I was out the other day and came across a Charity selling hand made jewellery made by the charity recievers themselves in order to help support the charity that was supporting them. Great idea, I thought, these people are learning a skill and how to run a business and gaining new respect and confidence for themselves as they are shown how to pull themselves out of poverty. “Teach a man to fish” is one of my favourite quotes.

Of course I immediately decided to support them, and checked through the jewellery to search for some pieces to give to my grandchildren. When I asked if any of the pieces were made out of silver, I was assured that the cute silver bangles made for children were definitely silver and would not ‘go green’ on the skin. I must admit I doubted such cheap pieces were quality silver but bought them anyway and I subsequently gave them to my grandaughters and enjoyed the sparkle in their eyes as much as the sparkle on their arms. However by the end of the day, both of the girls had ‘green’ arms.

Now this was a charity and it was not at all important that this happened, but it got me to thinking that many people would, like me take the word of the seller and find out later that this item was not silver at all, or certainly didn’t contain enough silver to be called silver. This is ok when you purchase from a charity, I would have given them the money anyway, but what if you have paid a good price for something you thought or were told was quality silver?

What do you look for when buying silver?

How can you tell sterling silver from good quality silver or poor quality silver?

If you are looking to be sure you are purchasing a Sterling Silver item these are the signs to look for:

1. Check the clasp (if there is one) usually found on the clasp is a tiny stamp (you may need a magnifying glass) with the intials “S.S.” or numbers “.925” which indicates that this piece is sterling silver or pure silver. If the stamp says .999 this is called Fine Silver as it is 99% pure which will also mean it is softer, or .900 means it is coin quality silver, this is not sterling, still of good quality and harder. Be careful of unscrupulous sellers who put a sterling clasp on a low quality item, this is where you check for colour compatibility between the clasp and the item itself.
2. If the item has a stamp that contains the numbers .750 or .825 this is still good quality silver, it is not however sterling, it is what tableware or silver cutlery is made from and you should not be paying top price for the item. Other possible markings are “German Silver,” Indian Silver,” “Omtana silver,” Mexican Silver,” “Taxco Silver,” this does not necessarily mean it is good quality silver however a little research on the area’s the item comes from will give you some idea. Most Mexican or Taxco silver is from one of the largest silver mining areas of the world and therefore will often be of high quality silver as it is so available there.
3. Other names to watch out for are “Alpaca or Alpacca” this is usually “nickel silver” and often contains no silver at all, but rather is a mixture of nickel, copper and zinc, other countries in Asia also have many grades of silver and therefore you will need to test your silver before purchasing.
4. If you are buying a pendant or a ring or other item of silver that does not have a clasp it should still be marked or stamped in the same way somewhere on the item in an unobstrusive place. If you see the letters S.P. this is a sign of silver plate and this is not sterling silver but rather has a silver coating which has been electro plated on. Electro plating has been done since very ancient times and pieces of electroplated silver have even been found in the pyramids.
5. If you cannot find a mark or a stamp on the piece and you are looking for sterling silver, it does not means it is not silver, many countries do not require that precious metal items are stamped. However there is a way to test it if you really want it and think it is worth the time and trouble to do it. Silver can be tested with nitric acid, I would advise taking it to a jeweller or a pawn shop for this to be done, as it involvea using an acid which can burn the skin. To apply you make a tiny scratch on the item in an inconspicuous place and apply a drop of nitric acid to the spot. If the spot turns a creamy colour it is high quality silver, usually sterling. If it turns black it is coin quality silver and if it turns green it has high amounts of copper and therefore is poor quality silver and a gold colour means a lot of brass it means this is a silver plated item.
6. A simpler way to test is to just use a magnet, silver itself is not magnetic at all so the higher the content of other metals the more likely it is to be poor quality. However many other metals are not magenetic either and this is not a test for purity on its own.

At times you will find a peice that is not sterling silver but is still of high quality that commands a good price, this will be only because the silversmith who designed that piece is a true artisan and his designs are known and collected for their uniqueness as pieces of wearable art. If you are being sold a piece with this advertisement be sure the seller can back up their claims by showing you the prizes or acclaim that the designer has won and a certificate of authenticity that the piece has indeed been designed by that person.