Tips on How to Identify Silver

With diverse shapes, stylish jewelry itself is of highly adaptability, which is not the simple sterling silver jewelry, any more of our impression. Except the fact that fashion elements are added into shapes, varieties and producing techniques.In addition to sterling jewelry, there is black silver jewelry, tibetan silver and silver color jewelry. A lot of silver items take advantage of the 925 type while others are the 990 type, and what’s on earth are the sign of sterling silver jewelry? Since Tiffany launched the first set of silver jewelry whose silver content is 92.5%, this type became prevalent, thus it is the standard to identify whether it is sterling silver jewelry. After being polished, the jewelry would take on beautiful metallic luster and its hardness is improved enough to inlay stones to be made into vintage jewelry.Though the row materials of silver are cheap, but some manufacturers would still mix the silver with cadmium, iron, copper and other cheaper metals. Because that cadmium which is banned to be doped into jewelry would do harm to human body. However, some manufacturer would still do such things to reduce costs. Though silver jewelry is not that expensive, and the cheating phenomenon is not widespread, we should still learn some methods to identify silver jewelry. Customers can test by physical properties when purchasing silver jewelry. The commonly used test methods are: 1. Watching the color of the silver: with shiny and polished-like surface, the higher the purity, the more white the color. If the jewelry is leaded, it will take on gray, if contains copper, the surface of the jewelry would be coarse and the color would be with less moist feeling.2. Weighing the weight of the jewelry: the density of silver is larger than average common metal, generally speaking, aluminum is light, silver is heavy and copper is between the two. Thus weighing the weight can get the preliminary judgment. Is the jewelry is of large volume while light weight, we can initially determine it is other metal.3. Checking the hardness: the hardness of silver less than copper while larger than lead and tin, which can be distinguished with pins to test on the inconspicuous places, if the pin slip and the surface of the jewelry is hard to be scratched, it can be thought as copper; if the jewelry is of lead and pin materials, the scratches would be obvious and high lightened; if the scratches are less obvious it can be distinguished as silver jewelry.4. Listening to the rhyme: sterling silver jewelry is resounding and without elastic, the sound is like “porphyrin”. The content of silver is lower, the sound is lower while in the opposite situation the higher content of silver, the higher and sharper the sound; when it is copper, its sound is sharp and high, the rhyme is rapid and short; when it comes to lead and tin texture, the sound would be boring, short and no strench.However, it is not that ideal to identify whether it is styling silver jewelry by its physical properties and the consumer’s experience. The chemical way to identify the true or false of silver by breaking it is not available for consumers. Except gaining some basic testing techniques, attention to the relative certification, proves and should be paid into attention as well, only silver jewelry have been passed by the testing organizations can we buy them assuredly. In addition, it is necessary to see whether the fasteners can be fastened securely, whether the link is a kink or bended by putting down the silver. The price of silver jewelry is determined by the content of the precious metal; structure of design and the techniques of the craftsmanship, thus the most important principle of choosing silver jewelry is to see whether you like it or not.