~*~*~A GUIDE FOR SILVER BUYERS~*~*~

As a silver lover I would like to share some tips about buying real silver. I personally have bought many items and thanks to all the tips that i have been told, all my purchases have been a success. The purpose of this guide is to avoid spending money on cheap and trashy items. Sometimes we just look at the price and the picture and we believe the seller trusting and spending hard earned money on items that disapoint us when we get them. I as a silver buyer  make sure that all the items meet the required standards, I know that women like to look pretty and have the nicest stuff  in our jewelry boxes so here is a guide to help you a little bit to purchase quality and real jewelry.  

Pure silver is soft like lead, and as such, not suitable for charms, cups, chains or much else,because it bends, breaks and stretches too much. For this reason, manufacturing jewelers and silversmiths mix copper with it to give it some strength. A side effect of this , is the tarnishing that goes with the inclusion of copper.

Fine silver is 99.9% pure or more, but unfortunately it can be quite soft and may not be able to be used most times for the purpose of jewelry or silverware. Sterling silver is usually approximately 92.5% pure or sometimes a bit higher than this.

The remaining 5 or 7% may be copper since it is a suitable metal that would not change its color and would serve to make the metal harder to be more useful

• HOW TO TELL IF THE SILVER YOU BOUGHT IS FAKE

All genuine silver items must have a mark made by a die with a number indicating the quantity of silver used. If you can't find it then it is probably silver plated and that type of item is not identified with a stamped die. You can also tell silver from shiny steel in that silver has an overall yellowish or warmish glow where steel is cold and whitish. When polished silver and silver plate will leave black marks on the polishing cloth. Of course the best way is to consult a jeweler.

• Check for the Mark

Silver jewelry pieces, including silver chains would often be branded by a small "925" marking. This is usually place on the jewelry pieces where they are less likely seen. In the case of rings, and some bracelets, the 925 marking is usually found on the inside part of the ring or bracelet. For .925 silver chains, the marking is usually found on the clasp of the chain. These markings are extremely small and oftentimes, you may need a magnifying glass to check this out. 

• Acid Test

Since there are a lot of cheap imitations posing as sterling silver chains and other silver accessories and items, another way to test this is through a nitric acid test. You can ask your local jeweler to do the nitric test before you or you can do this at home. To do this, briskly rub a certain portion of the silver chain or silver item that you would like to test. It is a good idea to do this on a part of the silver piece that is not easily noticeable. This would allow you to break the plating on top of most silver pieces which is placed to prevent it from easily tarnishing. Apply a few drops of nitric acid onto the scratch surface and check the results. The color of the liquid would tell you what kind of silver it is. If the liquid turns into a cloudy grey color, you are guaranteed that your silver piece is made out of sterling silver. If it turns green, it means that it is only silver plated.

• Being on the Safe Side

To make sure that you are only given genuine silver chains and other sterling silver jewelry pieces, make sure that you only go to a recognized jeweler that specializes in sterling silver pieces. If you do plan on buying silver chains and other silver pieces over the Internet, it is a good idea do some research on the credibility of these online stores. Sterling silver does not come in cheap, and more often than not, the prices placed by these jewelers can be rather shocking. Nevertheless, it would make a great piece of jewelry that you can enjoy for a lifetime

SIX QUESTIONS TO DETECT SILVER COINS

• Does the silver coin look right?
• Any coin authenticator (highly experienced) will tell you that they often can’t tell you why a given specimen is fake. All they can say is that it doesn’t “look right.” Learn what the genuine silver coin looks like, and when you get that little red flag waving in your head that something looks wrong, trust your senses and don’t buy the coin!

• How much does the silver coin weigh?

Most fake silver coins are made from alloys weigh less than genuine silver. If the weight is wrong for the type, don’t buy it! Even overweight coins are problematic, because they might be silver-plated lead.

• How does the surface of the silver coin look?

Fake silver coins may or may not have a silver-plated finish on them. Although high-quality struck fakes might look pretty convincing if they’re plated, many fakers don’t even bother to plate the coin! Silver has a distinctive sheen to it that is neither too harsh nor too soft or “soapy” looking.

• How does the silver coin’s edge look?

If the coin edge should be reeded, and isn’t (or vice versa) this is a colossal red flag, since mint errors of this type are very rare. Also, if the coin has a seam around the edge, a bit of a protrusion on the edge that could be a casting sprue, or file marks indicating a sprue or seam was removed, don’t buy the coin!

• Does the silver coin pass a magnification check?

Although the methods listed above will usually enable you to rule out most fakes (especially the weight test,) sometimes close examination under a strong magnifier settles the matter. Look for silver plating that failed to fill into tiny spots and crevices. Look at the edge of the coin to see if the plating is visible where the rim meets the side; also look between the reeding. Sometimes just looking at the fields under 10x is enough to condemn the silver coin as a fake, because the fields may appear rough, or have spots of copper or other non-silver impurities.

• Does it pass the silver coin ring test?

Silver coins have a distinctive ring when held on the tip of a finger and tapped with another coin. Be careful doing this test, though; you don’t want to ding or damage the coin, or drop it onto a hard surface, so use some judgement. The ring test can be helpful when all other easy methods of checking are inconclusive.

HOW TO BUY SILVER JEWERLY GIFTS

The silver content and quality of all silver and gift items must be accurately represente. The federal Trade Comission has established a set of stamps and markings to represent the silver content and you should look for them when making a silver purchase..

Jewerly that is at least 92.5 percent pure silver can be called labeled "silver" "solid silver" "sterling silver" or sterling. If one of these terms is stamped  on the silver jewerly you are purchasing then the piece meets the U.S government standards.

Sometimes a piece will be stamped with "925" ".925" or "92.5". These are also appropiate markings and they assure that you are buying genuine sterling sillver jewelry.

Coin Silver is labeled as "coin silver" ,"coin", "900", ".900". or "90"/ signifying that the piece contains at least 90 percent pure silver.
Any item that is silver plated must be labeled as "silver plated" "silver coated" or "plated" with silver. In addition, the silver plating must be of sufficinet thickness to ensure durability. Vermeil must have a sterling silver and a platting of at least 100 millionths of an inch of karat gold. Only items meeting this definition can be labeled "vermeil".

Silver jewelry and gift items are priced based on their precious metal content, desing and craftsmanship. A price based solely on weight and metal content doesn't reflect the work that has gone into the piece. Each piece of ssilver jewelry is unique and, if cared for properly can last a lifetime.

When purchasing a piece of silver jewelry or a silver gift item look for quality construction. Inspect the piece carefully. Pay special attention to fasteners or clasps, making sure catches work easily but are secure. Pin backs and earring posts should be strong and firmly attached to the piece with no visible marks. Lay silver chain flat to make sure the links don't kink or bend. For gift items , make sure that locks, hinges, picture stands and other items are securely attached and function properly. If you are purchasing silver-plated items, inspect the piece to ensure that the plating is of the appropiate thicness and covers the entire piece.

CARING FOR YOUR SILVER

Beauty of sterling silver jewelry and gifts is part of this metal's ageless appeal. Properly caring for your silver collection is a should be stored individually, either in its own soft ppouch or in a separete compartment in a jewelry or storage box. Id you toss your jewelry into a dresser drawer and allow pieces to rub against each other, scratches will result.

Keep your silver in a cool, dry place. Sterling silver, like othe precious metals, can oxidize with time. It is a good idea to store silver in a tarnish proof cloth or in drawers lined with tarnish-resistan strips. If sterling does become tarnished, it is easily restore to its original gleam by using a paste, liquid polish, or a treated polishing cloth intended for use on silver. Or you may wash the jewelry or silver object with warm water, rubing a little soap or tooth paste, rinsing and the patting dry with a fine soft cloth. Avoid using tissue paper or paper towels as they can scratch the silver.

Remember: Silver can be really cheap in countries like Mexico and Italy among others, but the fact is that once the item is imported duties and taxes have to be paid and the price raises quite a bit. If you are buying silver, at leat real silver don't expect it to be extremely cheap, good things cost money, you can save but follow the guide and find the right seller.

I hope this guide helps!