How to identify sterling silver jewelry
How to identify sterling silver jewelry? Silver has been used to make jewelry since in ancient times. Silver jewelry is not expensive, but it has mysterious charming to attract people to wear it. Fine or pure jewelry is too soft to for practical uses. wholesale jewelrywe often mentioned is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 2.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. Today I’ll tell the ways to identify the sterling jewelry.
First, identify them through hallmark. The hallmark often contains the information about the purity of the silver alloy used in production or the handcraft of the silver jewelry, or silversmith or the company which made the piece, or date and location of tradesman. As a matter of fact, these letters are engraved on the silver jewelry and are pretty tiny. Sometimes you can not see or read them by naked eyes. Perhaps you need a loupe or magnifier to help you read them. Second, check the glossiness and color of silver jewelry. Generally speaking, the genuine sterling silver jewelry enjoys pure white color and looks glossy. The fake silver jewelry seems dull and lacks luster on the first sight.
Third, bend the jewelry. The genuine silver can be bent easily but won’t be broken. If the piece need great efforts to bend it which means it contains low percentage of silver. For the jewelry can be bent broken or it become broken after hit by a hammer, it is likely to be silver-clad jewelry. Fake silver is not easy to bend or it’s easy broken by bending.
Fourth, throw the jewelry to know the silver-bearing percentage. Toss the piece lightly and if it spring lowly and with smooth sound when it falls onto floor, the jewelry contains much silver. But if it springs high and clear and loud sound can be heard, the jewelry enjoys poor quality.
Fifth, you can test the jewelry with nitric acid. This is the most direct way and effective way to identify the silver. The merchant or manufacturer is inclined to ask you not to do so. Nitric acid is a harsh industrial chemical that will discolor non-silver items because it is high in copper content. So wearing gloves and goggles for protection is necessary if you are doing the test yourself. Add a drop of nitric acid to an area of the sterling silver jewelry, which cannot be seen after the test. If that part of the jewelry turns pale green, then you can be sure that the piece contains much silver. If it turns deep green or dark, it means that this not sterling silver or any type of silver for that matter. On the other hand, if the part tested turns creamy, the sterling silver jewelry is genuine.
Keep the above-mentioned five ways to identify the silver jewelry; it is not difficult for you to buy the good ones. Silver jewelry is really attractive in itself and many gemstones can be inset in it. Go to the store and choose a piece of silver jewelry for yourself.