Bleach can also be used to check the authenticity of the silver metal. Just place a drop of bleach on the silver item. If it tarnishes after coming in contact with oxidising chemicals like bleach then it is real silver.
Real silver will turn black when exposed to bleach. Silver is denser than most metals. The weight of the metal will have a specific diameter and thickness. If the silver weighs less, it might be made of light-weight silver alloys rather than sterling silver.
If it weighs more, then it could be made of lead plated with silver. Pure silver is usually cooler than silver-plated items and is shinier. Another cool way to test if the silver you have purchased is real or fake is by using magnets. If you have magnets lying around in your house, you can use it to check the authenticity of silver. Silver is paramagnetic and only exhibits weak reactions to a magnet.
Use a strong magnet such as a rare earth magnet created from neodymium. Bring the magnet close to the silver item you want to check and see if it sticks strongly to the magnet. If you are also testing silver bars at home, a sliding test with magnets can be used to find out if it is real silver. You can conduct the test by angling the silver bar at a degree angle and slide the magnet down the surface of the bar.
The magnet should slide down slowly. At first, this may seem inaccurate, but silver is paramagnetic which means that it generates electric eddy currents. This means that the silver acts as an electromagnet which creates a braking effect on the slow descent of the magnet. A ring test is a very common and easy test to perform. Pure silver makes a strong ringing sound when rubbed against each other so one of the best ways to identify the purity of silver is by rubbing them with another metal or another silver item.
If you have a coin and you drop it on a flat surface, it should make a sound like a ringing bell. If it makes a dull sound, it has been most likely mixed with other elements or metals. Below are some common questions around silver that will help address any queries you have regarding its authenticity.
Silver is not magnetic, so if your chain is drawn to the magnet, it is not real silver. Compare your silver chain to an item of a similar weight that you know is made of real silver. If the weight feels the same, your silver chain is more likely to be genuine. Put on protective goggles and gloves. Add a drop of nitric acid to a small part of your chain. If it turns green, it is not made of genuine silver.
Nitric acid is a chemical with a high copper content, which discolors non-silver items. Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article methods. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Method 1. All rights reserved.
This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Look for a stamp. Items advertised as silver and sold internationally should be stamped based on its silver content. If there is no stamp, be leery. It may be still be pure silver, but created in a country that doesn't require stamping. Evaluate the international silver stamp rating. Look at the silver piece with a magnifying glass. International sellers of silver will stamp silver as , or These numbers indicate the percentage of fine silver in the piece.
A stamp of or means the piece is 90 percent or 80 percent silver, and is often called "coin" silver. Method 2. Test with a magnet. In particular, use a strong magnet, such as the rare-earth magnet made out of neodymium.
Silver is paramagnetic and exhibits only weak magnetic effects. If your magnet sticks strongly to the piece, it has a ferromagnetic core and is not silver. It is better to perform the magnetic test in conjunction with another test to make sure the core is not another metal. Try the sliding test. If you are testing silver bars, there is another way you can use a magnet to see if your silver is real or not.
Angle one of your silver bars so that it is at a 45 degree angle. Slide the magnet down it. The magnet should slide slowly down the face of the bar. This may seem counterintuitive, but silver is paramagnetic and the rare earth magnet induces electric eddy currents in the silver which act as an electromagnet to create a braking effect that slows the descent of the magnet.
Method 3. Have some ice on hand. Keep it in the freezer until you need it for the test. While it might not seem like ice and silver go together, silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any common metal or alloy, though copper is right behind.
Place your piece of ice directly on the silver. Do not take your eyes off of it. The ice will begin to melt immediately, as if it has been placed on something hot, rather than as if it it was placed on something that was just room temperature. Method 4. Try the ring test with any coin. Silver makes a really lovely bell-like ringing sound when it is tapped on, particularly when it is tapped on with another form of metal.
If you want to try this out before tapping on your questionable silver, find a United States quarter made before The older quarter will give a high-pitched, clear ringing tone, while the newer quarters will give a dull thump of a sound. Drop your own coin on a flat surface from about six inches above it.
If it makes a sound like a bell ringing, you have a real silver coin in your hand. If it's dull, the silver is, most likely, mixed with other metals. Method 5. Perform a chemical test analysis on the item. Use a chemical analysis if there's no stamp signifying it is silver on your piece. Put on a pair of gloves.
You will be using a corrosive acid to test the piece for purity. These sort of acids burn skin. Note that this method has the potential to slightly damage your silver item. If you suspect you have a high value item, you might be better off trying to determine the silver content using one of the other methods listed in this article.
Buy a silver acid test. You can purchase these online at sites like Amazon or eBay, or at jewelry stores. Silver acid tests are great for pure silver, but if you think your piece is silver plated, you will have to use a small jeweler's file to make a mark, revealing what might be under the plating.
Find an inconspicuous place on the item in question and make a small scratch on the silver piece. This is necessary to get to the underlying metal to test it with acid. Scratch the piece using a metal file. Scratch the surface enough so that you can get beyond any silver plating layer. These are generally provided with a silver testing kit, or will be sold in the same store.
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