925 STERLING SILVER

REAL 925 STERLING SILVER

HOW TO TELL YOUR SILVER JEWELRY IS REAL 925 STERLING SILVER

925 Sterling Silver Do you wonder if your jewelry is REAL silver? If you are intentional about purchasing a state-of-the-art jewelry, it is absolutely important that you get the best statement jewelry that defines your lifestyle. For you to become the happiest buyer ever, knowing how to tell whether your statement silver jewelry is 925 sterling silver can be the next big thing.

925 Sterling Silver Always Trendy and Versatile

If you’ve been a gold jewelry fanatic, it’s time to expand your bling experiences and try something different. All the same, if pure silver has been your thing, why not try a 925 sterling silver jewelry with a mark of excellence! Beauty and elegance is all about creativity and innovations. You can create anything you want out of life and look different from the rest.

Investing in 925 sterling silver jewelry is an affordable deal. Before you make payment and carry home a pack of your favorite silver trinkets, you need to be sure you’ve got the perfect brand that suits your lifestyle. If you get stuck along the way, do not hesitate to talk to knowledgeable staff in the trusted jewelry store.

However, remember it’s their job to make more sales and you don’t have to believe everything they tell you. Having your own knowledge on jewelry varieties is very essential.

Why 925 Not 99 Silver

As a first time buyer, knowing the difference between sterling silver and pure silver can be a challenging exercise if you don’t know the jewelry hacks below.

The key difference between pure silver and sterling 925 silver is that pure silver contains 99.9% pure silver and the rest is other metals such as copper while sterling silver contains 92.5% silver and copper tops up the percentage. Pure silver is very soft and supple and thus difficult to make great designs when not combined with other metals.

Beware of the 925 sterling silver imitations in the market today. The suppliers are faking the silver jewelry with a very thin layer of silver electroplated on to a base metal. You’ll find the fake products at much cheaper prices than the original thing. Surprisingly, to make you content that you are buying the ideal 925 sterling silver, they will sell to you at similar cost of the real product.

Here’s How to Test Real Silver in 5 Simple Steps

The following are simple DIY 5 steps to determine if your silver jewelry could be genuine silver. The more accurate test can be done with the use of chemical and ultrasonic machine which you may find the service from reputable metal appraisal.

The Hallmark Test

All you need here is to use your eyes or a magnifying lens to check for the hallmark imprint of numbers 925. The presence of this hallmark shows that it is a genuine 925 sterling silver. You will find the numbers engraved on the larger part of the jewelry.

Magnetic Test

By using a regular magnet, you can find out if your jewelry is not silver. Naturally, silver and gold metal is non-magnetic. If you hold the magnet close to your silver and it gets drawn, this is a clear indicator that alloy and other substances has been added in your jewel composition.

Rub it with a White Cloth

If you are looking for the easiest test ever, try rubbing you silver with a white cloth. If you find black tarnish on the cloth, it shows the silver is genuine because real silver oxidizes when exposed to air and that’s why the black marks appear when you rub it.

Ice Cube Test

Place an ice cube on your silver. Out of all metals, silver is the best conductor of thermal energy. It should start to melt immediately, as if it has been placed on something hot, rather than room temperature.

The Weight Test

Compare the weight of your sterling silver with a similar weight of a real silver product. If they weigh similarly, your sterling silver jewelry may be a genuine one. The light weight could be the indication of fake silver.

Nitric And Acid Test

All of the above physical test could be simply done as preliminary indicators. To reach the most reliable test, the chemical test or ultrasound test must be applied. There is a caution for Nitric acid test that the acid is corrosive. It will damage you silver jewelry.

First scratch your jewelry by using a metal file. You can find the area at the back of the jewelry or somewhere it could not be seen. Scratch the surface enough to allow you to get beyond silver plating layer. By adding a drop of nitric acid to the scratch area of your silver jewelry, if your ornament turns brown, green yellow or blue, then it is not genuine silver. When nitric acid is put on real silver, it discolors the item. Do follow the instructions and the color scale of your specific silver test. The general color scales are as follows:

Bright Red: Fine Silver
Darker Red: 925 Silver
Brown : 800 Silver
Green : 500 Silver
Yellow: Lead or Tin
Dark brown: Brass
Blue: Nickel

Ultrasound

Non-destructive technique that utilizes the same technology used in pregnancy ultrasounds to check for consistency in bullions. Ultrasonic thickness gauges measure how long it takes sound to travel through a material. Sound travels at different speeds through different metals.

Go Ahead And Become The Next Happy Buyer

With these amazing DIY tricks, you can go ahead with your purchase and fulfill your craving for a 925 silver jewelry. The best way to ensure your metals are real is to know who you are buying from. Always buy from a reputable name who provides guarantee for silver authenticity. Shop around and find your silver jewelry at excellent rates.

For wholesale sourcing, you can browse through the website of Hong Factory, the most trusted Thailand’s jewelry manufacturer with 48 year-experience. Our silver metal can be traced to accredited sources and provides a high level of confidence that everything we sell is pure and authentic. Our collection of 8,000 designs are great selection from latest trend statement making jewelry, to dainty delicate everyday style.