Sterling silver is an alloy metal that contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% of other metals. Recently, the price of 925 sterling silver has shot up. A piece that used to cost you $8 will now cost you up to $30. Due to the high cost, buying sterling silver jewelry is a great investment. When making the purchase, you should note that there are some jewelry dealers that will pose silver plated jewelry as real sterling silver jewelry. Due to this, you should be cautious when making the purchase.

Sterling silver tests

There are plenty of tests that you do to tell whether you are buying the real units. Some of these tests include:

Smell test: This test works best when you are buying large pieces of jewelry. You should rub the unit that you are looking to buy and smell it. If the unit has a metallic or brassy smell, it’s definitely not real. A real jewelry shouldn’t have any smell.

Rubbing test: Here you need to rub your jewelry with a soft piece of white cloth. If you find black marks on the piece of clothing after rubbing, you are on the lucky side as you will be dealing with a real unit. Real silver oxidizes when exposed to air and this causes it to deteriorate with time. This is the reason for the black marks.

Nitric acid test: Nitric acid is an inexpensive acid that you can easily get at your local store or online. When you are buying the jewelry ask the jeweler whether you should undertake the test. Nitric acid has no effect on real 925 sterling silver; therefore, if the jeweler is selling you the real unit, he/she won’t have a problem with you testing the jewelry.

Magnet test: This is probably the easiest test. You need to get a magnet and place it near the jewelry. A real sterling silver isn’t attracted to magnets.

Marking test: Here you look out for the marks on the surface of the jewelry. A real unit will have “sterling silver,” “925,” or “Ster” markings on its surface. The marks shouldn’t be covered with any plating.

Tips to increase your chances of buying the real units

To increase your chances of buying a real silver jewelry you need to consider a number of things. One of the things you should do is to be cautious of the dealers that you work with. Whether buying online or offline ensure that the dealers you are working with are reputable and have a proven track record. This calls for you to take your time to do your research.

Another thing you should do is to buy the jewelry while in the company of an expert. The expert will not only guide you on the best places that you should buy from, he/she will also guide you on the right units that you should go for.

Source by Victor Long