Real sterling silver contains 92.5% pure silver which is not magnetic. Make sure to note the current spot price of gold and silver beforehand, and compare the buyback prices of some other dealers first (and then subtract your shipping costs). Gone are the days of the man on the street corner selling watches from inside his coat, a glittering neck chain with a promise of 24ct gold, “genuine mate, you wont find it cheaper”, I’ve seen my fair share believe me. If no mark is visible on the clasp, examine the chain carefully. Fortunately, silver is quite a unique element and most fake silver consists of cheap metals that have very little in common with the real deal, making them easy to spot. 3 Tests to Tell if your Silver is Real or Fake. Sterling Silver, on the other hand, consists of 92.5% silver, and the remaining part consists of copper – mostly copper. Yes, there is. The plating will be a metal called "rhodium" which is very bright or another metal recently used on silver that looks more the color of silver. Look for the numbers 925 or a specific hallmark or maker's mark. How to Spot Fake Sterling Silver Jewelry. How to Avoid Fake Silver. A graduated continuous bead chain provides a … If your fake silver jewelry has picked up some dull tarnish, you can bring back its shine with basic household products. You should always buy from a reputable dealer and a certified refiner. I’m no expert but just comparing the two bracelets has shown a couple of points on how to spot a counterfeit Tiffany & Co product. Step 1 Stick the magnet on the piece you are testing. It has 99.9% of silver, and a small content composed of other metals such as copper. Bleach however may damage your item and devalue it greatly. "Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any common metal or alloy," explains Martin. So Why is Some Sterling Silver Jewelry Magnetic? Plated Flatware . David Yurman jewelry has reached fashion icon status, and these cable twisted classics are so popular that they're impervious to trends. If it’s real gold it will not stick to the magnet. What to do: Hold the magnet up to the gold. How to Test Your Jewelry Inspect for Markings. If you are looking to tell a real Tiffany necklace from a faux one, use these clues to determine the authentic silver jewelry from the widely available, but inferior in quality, fake Tiffany trinkets. This is done to increase the life of the object and improve its aesthetic beauty. Fake silver flaking, source: metal Detecting Forum. Differences between real and fake bag are very small, so you have to be really careful with all the details. It's a simple, neat little trick that can tell you if you are dealing with sterling silver or a clever fake. This is important because many metals from silver-plated to sterling silver or palladium look the same to an untrained eye. Metallographic Analysis: This technique has wide usage and can be found in literature [3] where it has been used for detection of fake gold and silver coins. Otherwise, it is fake. Sterling silver, while still strong, remains a softer alloy, and can absorb impacts more readily than other types of jewelry. Decision Time Lastly, if you follow all these tips and feel confident that you are purchasing from a reputable seller with a return and/or exchange policy, then go ahead and make your purchase. How to spot fake CHANEL jewelry. These tips will help you spot costume or fake jewelry from the real thing. 12 top tips on how to spot a fake jewellery item. Other than that, the only real way to tell if something is sterling silver is to test it. Step 2 Pick a spot on the piece that you don't mind damaging a little. Real silver is not as expensive as gold, but there is a very large market for the sale of sterling silver. The silver from the foil or aluminum plate should re-plate the worn spots on your fake silver jewelry. Use the silver Acid Test to see the amount of silver content in the item. If no mark is visible, the chain is probably not the real thing. How can you tell just by looking at the item before purchasing it? In these instances, it would be harder to identify authenticity using the link chain itself. Chain Necklaces. If you’re in the market for a piece from Tiffany & Co.‘s wildly popular “Please Return to Tiffany & Co.” collection, here’s an insider’s tip: Tiffany & … 6 | Chain Strap. Following are some quick tips and tricks to telling the real stuff from fake.. 1) Gold Price: Price is always a great indicator.If someone is trying to sell you a gold chain, and it’s really, really cheap; it’s not real.Gold is expensive and holds its weight in, well, gold.. Just be patient. Determining whether a given piece of jewelry is authentic CHANEL is always easier when you have the piece in hand. You may see a name or an icon like a crown. The bleach test is recommended by some as a way to spot fake silver coins. The bead chain features a simple string of silver balls placed closely together. The results can similarly be applied for the detection of fake gold in jewelry production. If you’re not sure how to spot fake gold, check the piece for a stamp, which will typically be on the clasp, or inside the band if it’s a ring. Sterling silver is a popular metal used to make jewelry and other decorative items. You can see font differences alone on both the obverse and reverse should be enough to spot the fake. I read an article regarding a fake stamper of the 925 being stamped onto pieces of fake silver looking pieces in order to sell them at a higher rate….a friend of mine went through this…so given that there is a fake stamp out there. By using the visual test, you can identify several red flags to weed out the counterfeit eagles. However, the chain can be sterling and still have the plate on the outside to prevent tarnish. Simply apply bleach to a silver product. I think that’s everything I know on the subject. With Yurman's massive popularity, it makes sense that there are counterfeits out there. If it tarnishes quickly, then it is real silver. First, you’ll want to see if there are any markings on the jewelry. If that doesn’t work, you might be able to break the tarnish down with a mild acid, like lemon juice or even ketchup. If it holds firmly, the metal is possibly stainless steel. In our case, the chain strap on the authentic bag was much heavier than is fake counterpart. How to Spot a Fake. Mine has 90-100% as dark red, 80-90% as light red or brown and 65-75% as light green. If the piece is real gold, the stamp should bear a manufacturer’s mark and a karat marking, such as 14K or 24K. One small droplet of bleach will tell you immediately if you have a real or fake product. 7) When the tarnish is nearly all gone, remove the jewelry from the mixture. A huge telling sign for us with regards to the chain strap was the stitching on the leather intertwined between the chain. Therefore, we don’t recommend selling to a pawn shop. A piece of metal can be silver-plated to get the feeling of sterling silver. Silver tarnishes extremely quickly when exposed to an oxidizing agent such as bleach. You never really know for sure if it is real gold or not. But if you need to go this route, knowing how to sell gold and silver in a pawn shop will help you get the best price. Look at the chain, beginning at the clasp, with the magnifying glass. Common stand-ins for sterling silverware are typically composed of stainless-steel, over which a thin layer of silver (or chrome or nickel) has been applied (plated) to give the impression of genuine sterling silver, but with higher resistance to corrosion, rust, and tarnish. Therefore, if the links do not look like one solid, continuous piece, the alleged Tiffany & Co. chain is definitely fake. If you are not sure whether an object or piece of metal is stainless steel, there is a way to tell. Silver acid: silver acid is a reddish color that changes based upon the purity of the silver. In today’s post I wanted to give you advise how to spot a fake Michael Kors Hamilton bag. If the piece you’re looking at is a bit aged, you may see indentations or scratches – this is normal. A supplier may tell you that metal is one of the materials in the piece of jewelry to make it more sturdy or to give more support to chains, but this simply is not true. On the other hand, the poor quality of a fake piece stands out more easily on the Clasp & Logo. What you need: a magnet and the piece of jewelry in question. To tell if the chain strap is authentic, a lot of it has to to with the weight. If you have been purchasing 925 sterling silver accessories or still planning to buy, you need to have some basic knowledge on determining if what you’re buying is legit or not. Metallographic analysis applies the principles of metallography in the identification of fake gold. If a rope chain that would normally cost you $1,500 is selling for $49…It’s fake! Counterfeiters are becoming increasingly skilled at getting all details almost exactly right, making it ever so more difficult to tell their copycat products apart from the real deal. Fake gold may bear a karat mark, but will not have a manufacturer’s mark. Tell them of your concerns about fake jewelry being sold on eBay and ask about their guarantees. Similar to the thicker Link Bracelets, Tiffany & Co. chain necklaces are targeted by counterfeiters as well. The fake bracelet I bought didn’t have a marking on the back but did say 925 on the front. There are many ways to check for silver plating. If not, it is another metal such as aluminum. When buying, you should take care to check if the piece of metal is sterling silver or silver-plated. The problems with fake 925 silver have increased significantly in recent years. Your test will tell you what colors to look for. Try wiping down your jewelry with warm water and gentle soap or baby shampoo. Sterling silver is particularly popular among younger consumers. Bead chains vary in size from 2mm to 10mm. Below we have a real vs. fake American silver eagle. Well, pure silver is not really made up of only silver. This may take a few seconds to up to two minutes. Chain necklaces can be long or short in length and often include decorative pendants. Since sterling silver is 92.5% silver, it turns a dark red with my kit. If it melts fast(er), it probably is silver." Silver will not exhibit these signs. Having the same minted year will help with minor differences that may occur between each strike. "Even at room temperature, authentic silver products will melt the ice at an exceedingly rapid rate. Learn how to tell if your sterling silver is real or fake with the help of the guide below. In this step, the salt, baking soda, and water mixture should oxidize the tarnish off the jewelry. Silver is an attractive and sophisticated metal that compliments all kinds of skin tones. The number 925 can easily be stamped onto any metal. If green, it is probably fake or silver-plated. You can buy an acid kit on Amazon for cheap. 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