1. Look at the color of the jewelry

Because the higher the purity of the silver, the whiter the silver, and the surface of the jewelry will be evenly shiny and polished. If it contains lead, the jewelry will be blue-grey; if it contains copper, the surface of the jewelry will appear rough and the color will not be moist.

2. Weigh the weight

The weight of silver is relatively large among metals. The density of silver is slightly larger than that of common metals, 10.53 grams/cubic centimeter, so it weighs a lot in the hand. It has a heavy feeling, so we can distinguish it by weighing it.

3. Use a fine needle to scratch an inconspicuous part of the silver jewelry.

If it cannot be scratched and no traces are left, it is probably copper; if it is scratched easily, it will leave traces. If it is very deep, it is likely to be made of lead or tin. In the same way, we can also use the hardness of silver to detect it by bending it.

4. Look at the mark

Silver jewelry should generally be marked with the English abbreviation of silver ("S" or "Sterling"). The mark of standard silver is S925, or 9.25 or 925. The mark of Pure Silver is S990. But there are also many countries that do not print marks on silver jewelry. Or the 9.25 or 925 mark. There are also stamps of Thousand Pure Silver or S999.

5. Use chemical methods

Use a glass rod to drop nitric acid on the silver jewelry file. The high color will be brown beige, faint green or slightly green; the low color will be dark. Green, even black.

Extended information:

Silver modification to restore its original luster:

(1) Polishing method: For plain silver scratches with a flat and smooth surface, Such as flowerless bracelets and necklaces, etc., this method is better. When polishing, you can use a silk cloth or toothbrush dipped in a small amount of toothpaste to repeatedly rub the area that needs to be polished until the jewelry surface is as smooth as new. After polishing, wash it with clean water. However, this method is not very effective for general carved or engraved silver jewelry.

(2) Put some broken aluminum pieces under the silver jewelry, and then heat them together in the soda solution to remove the black color. Because soda is very alkaline and it is heated, this method cannot be used for silver jewelry that is generally inlaid with jewelry.

(3) After cleaning with 1 hot fertilizer solution, infiltrate the silver jewelry with sodium thiosulfate solution (that is, photographic fixative, also called sea wave), and then use a toothbrush or fiber Wipe with cloth.

(4) If the black color on the jewelry is relatively thick, you can also use concentrated hydrochloric acid to wash it. After washing, it should be rinsed with clean water immediately. Jewelry inlaid with pearls, malachite, turquoise, etc. must not be used. Wash with hydrochloric acid, otherwise the jewelry will be damaged

Baidu Encyclopedia-Silver Jewelry