When choosing jewelry in a jewelry store, the eye will certainly fall on silver. This metal is no worse than gold or platinum, and many girls like it much more, but its price is much more forgiving. But it is this precious metal that is counterfeited very often, and in order not to fall for the bait of scammers, one must be able to distinguish the original from the fake.
About silver
Silver has long been valued for its beauty and physical qualities. In nature, it is found in the form of nuggets, sometimes reaching enormous sizes, the largest nugget found during melting yielded 20 tons of pure silver. Unfortunately, most of the silver that can be found is found in combination with other substances, which greatly complicates the smelting of pure metal from nuggets. If we talk about the physical properties of silver, then special attention is paid to its plasticity, from 1 g of silver a very thin wire 2 km long is obtained, as well as due to which this metal is consideredprecious and used by jewelers - its ability not to oxidize under the influence of oxygen.
About cupronickel
Melchior is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. Outwardly, this metal is very similar to silver, which is what many people use by selling fake cupronickel under the guise of this precious metal. Often cupronickel is used to make dishes, less often jewelry. But in this case, how to distinguish cupronickel from silver? Reviews of buyers and specialists say that the first and main rule is to think about exactly where to buy it. This is where the whole process should start. You will not need to learn how to distinguish silver from cupronickel if the product was purchased at a large jewelry store. He will not allow himself to ruin his reputation by selling fakes. Another thing is pawnshops and those who want to sell jewelry "from hand", such ones are likely to sell a fake.
How to distinguish silver from other metal
Most often, a fake can be found on vacation, for example, in Egypt or Thailand. In such places, decorations are often bought in the markets. Of course, it is worth trying out the local flavor, but it can be too expensive if you are gullible. The easiest way to determine if silver is real is to heat the item, such as rubbing it against your hand, silver has a high thermal conductivity and heats up much faster than any other metal. There are other ways to distinguish silver from other metals and cupronickel, using a magnet, a needle or chalk.
Tactile way
There are several tactile ways to distinguish silver from cupronickel and other fakes. One of them was described above, namely, to heat the product. But, besides the temperature, after heating the object with the help of friction with the hand, it is worth paying attention to the skin. If there are no spots left on it, most likely it is high-quality silver, but dark marks remaining on the skin indicate that the product contains too much zinc, which is harmful to the body, and you cannot wear such jewelry or use such dishes.
Also, the authenticity of silver can be determined by the weight of the product: silver is much heavier than other metals. This task is best done by a professional, but the average person can also determine the authenticity by simply comparing the weight of the product with a similar silver one.
Sample
Also, one of the easiest ways to verify the authenticity of metal, which can be used right in the store, is to check the sample. For a fake, if it is, it is erased or fuzzy. As a difference between silver and cupronickel, the “MNTs” icon can also act, which stands for magnesium, nickel, zinc - the composition of cupronickel alloy. For goods of different production, the marking may differ, however, not a single manufacturing country has a sample with just the inscription “925”, there are always other signs - images or inscriptions, it is for fakes that the sample is most often found only in the form of a number. This will help those who are wondering how to distinguish cupronickel from silver, and improvised means,for example, there was no chalk with me.
Magnet
A less reliable, but still valid method to distinguish silver from other metals is a magnet. Very often, I insert silver parts into products made from ordinary, non-precious metals. For example, it can be chain links with a sample. In this case, a magnet can help, silver is never attracted to it. But this method is not reliable, since not only silver does not attract a magnet, but cupronickel and non-ferrous metals also do not react to a magnet.
Needle
Also a common way to counterfeit silver jewelry or tableware is to coat copper or other metal with a thin layer of silver. In this case, a regular needle can help to distinguish a fake. It is enough to scratch the product with it, and if dark metal appears inside, then this is definitely a fake. However, this method is not suitable for those who are afraid to spoil the appearance of the item.
Sulfur ointment and lapis pencil
Sulfur ointment, which can be bought at any pharmacy, will also help distinguish silver: when rubbed with this substance, a silver item will appear on it within an hour of a black mark. The only negative is that you have to scrub the silver from the black. There is also a way to identify cupronickel alloy, for this you need to draw a lapis pencil over the metal - it will leave a dark mark on the product.
Iodine
You can check the authenticity with another tool available at any pharmacy, namely iodine. Cupronickel and other metalsdo not change their appearance under the influence of iodine, low-quality silver, with a large percentage of zinc impurities, will change its color to blue, but real silver, if you drop iodine on it, it will turn black. But this method is also undesirable for those who do not know how to clean silver. But do not despair, there are enough tips on the Web on how to do this. The safest of these is to use a special cleaning pad or silver cleaning solution.
Chalk
Another way that you can use in a jewelry store before purchasing a product is to rub it with ordinary chalk. From contact with silver, the chalk is covered with a black coating. Unfortunately, this method will not help if the fake is covered with a layer of silver.
And one more rule that you should take note of when coming to a jewelry store, or even more so when buying handmade jewelry: before buying a product, you should find out the silver rate. Information like this can be very useful if you know how to use it.
It is important to remember that the price of a piece of jewelry or any other item made of silver cannot be less than or equal to the value of silver of the corresponding weight. The price quoted by the seller also includes labor. If the seller offers a heavy ring or pendant for nothing, it is one hundred percent fake. Accuracy and care when choosing purchases will help to avoid unnecessary expenses.
