A Must Read Before You Buy Any Type of Silver Jewelry

Silver is a mineral that is mined worldwide, with the biggest producers being Australia, Peru and Mexico. Silver is normally mixed with a metal such as copper before it is used, because of its soft nature. The market today is flooded with many types of jewelry made from silver. When you go to a jeweler, you will come across numerous different names used for those pieces made of silver. It is very important that you fully understand what each name means and you know how to test for real silver. Unless you have this knowledge, the chances of being duped are extremely high.

There are several types of silver jewelry on the market. The main type that is mostly used in dinnerware and jewelry is sterling silver. This type of silver is an alloy which contains pure silver (92.5%) and metal alloys (7.5%). The hallmark of this type of silver is normally ‘925’. Another type of silver is fine silver which consists of mainly of pure silver (99.9%) and is rarely used as it is too soft. Another form in which you will get silver jewelry is with silver plating. Another metal such as nickel or brass is electroplated with silver to make it resemble sterling silver. It is normally cheaper and dishonest traders will pass it as the real deal. This electroplated silver usually wears off quickly.

German silver (or Alpaca silver) is actually not silver but resembles it. It is also commonly known as new or nickel silver. It is used in the electroplating process of silver plating. Dishonest traders also sell jewelry made from it to unsuspecting clients at the same price as sterling silver jewelry. Another well known type of silver is Mexican silver. This is usually a general term describing any type of silver from Mexico. However, it must not contain less than 90% of pure silver to be referred as Mexican silver. In other words, sterling silver is the majority of silver produced in Mexico.

The last type of silver is the Britannia silver, which contains pure silver (95.85%) and copper (4.16%). It is mostly produced in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The hallmark for Britannia silver is normally ‘958’. It is purer than sterling silver so it is higher in value.

Another way of making sterling silver even more appealing is by antiquing it. This is done to give the piece of jewelry the appeal of old age which makes its intricate designs more visible.