We live in the age of counterfeiting. Anything that can be sold is counterfeited. Including silver. Have you decided to buy a piece of silver or have you already purchased it, but you doubt its authenticity? A few simple steps will dispel your doubts.
Instructions
Step 1
First, if you purchase silver through a centralized trading network, then silver items must be branded. First of all, look at the sample that the manufacturer put on his product. The sample is represented by 3 small numbers in a rectangle, printed on silver. If you can't tell the numbers by eye, take a magnifying glass. For silver in Russia, the following tests are established: 750, 800, 875, 916, 925, 960, 999. The higher the standard, the more silver is in the product. 750 assay means that there is 75% silver in the item, the rest is made up of impurities. 999 standard - pure silver.
Step 2
If you become the owner of a supposedly silver item without a factory hallmark, then you can determine the authenticity of silver at home. Take a magnet and bring it to the item - silver has no magnetic properties.
Step 3
Buy sulfuric ointment from the pharmacy and apply it to the product. Wait an hour and a half. If the product turns black, then you are dealing with silver.
Step 4
Try rubbing your piece with a piece of chalk. If the chalk turns black, it is a sign of silver.
Step 5
Apply a drop of iodine to the product. The silver will turn black. And the higher the sample, the stronger and faster the blackness is formed. However, it will take time to clean the product after such a test.
Step 6
A radical way to determine silver. Remove the thinnest layer of metal from the product. To do this, take a file and slide it once over the product in an inconspicuous place. Then take a piece of porcelain and run it over the area. A metal strip will remain on the porcelain. Next, take one part nitric acid and one part potassium dichromate. Connect these parts in a glass container. Apply the reagent to the metal strip on the porcelain. If the item contains at least 30% silver, the wetted spot will turn red.
Step 7
Rub the product between your palms. Pure silver will not leave you any trace. If dark spots remain, chances are the silver has been diluted with zinc. In addition, silver is quite thermally conductive and will quickly acquire the temperature of your body if you hold it in your hand.
Step 8
Sometimes copper or brass silver items are sold under the guise of silver. To determine this, take an ordinary needle and scrape the product with it several times in an inconspicuous place. If you see that the scratches have acquired a golden hue, the conclusion is obvious.
