How to Differentiate Between Silver Plating and Real Sterling Silver Jewelry

Tableware, decoration pieces and jewelry items are widely made with sterling silver. To make this type of silver certain amount of other metals is mixed with silver while its manufacture to make it solid, durable and perfectly suitable for making ornaments. The average balance of this mixture is.925 silver and.075 other metals. This balance is ideal to keep the silver firm, shiny and strong for making any sort of precious embellishment.

Sometimes jewelry made of other cheap metals is covered with a thin layer of silver to give it the desired shine and aura. This is called silver plating but the ornaments are not considered as real silver made items. With the passage of time the jewelry with silver plating loses its shine and beauty as the thin layer of silver is worn out from the use. Hence, the low quality metal from beneath becomes evident. For mistaking such silver plated jewelry with real silver ornaments keep the following guideline in your mind when you think you to shop some trendy and affordable jewelry for you or your loved ones.

Before looking or inquiring anything, look for the authenticating mark that shows the genuineness of sterling silver. At the time of producing genuine, pure and high quality sterling silver, it is marked with 9.25 S/S or Sterling 925. The jewelry pieces bear this mark at the clasps usually. Without this sign the jewelry is not considered pyre sterling silver.

By examining the jewelry closely also you can identify its reality. The real silver has shiny and cool color while the plated jewelry is comparatively dull. At some corners or edges you can find that the coloring has fully faded away or scratched showing another sort of material underneath. In this case mostly the item in under your examination is not pure silver.

You can rub the jewelry piece softly with a cotton cloth of light color. The real silver tarnishes when exposed to the air and its oxidizing smear the cloth with lack spot. As soon as you notice the black spot on the cloth in your hand, understand that it is pure sterling silver.

If the above steps are not able to clarify the reality of silver item in your hand then you can take the jewelry to a nearby pawn shop or jewelry store in your town. Ask the owner to test for you the metal of your item. He uses nitric acid to identify the metal of your jewelry. Nitric acid is a harsh chemical used for industrial purposes. The touch of nitric acid to the surface of a metal other than sterling silver discolors its surface. If the metal is copper, a green spot appears where nitric acid touches it. So, make sure that you test the acid at an invisible place of the jewelry as the green spot cannot be removed.

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