Where can you check your silver? How to test silver at home

A real silver product is easy to distinguish from a fake, and this article will help us understand all the nuances. Let's get acquainted with the most effective ways to determine the authenticity of silver.

Stamp and hallmark

Each product with a high content of precious metal has 2 hallmarks - the manufacturer’s name and an assay mark. Their presence indicates that the product is sold legally in the country.

The hallmark is placed on:

The state mark consists of several elements:

• Right profile of a lady in a kokoshnik;
• Letter code of the State Assay Supervision Inspectorate in the lower left corner;
• Try;
• Standard frame.

Pay attention to the shape of the frame; it is an oval with cut off sides. Let’s assume that the image is surrounded by a circle and the sample is printed next to it in a rectangular or oval frame with trimmed edges.

Foreign-made jewelry may have different marking methods adopted by the laws of the manufacturer's country. For example, the traditional English stamp is a walking lion, French products were stamped with the head of Minerva, a boar, and a crab.

In order for the soft noble metal to gain strength, impurities of other metals are added to the alloy, usually copper, tin, and nickel. Therefore, a sample must be placed on the finished product - a number reflecting the percentage of noble metal content. The most common silver grades are 750, 800, 875, 916, 925, 960 and 999.

960 and 925 are most often used to create jewelry:

• 925 silver is called sterling, it does not lose its original appearance for a long time, does not darken even with prolonged wear.
• 800 hallmark is considered a coin alloy, used in the production of coins and cutlery, quickly loses its presentation.

The name tag is an abbreviation that allows you to find out the manufacturer, place, and year of manufacture. May contain letters and numbers. Antique items are decorated with the master's initials.

If there is no sample, this does not mean that you are faced with a fake. Perhaps this is 800 silver. Products made from it are allowed to be produced without an imprint. Some silver simulants are stamped MNC, which means “magnesium-nickel-zinc.” A false sample is applied unevenly; it is easy to recognize if you have a sample.

Thermal conductivity

Among all metals, silver has the highest thermal conductivity, that is, it quickly changes temperature under the influence of the environment:

• Press the cool ring against your skin, it will instantly take on her temperature.
• Place the chain or necklace in a container of hot water and then remove it immediately. The jewelry will not have time to change the temperature.
• An ice cube is suitable for testing. If the item is large enough, place ice from the freezer on top.

Place the cool ring against your skin and it will instantly take on its temperature.

Physical properties

• Consider the quality of the coating.
• Sterling silver must be white, with a bright polished shine.
• Blackened antique stylized and doesn't shine as brightly.
• Antique jewelry becomes covered with a black and gray patina over time. If the coating is red or brown, you have another alloy, for example, brass or cupronickel.
• Silver can be matte, but it should not have any tint. A reddish tint is a sign of a large amount of copper in the alloy.
• Throw the ring, earring or coin on the table.
• When falling, a loud sound should be heard, melodic, clear sound.
• Silver spoons you can knock on each other.
• Copper fakes knock dully, cheap alloys produce a metallic sound, like small coins.
• Rub the item with your palm.
• Counterfeits containing zinc leave dark marks.
• Silver plating can be gently rubbed to see the background color.
• Place the jewelry in a glass of water for several days. Genuine silver will remain pristine, but counterfeit silver will rust.
• Smell it. This method requires that you have a sample.
• Those who had silverware, remember their special, specific smell.
• If there is a coating, scrape it off. Cupronickel, like other copper alloys, smells like copper.
• Taste it.
• In brass, cupronickel, nickel silver without sputtering will have a metallic taste.
• Noble metals are tasteless.
• Weigh it. There are reference books for numismatists that contain information about ancient and modern coins. Weigh your sample, compare the resulting weight with the indicated one.

Antique jewelry becomes covered with a black-gray patina over time.

Checking with improvised means

If after examining the product there are still doubts, you can conduct several tests using available tools:

Be careful, traces of iodine are very difficult to wash off from the surface of jewelry. Most likely, the stain will remain forever.

Sulfur ointment:

• Apply ointment.
• After 30 seconds, wipe off with a cloth or napkin. The application area should darken.

Sulfur ointment is one of the most proven and safe testing methods. It is used against skin inflammations, so it can be applied without gloves. Sold in any pharmacy.

Lapis pencil:

• Wet the tip of the pencil.
• Place a small drop.
• If the drop turns black, this is a fake. Lapis is composed of silver nitrate and does not react with either silver or gold.

Lapis was once widespread, but now it is not sold in all pharmacies. This is an outdated remedy for cauterizing warts and papillomas; if it gets on open skin, a black spot will remain for a long time.

• Take stationery chalk and rub the decoration with it.
• Set aside.
• Check the result in a few minutes. If the chalk turns gray, you have a real noble metal in front of you.

Bleach:

It is believed that if you pour a small drop of bleach and wait a few minutes, the item will react with the acid and darken. But a lot depends on the composition of the bleach. Silver is a low-reactive metal, so household chemicals may have no effect. The imitation can be irrevocably damaged, especially by chlorine.

Vinegar:

Silver is a low-reactive metal, so household chemicals may have no effect

According to the electrochemical series of metal activity, silver is a low-active metal, therefore it does not react with 9% vinegar. Most alloys will not react with such a weak acid without heating.

Copper is also a low-active metal, so vinegar will not harm products with a high copper content. It is even recommended to soak cupronickel cutlery in acid if plaque has formed.

Needle:

• Make a deep scratch with a needle.
• Take a close look to see if the color of the core differs from the coating.
• A yellow or red tint indicates that spraying has been applied.

Magnet:

• Take a strong magnet and pass it over the surface of the object.
• Silver has almost no magnetic properties, but a fake made of steel or nickel will be immediately attracted.
• It should be noted that metals with a high copper content are also non-magnetic.

Nitric acid:

This option is only suitable for those who are familiar with chemistry.

• Under the influence of nitric acid, a violent reaction occurs with the release of gas, silver dissolves, and an aqueous solution of silver nitrate and nitric oxide are formed.
• This experiment should not be carried out at home.

• The most reliable ways to determine To determine whether your jewelry has jewelry value, you can call tests with iodine, sulfur ointment, lapis pencil, needle, chalk.
• Iodine is unsafe for the product, stains remain for a long time, they are almost impossible to wash off.
• Lapis pencil is very convenient, the reaction occurs quickly, but you will have to specially order it, since it is not sold in all pharmacies.
• Using a needle you can find out whether the coating has been applied, but the scratch can no longer be removed.
• Chalk does not spoil the product.
• The dark spots remaining after the sulfur ointment can be wiped with ammonia or placed in a soda solution. Another option is to boil it with a piece of regular aluminum foil.
• Not everyone can determine the taste, sound or weight of silver. In addition, this requires a large sample, such as a ring or coin.
• Testing with a magnet will not give the desired result if the main material of the alloy is copper. So, cupronickel and brass will not be attracted to a magnet.
• Bleach and vinegar were useless, nitric acid is not suitable for home use.

The most reliable chemical test is a professional sampler. The simplest kit for testing precious metals costs less than 1,000 rubles. It can be purchased at jewelry shops, some pharmacies, and online stores.

Reacting with silver, the substance becomes blood-red and turns black or green on the fake. The reagents are convenient and penetrate through coatings of any thickness. Be careful, the sampler is very caustic and may irritate the skin.

Silver is counterfeited less frequently due to the low cost of the metal, but cases of counterfeiting still occur. New owners complain about the rapid darkening of the products. At the same time, it is not always possible to return the jewelry to its original appearance. To play it safe, you need to have basic knowledge regarding the signs of high-quality silver. You will also need to study ways in which you can check the metal for falsification. Let's talk about everything in order.

What is it, high-quality silver

1. Products based on high-quality alloy have 925 standard. You can find the corresponding mark on the back of the jewelry. If the area is thin and hard to see, use a magnifying glass.
2. The mark on the product indicates that this is real silver. You should not buy jewelry with a value lower than this. Often, zinc is mixed into such alloys, which promotes rapid darkening.
3. Silver jewelry comes with a tag - a passport. The document contains all the data regarding the purchased product. From this information you will find out the exact weight of the jewelry, the presence of stones and their size, and the standard of silver.
4. High-quality jewelry of this kind should not contain zinc. It has a negative effect on the skin and reduces the durability of silver. Look for the “Zink Free” label on the label.
5. It is rare to find counterfeit silver in our country. However, you should not buy jewelry in underground passages, markets and short-term fairs. Go to a jewelry store that provides a guarantee on its products.

Method number 1. Sewing needle

1. It is easy to distinguish a silver product from a counterfeit if you arm yourself with an ordinary sewing needle. Try scratching the surface of the jewelry. If the silver comes off easily, and underneath there is an alloy of a different shade, you have a fake in your hands.
2. It is important to understand that counterfeit material may have a color similar to silver. Unscrupulous manufacturers make jewelry this way. So be careful.

Method number 2. Nitric acid

1. To be sure of the quality, take the decoration and choose a place hidden from view. Make a notch with a sharp tool, then apply nitric acid or another reagent to the area.
2. If you notice a greenish tinge in the cut, the alloy contains a large amount of copper. In the case when the product has a 925 standard (copper value does not exceed 7.5%), the coating will be beige.
3. The purest (real) silver, when exposed to nitric acid, will turn black at the cut site.

Method number 3. lapis pencil

1. Silver can be distinguished from counterfeit by chemical means. Lapis pencil is sold at the pharmacy. It contains silver ions, which have a regenerating effect. Skin diseases are treated with a pencil.
2. Put on gloves and place the product on your palms. Apply the product to the metal and wait a while. The real alloy will not react in any way, but the surrogate will turn black.

Method number 4. Boiling water

1. Almost all available methods for checking the authenticity of silver are based on the properties of this metal. For example, jewelry made from high-quality alloys have high thermal conductivity. Simply put, silver products heat up quickly and cool down immediately.
2. You can understand that you have a truly high-quality product in front of you using boiling water. Heat the liquid to 100 degrees, add the decoration (without stones) into it. Wait 10-15 seconds, remove.
3. If the metal is so hot that you can hardly hold it in your hands, the silver is real. In this case, the product will cool down in a matter of seconds. The fake decoration will be barely warm.

Method No. 5. Sulfur ointment

1. Sulfur ointment is available without a prescription and is inexpensive. Apply the preparation to the jewelry in a medium layer and rub in lightly. Leave for 3 hours.
2. Wipe the jewelry with a sponge, rinse it and evaluate the result. High-quality silver will darken significantly. The counterfeit product will take on a green, pink, yellow tint, or will not change at all.

Method number 6. Magnet

1. Sophisticated falsifiers have adapted to deceive people in every possible way. They create, for example, a chain whose links are made of different alloys.
2. Simply put, a bracelet or chain has many links. The test is placed on some circles, but not on others. What to do in this case to be sure of the quality of the decoration?
3. Take a powerful magnet. Lay out the entire length of the jewelry if it is a chain or bracelet. Start slowly moving the magnet 3-5 mm. from decoration. Silver is not attractive, but it’s easy to fake it.
4. It is important to understand that non-ferrous metal or cupronickel is not magnetic. However, such alloys do not include silver. We can say that this method is not very reliable.

Method No. 7. Iodine

1. Place the decoration on a flat white saucer. Shake the jar of iodine, then apply a drop of the drug to the product. If you do not notice any reaction, you have a counterfeit product in your hands.
2. If a blue speck appears at the site of the drop, the decoration contains a lot of zinc. High-quality silver turns black when interacting with iodine, but cupronickel does not change color at all.

Method No. 8. Chalk

1. The simplest method of testing silver is to use white chalk. Place the decoration on your palm and generously coat it with chalk. Rub vigorously.
2. Now evaluate the limestone: if it has acquired a black tint, be sure of a quality purchase. In the case of a fake, the chalk will not change its color.

As you can see, there are many ways to test silver. You can identify a counterfeit alloy using an ordinary sewing needle, school chalk, lapis pencil, boiling water, iodine, sulfur ointment, magnet and nitric acid.

Video: how to check silver at home for authenticity

Methods for verifying the authenticity of silver.

When buying precious jewelry in a store, there is no doubt about its authenticity. But often we want to save money and purchase jewelry from currency traders or directly in the markets. In such cases, it would be a good idea to check whether the jewelry is real.

Iodine is an element that reacts with silver to form a salt. Silver iodide is the resulting salt, which has a characteristic color. This compound is insoluble.

Instructions:

• Keep in mind that the stain after the test can only be removed by sanding, so choose an inconspicuous area for the test.
• Soak a cotton swab in an alcohol solution of iodine and touch the inside of the ring.
• After this, remove the stick and rinse the ring. Look at the result. There should be a cloudy stain if the item is made of silver.

Sulfur also reacts with this precious metal, so the ointment can be used for tests.

Instructions:

• Apply a little ointment to an inconspicuous area. This could be the inside of the ring or clasp.
• Leave the ointment on the ring for several hours. After this, wipe off the product with a napkin.
• There will be a dark spot where the ointment was.

How to test silver for authenticity at home using bread crumbs?

Rye bread crumb is an ancient method for testing silver and gold.

Instructions:

• Mash the bread crumb in your hands and stick it around the decoration
• Leave the jewel in the bread for 2-3 days
• After 2 days, remove the bread and evaluate the metal; if it has darkened or oxidized, then it is not silver

Products with a high iron content are highly magnetic, but alloys that contain little of this chemical element do not have magnetic properties. Silver is also not magnetic, so you can check whether this jewelry is real using a magnet.

Now you can purchase an authenticity test at any jewelry store. It consists of a special acid, which serves as a kind of indicator.

Instructions:

• Take a small file and run it through an inconspicuous part of the product.
• It is necessary to create fine scratches
• Drop the solution onto the scratch and look at the color of the drop
• Now evaluate the result using the table. Each color speaks about a certain composition of the decoration
• If you are concerned about scratches on your jewelry, use a touchstone. It can also be purchased at a jewelry store
• Run the jewel over the stone to leave a mark. Drop a solution from a test tube onto the trace and evaluate the result

This acid is quite aggressive, so carry out the tests with gloves.

AND instructions:

• Run the needle along the back of the decoration. It is necessary to leave a small scratch
• Apply a little acid to the damage and watch the reaction
• If green sizzling foam appears, then the decoration is fake
• If no foam appears, drop a solution of table salt onto the acid.
• If the metal is natural, a white cloud will appear, this is silver nitrate
• Acetic acid works similarly to nitric acid

You need to scratch the jewelry a little and rub it with chalk. If the decoration is real, then a black spot will appear where the chalk and decoration touch. If it is not there, then you have a fake in your hands.

How to test silver for authenticity at home using heat?

Silver conducts heat well and heats up quickly. To check the authenticity of silver, simply place a piece of jewelry on top of a piece of ice. You will notice that the ice will melt as if it were being heated.

This method is quite dubious, since you need to have excellent hearing. It is worth throwing a silver piece of jewelry from a small height and listening to the sound. If it is voiced, then it is real silver, and if it is dull, then it is fake.

How to check silver for authenticity at home with a lapis pencil?

This product can be purchased at pharmacies and is used to treat skin ailments. To check the authenticity of silver, you need to put on gloves and lay out the jewelry on the table. Run a pencil over the product. If a dark spot remains, then this is a fake.

This is a common test using a lapis pencil. How to check silver with this pencil is described above. True, now such a pencil is difficult to find in a pharmacy; this product was common during the Soviet era. You can use iodine or sulfur ointment. All this can be purchased at the pharmacy.

How to identify technical and table silver at home quickly and accurately?

Technical silver differs in composition from real and table silver. Most often these are alloys that are used to make contacts. Most often, these alloys contain impurities of copper, nickel and iron. This silver is tested in the same way as regular silver.

The easiest way is to take a magnifying glass and look at the designation on the decoration. Nowadays they produce products with samples in the range of 800-999. The most popular products are those marked 925 and 875. You can independently determine the sample, but the accuracy of the method is low.

The sample can be determined using a touchstone:

• Take the product and scratch it. Apply a little reagent to the scratch and look at the color.
• If the metal is clean, the color will be bright red. If the color is beige, then this indicates the 800th sample.
• Green – already 500th. The remaining colors will be given by the most common metals for silver plating. That is, yellow color indicates tin or lead, dark brown indicates brass, and blue indicates nickel.

How can you tell if a silver spoon is a coin or not?

The easiest way is to hold a coin or jewelry in your hand. If a mark remains on your hand, this indicates a high concentration of zinc. This product is of poor quality and quite fragile. Pure silver does not tarnish.

There are many ways to distinguish real jewelry from costume jewelry:

• Look at the sample. This can be done using a magnifying glass
• Take the item to a pawn shop and ask them to check it. There is a whole set of reagents that can accurately identify a fake
• Chalk. Simply run chalk over the scratched decoration. If a piece of chalk has darkened, this means pure metal.
• Iodine. Simply apply some iodine to your silver item. A dark spot will appear on it. If this is jewelry, then there will be no changes

The most common home methods will do, each of which is described above:

• Chalk
• Iodine
• Acid
• Bread
• Warmth
• Lapis pencil

Determining the authenticity of silver is quite simple, even if you are not a jeweler. Use one or more home remedies.

VIDEO: Checking silver

Silver is one of the most commonly used metals for jewelry making. How to determine whether it is silver or not at home, when there is no specialist who can know for sure. Silver items should be marked, but if it is missing, this does not mean that you have a fake in your hands. To distinguish silver from a fake, you can contact a pawnshop, but the appraiser may make a mistake, then you will have to check the authenticity of the jewelry yourself.

How to determine silver quickly and inexpensively? First, use a magnet: if the product is attracted, then it is not silver, since this metal does not have the property of being magnetized. The largest number of counterfeits are created from alloys that are diamagnetic, so testing with a magnet is not reliable, but it is quite suitable as an option.

Black marks upon contact with certain substances are a sign of authenticity. You can use sulfur ointment, it is sold in many pharmacies. Apply a little of this ointment to the product and leave for several hours. After this time, carefully remove the ointment with a napkin. If the place where it was applied turns black, then it is silver. The blacker this place, the higher the precious metal content.

A drop of iodine will have the same effect on silver: in the place where the iodine was, the silver will definitely turn black. However, it is better to avoid this method, because iodine leaves stains on the metal that will be difficult to wipe off later. Chalk affects him. If you have problems removing black stains, use ammonia, which will help quickly restore the metal.

Silver is an excellent conductor of heat, so you can simply put the jewelry in hot water, it will very quickly acquire the temperature of the water and become hot. Even after being in your hand for a short time, it will immediately acquire the temperature of a human body.

When buying or, rub it a little with a needle. Most often, silver is replaced with brass. Upon contact with a regular sewing needle, the silver layer will be torn off and reddish spots will be visible. Surely sellers in jewelry stores will not allow you to conduct an inspection in this way. If they frantically begin to take the product from your hands at the sight of a needle, you can be sure that this is a fake.

In the store, pay attention to your hands after you have held the product. Pure silver will never leave dirty marks on your palms, but alloys that sellers pass off as precious metal will definitely get your hands dirty.

In addition, a high quality product cannot lose its brightness even after many years of use. To restore the product to its former shine, you should wipe it with a special cream for cleaning jewelry. Low-grade and fake silver will remain unchanged after this treatment, and high-quality jewelry will shine as on the day it was purchased.

Many metals have a specific smell, and silver is one of them. However, you should not trust solely the sense of smell: manufacturers of counterfeits have even learned to add flavorings so that the falsification is not detected. In addition, if you throw the decoration in the air, you will hear a special sound. A specific sound will be produced if you blow on a silver coin held between your fingers. You won't confuse this sound with anything else.

Silver test using gold chloride

Gold chloride solution

If you don't trust household methods, try finding a gold chloride solution. This chemical element is used by jewelers to verify the authenticity of most precious metals. Apply a drop of this solution to the product at home. If the silver in it is of high quality, then the chlorine gold should instantly acquire a thick, dark green color. Otherwise, you are holding a fake in your hands.

A metal detector can help determine the authenticity of silver by determining the composition of the metal found. If you pass the device over the product, the monitor will show that it is silver (the inscription “Silver” or “Silver” on the monitor).

Determination using nitric acid

The most common method of authentication is to apply nitric acid to the product. Nitric acid is available for purchase, is inexpensive and gives one hundred percent results. Pure silver should immediately turn black after reacting with an acid. Low quality silver and fakes will turn green.

Determining silver at home is not difficult, but it cannot give a 100% result. Therefore, we recommend that you seek help from jewelers who will provide you with this service. For verification you can pay from 300 to 1000 rubles. To protect yourself from buying a fake, buy jewelry in trusted stores.

You will need

• Jeweler's loupe
• Hot water
• Electric lamp
• Magnet
• Rubber gloves, pipette, nitric acid

Instructions

First of all, you should pay attention to the product labeling. Modern factory products will definitely have a mark on them; designer silver jewelry must also be marked in the assay office, but not all artists follow these rules. On Russian-made products you can find the following hallmarks: 960,925,875,830,800. All of them indicate the percentage of silver in the alloy. Thus, a product marked 875 contains 87.5% silver. An alloy with 80% silver content is used mainly for cutlery. Silver 925 standard is commonly called sterling throughout the world.

Other countries have different alloy standards, so products from abroad may have different numerical standards, in addition, some countries use markings such as STERLING, STER, S/S, SILVER. Don't forget about brands. Samples of hallmarks of famous masters and large companies are known to everyone who is interested in silver. On silver items produced in the Soviet Union, a five-pointed mark was used as a hallmark; antique silver may display a leopard with a raised paw. If you are buying an antique silver item secondhand, inquire about the hallmarks available and check them through specialized websites. Depending on the country, era, master, there are hundreds of hallmarks, hallmarks, brands and their combinations.

Pure, among metals, has the highest thermal conductivity coefficient. Therefore, the higher the sample, the purer it is, the faster the product heats up. You can put two spoons into hot water - cupronickel and, presumably, silver, the second should heat up faster. A ring, earrings, chain, made of jewelry, become hot very quickly, it is even recommended to take them off before a bath or sauna so as not to get burned.

Another property of silver is its highest light reflectivity. Place the silver item under bright light and see if it reflects it better than cupronickel or metal spoon or as well as other silver jewelry of the same standard. Do not forget to remove the patina from the control silver product, if this does not contradict the artistic decision, which will certainly dull the inherent bright shine.

The following test is very popular - if you rub a silver item with a clean, soft, light cloth, dark spots will remain on it. Its effectiveness is highly questionable for a number of reasons. Firstly, contrary to popular belief, silver is not oxidized by oxygen, but actively reacts with sulfur-containing compounds, which, in varying quantities, are found in the environment and natural secretions of the human body. The amount of hydrogen sulfide and sulfur produced by the body is different for everyone, which is why there is a myth that silver “anticipates” the owner’s illness and darkens. Secondly, as a rule, silver alloys contain copper, but it just enters into an oxidation reaction with oxygen contained in the air. Accordingly, the purer the alloy, the less oxidation and, accordingly, the lower the effectiveness of the “tissue” test. And lastly, third. Manufacturers, well aware of the properties of silver and its alloys, protect products from oxidation in order to maintain their presentation by covering it with a thin layer of nickel, clear varnish, galvanic rhodium plating or a thick layer of special wax.