product at home

To be frank, testing for a silver sample at home is quite troublesome. But quite possible. And if you have decided to do without the help of specialists, then the following information is about how to determine the silver sample for you.

1. To recognize what percentage of pure silver is contained in the jewelry, you will need the Chrompic reagent, in other words, potassium dichromate. It has a bright orange color. It is used to designate a sample of a product from 500 and above. The surface must be carefully prepared. Clean the item of grease and all dirt, then wipe with a dry cloth. On the cleaned surface of the material to be tested, successively drop a few drops of Chrompic, removing them with filter paper. Don't be too hasty. An interval of two to three seconds will suffice. If the sample is from 500 to 750, a spot of a light brown tint will remain. Above 750th - spots will be red. And on precious metal jewelry, which contains a large mass of silver, the color intensity is enhanced. For example, a pure 916 test material produces a spot of the same rich, bright red color as the reagent itself.
2. You can use chlorine gold. Mostly, this reagent is used by jewelers and customs officers to determine gold. The reagent can be used to determine the presence of precious metals in alloys. Speaking of silver, it should be noted that its content in the alloy with the help of chloride gold can only be measured approximately. The cleaned surface must be treated with a drop of reagent. Chlorine gold reacts very quickly. Note that the results are instant. All basic properties are determined by the color of the precipitate. When combined with chlorine gold, pure high-grade material gives an inky color to the drop. The low content of the precious metal also produces dark shades, but of much lesser intensity. The resulting yellow or brown tone indicates that the test alloy is aluminum or copper.
3. Another way to determine the silver sample is to use the silver nitrate reagent. After surface treatment, carefully apply a drop of the substance. Notice the color. If your product is high quality, from 750 to 916, the reagent drop will take on a light gray tint. White color with varying degrees of turbidity indicates the low grade of the precious metal.

Summing up, I would like to say about a significant drawback of all the methods described above. It is impossible to expect from them a 100% guarantee for the result obtained. A situation may arise that your favorite ring is just slightly silvered. You can verify the quality of the entire product only by making a file.