It’s not without reason that they say that not everything shiny is a jewel, so you should know how to identify silver at home. Our age of technological progress, the emergence of ever new chemical developments, makes it possible to fake almost everything. Yes, this is not the most expensive of the noble representatives. However, increasing the mass of objects, it is often diluted with various impurities. Even a jewelry store is not a guarantee of the authenticity of jewelry. So, how can you recognize the real thing at home or not?
We learn to determine the authenticity of silver by its characteristic properties
First of all, when you take a silver item, carefully examine it. A ring, chain, bracelet or spoon must be stamped or hallmarked. These are three small numbers outlined by a rectangle. Unfortunately, neither the presence of such a mark nor the purchase of jewelry in a specialized store is a guarantee that the bracelet or set is genuine.
Therefore, you need to have some knowledge that will protect you from purchasing a low-quality product. Take the item in your hands. Silver is a good conductor, so it instantly warms up from the warmth of the palms. Place the item in a glass of boiling water. After a few seconds, try to carefully remove it. Be careful, it's hot. A real precious metal will reach the same temperature in an instant.
If your hands remain clean upon contact with a silver object, then it is metal High Quality. A low-quality alloy diluted with zinc will result in blackened palms. Often, under the guise of pure jewelry, dishonest sellers try to sell items made of copper or brass that have a silver-plated surface. An ordinary needle will help bring deceitful traders to clean water. Place the needle in an inconspicuous area of the jewelry. The top layer of coating will be erased, exposing the insides. If the color under spraying remains the same, then everything is fine. And if a red or yellow tint appears, you are looking at an alloy of brass or copper with a silver-plated surface.
There is a great variety interesting ways How to determine silver at home. It turns out that this noble precious metal can be distinguished by its sound. The silver ringing is fundamentally different from the dull grumbling and grumbling of the voices of its metal counterparts. It is light, drawn-out and vibrating. One thing is certain: this procedure requires an excellent ear for music.
In the past, some people could identify a silver object by its smell. Now this method is no longer relevant. In our age, there are a lot of means that allow you to fake even such a noble aroma. There is also no need to bend, say, a silver spoon. There is an opinion that she will bend. And an object made of another alloy will spring back when bent. But this technique is too extreme, so it is not advisable to take risks.
Another well-known property of silver things is their increased ability to reflect light. Place the high grade spoon in direct sunlight. It should play under the bright rays, blinding you with its light.
A simple magnet is perfect for recognizing genuine material. Pure and noble, without impurities, he will remain indifferent to him. This precious metal, like all others, is diamagnetic.
Tests for the authenticity of silver using reagents
How to determine the authenticity of silver at home using various reagents? The simplest method is to rub the item clean, soft cloth white. If a dark mark remains on the fabric, then the precious metal is real. Without a doubt. This happens because real silver is oxidized by oxygen, and the oxidized particles remain on the fabric.
Sulfur ointment will help identify a pure silver item. It is sold in all pharmacies. It is enough to spread sulfur ointment on the material being tested. Then leave for two hours. After time has passed, wipe off the ointment with a napkin. Summarize. If the item turns black, it means the precious metal is real. If it has acquired a red tint or the tone has not changed at all, then it is a fake.
There are two more ways to determine the authenticity of silver. Iodine can be used. This is the first method. Second, use ordinary chalk. Try rubbing, for example, a chain with a piece of chalk. If the chalk has acquired a grayish metallic tint, the authenticity is beyond doubt. Or drop a drop of iodine. This reagent will turn the pure material black. The stronger the blackness, the higher the noble metal content in the product. Iodine and sulfur ointment must be used carefully, because blackened jewelry is quite difficult to clean.
Here is one of grandma's recipes or folk ways, which allow you to identify the purity of an expensive item. For example, we use ordinary black bread. You need to put the item in the crumb. Wait a few days. If the product has become very black, there is Great chance happy ownership of wonderful metal.
The most accurate results for home testing are obtained using nitric acid. The test is carried out as follows: choose the most inconspicuous place, for example, on a bracelet, scratch it lightly and carefully drop one or two drops of nitric acid. The appearance of a green color means that you are looking at silver-plated brass, cupronickel, or jewelry of very low quality. Pure metal will turn black in this test.
Let us present a more complex method for quickly recognizing the quality of a piece of jewelry. For amateur chemists. It is necessary to remove the thinnest layer of coating from the jewelry. It is advisable to do this in an inconspicuous place by running one 
file once. Then draw on the stone with the cut point for testing. You will get a metal strip. The touchstone is usually black shale. Now you need to prepare assay acid from potassium dichromate with nitric acid, keeping the proportion one to one. We moisten the touchstone, or rather the strip, with the resulting mixture. Based on the resulting color, we determine the presence or absence of precious metal in the product. If the material being tested contains a third of silver, the stripe on the stone will turn red.
Most easy way How to determine whether silver is silver or not - purchase a special composition called “Silver Test”. Good, modern world– This is a world where absolutely everything is for sale. This reagent is safe to use. It will help you easily establish the authenticity of the jewelry, and will also reveal the approximate quality of the precious item.
Learning to determine the hallmark of a silver product at home
Frankly speaking, testing silver at home is quite a troublesome task. But it is quite possible. And if you decide to do without the help of specialists, then the following information is about how to determine the silver standard for you.
- To recognize what percentage of pure silver is contained in jewelry, you will need the Chrompik reagent, in other words, potassium dichromate. It has a bright orange color. Used to indicate a product sample of 500 and above. The surface must be carefully prepared. Clean the item from grease and all dirt, then wipe with a dry cloth. Sequentially drop a few drops of Chrompik onto the cleaned surface of the test material, removing them with filter paper. Take your time. An interval of two to three seconds will be sufficient. If the sample is from 500 to 750, a light brown stain will remain. Above 750, the spots will be red. And on jewelry made of precious metal, which contains a large mass of silver, the intensity of the color increases. For example, pure 916-grade test material produces a spot of the same rich, bright red color as the reagent itself.
- You can use gold chloride. This reagent is mainly used by jewelers and customs officers to determine gold. The reagent can be used to determine the presence of precious metals in alloys. Speaking about silver, it should be noted that its content in the alloy can only be measured approximately using gold chloride. The cleaned surface must be treated with a drop of reagent. Gold chloride begins to react very quickly. Note that the result is instant. All basic properties are determined by the color of the sediment. When combined with gold chloride, the pure high-grade material produces an inky droplet color. Low precious metal content also indicates dark shades, but much less intense. The resulting yellow or brown tone indicates that the alloy being tested is aluminum or copper.
- Another way to determine a silver sample is to use the silver nitrate reagent. After treating the surface, carefully apply a drop of the substance. Pay attention to the color. If your product is of high quality, from 750 to 916, a drop of the reagent will take on a light gray tint. White color with varying degrees of turbidity indicates the low quality of the precious metal.
To summarize, I would like to say about a significant drawback of all the methods described above. It is impossible to expect from them a 100% guarantee of the results obtained. A situation may arise that your favorite ring has just been slightly silvered. You can verify the quality of the entire product only by making a cut.
Silver things have been valued since time immemorial. And in our time, this noble metal remains in great demand. Despite the fact that it is counterfeited quite rarely, such troubles still happen. Therefore, it would be a good idea to learn how to check silver for authenticity in order to be sure of the quality of the chosen product.
In this article you will learn about the simplest and effective ways detecting fakes.
You can find out whether the silver in front of you is real without leaving the store using the following signs:
- Sample. All silver items must have a mark indicating the percentage of silver in them.
- Thermal conductivity. This metal has the property of literally heating up in a matter of moments and also rapidly cooling down.
- Weight. Silver itself has a high density, and therefore it should be felt in the hand.
- Appearance. The main properties of a genuine product include a silvery-white tint and excellent quality of reflecting light. But, if this material is not taken care of, it fades, acquiring a pinkish tint.
- Sound. When you tap a valuable item with a silver item (for example, a coin), you will hear a characteristic ringing sound.
Checking using available tools
It happens that a piece of jewelry made of precious metal was received as a gift or passed on to you by inheritance as a family antique, but there is no confidence in the naturalness of such a thing. In these cases, the question usually arises of how to determine the authenticity of silver at home.
The easiest option is to buy a special test at the pharmacy. But, in fact, even if you are not an experienced jeweler, then, if you know a few tricks, performing such a mini-research is not at all difficult. Listed below available methods using improvised means.
Iodine
You can test an item for authenticity with iodine. It has a strong effect on the noble metal, reacting with it and forming a salt of a certain color.
Action algorithm:
- Soak a cotton swab in the solution or drop Not a large number of substances on the test product.
- Quickly wash off the applied composition.
- Check the result. There should be a gray cloudy spot left on the original. If a white limescale deposit appears, then the item is probably fake.
An interesting fact is that the sample can be determined by the intensity of the spot. The darker it is, the higher the sample.
Important! This testing method must be used with extreme caution so as not to spoil the item, since the stain can only be removed by sanding. Therefore, you should choose an inconspicuous place for testing.
Chalk
It has the same properties as iodine, only it has a more gentle effect on the metal. Wipe the surface of the silver spoon with chalk. The product is genuine if there is a black mark on this place. There is no stain - this is a fake.
Vinegar
One more in an accessible way Determining the naturalness of a noble thing is a vinegar test.
Instructions:
- Scratch lightly sewing needle on back side subject.
- Drop a little acid onto this area and watch the reaction.
- We saw hissing greenish foam - it was not a real decoration.
- If there is no foaming, drop some saline solution onto the test area. If the metal is natural, white silver nitrate will appear.
You can also use an easier option. Place the object in the container with acid for a couple of seconds. If the item is silver, there will be no reaction. Otherwise, the product is fake.
Important! Acid is quite a corrosive substance, so be sure to wear gloves before testing.
Magnet
If you happen to have a magnet lying around your house (even a small piece will do), you can conduct an experiment to determine whether the jewelry is genuine or not.
How to determine silver at home using a magnet? Bring the product to it; if it is natural, it will not be attracted.
Important! This method does not provide a 100% guarantee, since there are many other metals that are not magnetic, such as aluminum or cupronickel. But the iron will immediately be attracted to the magnet.
Bread crumb
In the old days, our ancestors determined the naturalness of silver and gold objects very in an unusual way- crumb of rye bread.
To do this you need:
- Knead a piece of crumb in your hands.
- Stick to the product.
- Leave the precious metal in this form for 2 days.
- After the specified time has passed, remove the bread.
- Check which product is in front of you. If the metal has darkened or oxidized, then it is fake.
Needle
You can find out whether a silver item has a layer of sputtering using a needle.
Do the following:
- Using the sharp tip of the needle, lightly draw a thin line across the decoration.
- Inspect the product carefully.
- If the layer falls off easily, then the item is not real, since this cannot happen with natural metal.
Advice. Very often in the markets, items made of plating brass are passed off as real silver jewelry. Be careful when choosing a product in such a place.
Sulfuric ointment
Let's look at how to test silver at home with sulfur ointment, which is sold in almost every pharmacy.
You need:
- Apply a small amount of ointment to the area being tested. For example, on the inside of a silver ring.
- Leave the substance for some time.
- Remove composition.
- If the product is natural, the contact area should darken.
Advice. To return the original color, just boil the silver in a soda solution with pieces of foil.
lapis pencil
A reliable way to determine the authenticity of a product is to check it with a lapis pencil. It can be purchased at a pharmacy kiosk.
For this:
- Wear gloves.
- Lubricate the product with a pencil.
- A black stripe appears - this is a fake.
Warm
Silver has good thermal conductivity characteristics. To find out whether you really have a precious metal in front of you, hold it in your hands or dip the thing in boiling water for a moment.
In a couple of minutes it will reach the temperature of your body or hot water. If you place a small piece of ice on top of a silver object, it will begin to melt rapidly.
Approximately
You can simply carefully examine the required item.
- Hold the jewelry in your hands for some time - there will be no traces left of natural silver. And if there are traces on the palm, it means that the product contains impurities. Such products will quickly break and darken.
- Real silver can be wiped with ammonia and it will shine again, but this will not happen with an alloy containing zinc.
- It is very easy to distinguish real silverware from cupronickel silverware. Under top layer metal of a foreign shade will be visible. Thus, chrome has a blue tint, nickel has a yellowish tint, and silver has a white tint.
How to determine the silver sample
It doesn’t matter at all what you purchased: a cross or a jug - it must have a hallmark and a stamp on it. You can use a magnifying glass to examine the markings on a valuable item. The specified sample must be in the range of 800 to 999. The most common are products with 750, 800, 875, 916, 925, 960, 999 samples. The sale of products without a stamp and hallmark is prohibited by law in many countries.
Silver products are very popular among people, and this applies not only to jewelry, but also to silverware. In addition, this metal is also involved in industrial production and is called.
To evaluate silver, a measure such as sample is used. It shows the quantitative content of metal in 1 kilogram of alloy. For the production of jewelry and cutlery, silver with a purity of 875, 916 and 925 is used. But how to determine technical silver? Everything is simple - it has the highest 999 standard, and besides, the technical metal is very ductile, so it can be deformed.
Due to the fact that a large number of precious jewelry offered on the jewelry market are fakes, every person should know how to check silver for authenticity. Often, scammers intending to profit from the gullibility of citizens, under the guise (and at an appropriate price!) offer customers jewelry made of cheap metal, but covered with the thinnest layer of precious metal. However, knowing the properties of this metal, with the help of some tests you can easily distinguish a piece of jewelry from a fake. Moreover, many of these methods can be easily implemented at home using improvised means and substances (iodine, vinegar, etc.).
Silver or not: how to recognize?
A visual and tactile test for silver can be performed at a jewelry store before purchasing a piece, but to do this you need to know what real silver should look like. It is easy to find out the authenticity of jewelry made from this metal - just squeeze it in your hand. It is known to conduct heat, so it will take up to a minute to heat it up.
To get rid of aluminum, which is used to make counterfeits, it is enough to hold the jewelry in your hand. A precious product will be weighty, while an aluminum one will surprise you with its lightness. However, this method is more suitable for evaluating massive products.
The main sign that the jewelry is not precious, but just zinc, is the presence of a slightly dark coating on the skin of the hands after contact with such a product.
When purchasing any product made of precious metal, you should definitely pay attention to the hallmark. It itself should have clear boundaries, and the numbers should be easily visualized. The hallmark on a genuine product is located symmetrically with respect to its edges.
When answering the question of how to determine the authenticity of silver, mention should be made of household methods:
- Magnet test: Silver can be easily tested at home using a rare earth neodymium magnet. The thing is that silver is not attracted to a magnet, which can be used for. To perform the test, bring a piece of magnet close to the product. If it comes under the influence and is attracted, then you can be sure that it is a fake. Using a magnet, the authenticity of not only products, but also silver bars is tested. You should take 1 ingot, tilt it at an angle of 45 degrees and place a piece of magnet on it so that it slides down. If the magnet lingers on the ingot, there is a 100% guarantee that the sample size of the ingot is lower than stated.
- Ice test: This method is suitable for coins and bars. For the dough you only need 1 ice cube. It should be placed on the surface of the ingot and monitored as the ice melts. Since silver has excellent thermal conductivity, the process of melting ice will take a couple of seconds.
- Iodine Test: This at-home silver test must be done with caution as iodine leaves dark stains on real metal. To test the authenticity, but not spoil the product, iodine should be applied to the inside of the jewelry, and this must be done pointwise.
- Sulfur ointment test: this product is purchased at the pharmacy. A small area of the product should be rubbed with sandpaper and lubricated with sulfur ointment. The result is assessed after 15 minutes. If there is a stain left where the acid was applied, then you can be sure that the jewel is real. But metals such as nickel and stainless steel will not interact with acid, so there will be no stains on products made from such metals.
- Chalk test: how to determine silver at home? It’s quite easy - you just need to take a piece of chalk and rub the product with it. If dark stripes remain on the chalk, then such a sign will indicate the authenticity of the jewelry.
- Boiling water test: if there are doubts about the quality jewelry, you should prepare a glass of boiling water and lower the product into it for just a second. Silver jewelry will become hot in a second, which cannot be said about other metals.
- Needle test: just take a thin needle and lightly scratch the jewelry with it. There will be no trace of the needle left on real jewelry.
- Test with a lapis pencil: you can buy such a pencil at the pharmacy. This device is used for testing precious metals at home. It is enough to wet the product and make a stroke on it with such a pencil. If the trace changes color, this will be a sign of a fake.
Sulfuric ointment
Chemical method
How to test silver at home? You can buy a chemical test kit at a jewelry store. When working with reagents (acid), hands should be protected with gloves. To test a product, you should make a scratch on it, then apply acid to it. To evaluate the test result, you should read the instructions for the kit. For example, on pure silver, a scratch under the influence of acid will acquire a bright red color, but yellow, blue and brown tints of the scratch will indicate a fake.
To avoid becoming a victim of scammers and spending a colossal amount of money on a trinket positioned as a precious piece of jewelry, all such purchases should be made in specialized stores. It is desirable if these are retail outlets selling branded products.
It is easy for an uninformed buyer to sell a fake, for example, made of cupronickel or aluminum, instead of silver jewelry. In order not to fall for the bait of unscrupulous sellers, it is important to know how to verify the authenticity of a precious metal. It's easy to do. By different methods you can determine whether an item is made of noble metal or simply silver-plated. In the first case, the jewelry is made of silver, and in the second, a thin layer of it is applied to a certain alloy.
Standard Silver Tests
When going shopping, it is important to remember how to properly test your silver. The main criteria to pay attention to when choosing:
- The sample shows the percentage of silver contained. This is a required element. 999 sterling silver is very soft, so products are not produced from it. The maximum value that can be found on sale is 925. This mark means that the jewelry is made from an ingot consisting of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.
- High thermal conductivity. This property characterizes rapid heating and heat transfer. So, if objects made of silver are held in warm hands or place in a container of hot water, they heat up in a matter of seconds.
- Appearance. Noble metal has a characteristic silver-white hue. Thanks to their reflective properties, these items shine in the sun. If rings, chains, and earrings are not cleaned in a timely manner, they become dull and take on a pinkish tint.
- Weight. Noble metal has a high density. You can distinguish a fake from an original by holding the product in your hand: it should be weighty.
- Sound. If you take a silver coin and knock it on the product being tested, a characteristic ringing sound should be heard. This speaks volumes about the quality of the metal.
Ways to test silver at home
Having looked at jewelry, cutlery, vases and other items made of precious metal, it is easy to verify their authenticity. This can be done directly at the point of sale or at home. There are simple and simple ways for this. Knowing how to test silver will prevent you from bringing home a cheap trinket instead of an expensive item.
Testing with iodine helps determine the authenticity of the metal, the main thing is not to spoil the thing. To perform the test, carefully apply cotton swab iodine on the product and wait a little. Then evaluate the result: if it appears dark spot, in front of you is a precious metal, a white coating is a fake. Be prepared for the fact that traces of iodine are difficult to wash off from the surface of the jewelry. Perhaps the dark spot will remain forever.
Vinegar
Silver is a low-active metal, so it does not react with weak household chemicals. So, if you place a piece of jewelry or cutlery in a container with 9% acetic acid, then no effect will occur without heating it. If the item is made of a different alloy, a violent reaction is possible, so be careful not to spoil, for example, a family value.
Khrompik
Using potassium dichromate or Chrompik, you can determine the silver sample. This reagent has a bright orange color that changes when it interacts with metal. To determine authenticity, you need to clean the product and drop a few drops of Chrompik. After 1–2 seconds, you need to remove it with filter paper or a napkin. The quality of the sample can be judged by the resulting color. A light brown tint means a sample of up to 750, red - over 750. A bright red intense color indicates a sample of 916.
Checking at home can be done using such a means as ordinary chalk. With this method it is impossible to damage the item being tested. To do this, you need to rub the product with limestone and evaluate the result. Dark stripes that appear on a piece of limestone will indicate that you are dealing with a precious metal.
needle
You can do the test using a thin needle. To do this, you need to lightly scratch the decoration. There will be no trace of the needle left on the precious metal, and scratches will form on the product coated with a thin layer of silver, since as a result the layer of precious metal is removed. This method is inappropriate in a store, but can be easily done at home.
Sulfur ointment
With this pharmaceutical drug, like sulfur ointment, you can check silver for authenticity. For this purpose it is necessary:
- lightly rub the item with fine-grained sandpaper;
- apply the ointment to an inconspicuous area;
- wait 10–15 minutes;
- inspect the product.
The dark spot that appears is qualitative reaction. Nickel, stainless steel or other alloys do not react in any way to this drug. This method of checking must be handled with extreme caution so as not to damage the jewelry that is dear to your heart. Be prepared for the resulting stain to remain forever. This method is similar to testing with iodine.
Knowing that real silver is not magnetic, you can verify its authenticity experimentally. To do this, you need to bring the product being tested to a magnet. If there is no reaction, it means you have a genuine alloy in your hands. It is only important to consider a few points:
- If there is a heavy-duty magnet, a slight reaction may occur.
- There are also similar alloys that are also not magnetic, so this method cannot be called completely reliable.
Bleach and nitric acid
Another reagent helps determine silver at home - silver nitrate. This chemical element should be applied to a previously cleaned surface. Products high quality(750, 800, 875) give the reagent a light gray color. White color means fake or low sterling silver. Similar actions can be done by replacing the substance with regular bleach. Carry out all actions with gloves. If the selected item darkens, then it consists of a noble metal.
Video
How to test silver at home? There are quite a few ways to verify the authenticity of silver, both standardized and homemade. It doesn’t matter for what purpose it is necessary, but you can always find out whether an item is made of real silver or silver-plated. The 999 standard material itself is very soft, so the maximum standard that can be found on sale is 925. Such bars consist of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.
There is also often confusion around similar terms - silver and silvering (silver-plated material). Silver is actually a precious metal, while silver plating means that a very thin layer of it has been applied to a certain material.
If we take standard checks, then there are two of them:
- brand;
- checking magnetic qualities.
But besides them, there are still opportunities to check, and specifically at home:
- vinegar;
- iodine
How to test silver at home will be discussed further.
Check by stamp
Products that are intended for sale on international markets for precious metals must be marked, that is, have a mark that indicates the purity of the metal. If there is no stamp, this does not mean at all that this is a fake - it is quite possible that the product itself is not certified or was made in a country that does not require a stamp.
Checking for magnetic qualities
If you take a magnet that is equal in size to a silver ingot, then there should be no interaction between them due to the fact that silver is paramagnetic. Only a very strong and large magnet can force silver to interact with it, and even then such interaction will be barely noticeable. It is worth taking into account this information: in the world there are quite a lot of materials similar to silver in their properties, including magnetic ones, so it will be better if you combine a magnetic test with others. The advantage of this manipulation is that you can take a small magnet with you to a store/shop and test it on the spot.
Checking at home
How to test a silver sample at home? It can be determined by a chromium peak. You need to drop a drop of the reagent onto the silver and observe its reaction. If the silver standard is higher than 600, then it acquires a brownish-red hue, and the higher the standard, the lighter the chromium peak becomes. Around 800 proof the color will be orange. If the sample is 875 or higher, then it will already be red; having passed the 900th test, it becomes blood red. This method allows you to find out the product sample with an error of up to 20 units.
Vinegar test
How to test silver at home with vinegar? Vinegar does not react with silver, so if you are in doubt about what metal a piece of cutlery or jewelry is made of, you can dip it in the vinegar itself. True, here you need to be careful if you omit an object that is considered family value. After all, the reaction can be very violent, and the thing will literally evaporate.
Iodine test
How to test silver at home with iodine? Testing with iodine is more gentle. If you drop a drop on silver and a black speck appears, this confirms that the silver is real. Since this stain will be very difficult to remove, it is better to do the test in an inconspicuous place, so that you don’t have to bother cleaning it later. When performing such and similar checks, you must be careful due to the fact that other metals may be silvered in their own way. physical properties similar to silver.
Thermal conductivity test
How to check the authenticity of silver at home? Silver is one of the best metals in terms of conducting heat. Thanks to this property, there were once ideas to make power lines from silver, but due to possible attacks on them, they abandoned such an idea. But you can test silver for thermal conductivity. You need to take it in your hand and squeeze it well, it will instantly take the temperature human body. If a metal is immersed in water, no matter whether it is warm or cold, it will immediately take on its temperature, which can also be used to verify authenticity.
Definition by quality
How to test silver at home? There is another, so to speak, everyday way of checking. You need to take a silver item or a silver ingot and turn it in your hands, and not just once or twice, but well. If your hands remain clean, then this indicates good quality material. But if they are dirty, then the silver is diluted, most likely, with zinc. Negative property Such zinc alloys, in addition to dirty hands, are also fragile jewelry. Many may argue that real silver items can also blacken, but their blackening does not happen quickly. In addition, blackness can be removed by wiping the product with a special cream.
Features when checking the authenticity of silver
How to test silver at home? As mentioned above, the metal can be silvered, which does not allow the above methods to be called those that work 100 percent. In such cases, you can try to remove the silver with a needle. If it comes off, it means that you have a metal that has been silvered, whereas real silver has too strong a molecular bond within itself to be broken by a needle.
Use of special chemical mixtures
In jewelry stores, and sometimes in regular stores, you can find special chemical mixtures with which you can determine the authenticity of silver even at home. To do this, just follow the instructions and compare with what you get.
As you can see, there are different ways to check whether the silver in front of you is real, and it is not at all necessary to go to a jeweler for this. Eat various ways: easy, difficult, almost instantaneous, and there are also those that will take time. But after several checks, we can safely say that the authenticity or counterfeit of the metal has been established.
