These days, many Americans know that big banks and traditional retirement vehicles aren’t the most surefire ways to make sure your retirement funds stay safe.
In truth, “normal” retirement accounts are falling out of favor with many who save smartly and carefully. Instead, savvy Americans want to purchase real assets to guarantee enjoyment of their golden years..
Real silver is one of the best safe havens for cash, especially regarding long-term savings. But there’s silver, and then there’s sterling silver. Knowing whether silver is pure is essential for retirement plans and other purposes.
Today, let’s break down 10 easy tests you can use to tell whether silver in your possession is pure or not.
“Real” or Pure Silver vs. Sterling Silver
Pure silver is one of the most valuable rare metals behind gold and other rare metals like platinum. Since the dawn of human history, people have used silver for jewelry, dishes, decorations, and coins.
Unfortunately, pure silver isn’t very durable. Like pure gold, pure silver is relatively soft and tarnishes when exposed to the open air. Because of this, jewelers quickly discovered how to make silver alloys by mixing silver with other metals.
The most common silver alloy is sterling silver: a mixture of silver, copper, and zinc. Most sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver. The remaining 7.5% is made up of alloy metals. Sterling silver is a popular jewelry material since it retains pure silver’s shine and sleek look but is much more durable and resistant to tarnishing.
Is Sterling Silver Still Valuable?
It is! Sterling silver is often very valuable, especially when used to make high-quality, beautiful jewelry or other decorative pieces.
That said, sterling silver isn’t as valuable as pure silver for savings purposes. If you plan to open a precious metals individual retirement account, you’ll want to stock that retirement account with pure gold, pure silver, and other precious metals.
Still, if you test a piece of jewelry and see it is sterling silver, don’t immediately throw it away. Most silver jewelry is made with sterling silver, and for good reason.
Why Is It Important To Know If Silver Is Real?
There are two times when you may need to tell whether a silver piece in your possession is real:
- When you need to know whether a silver bar is pure or authentic so you can appraise it for money-saving purposes (e.g., you want to put silver in an IRA or other account for retirement)
- When you need to know whether a piece of silver jewelry or a silver dish is likely to tarnish or be fragile
In the first case, purchasing silver assets for retirement or other savings is a popular strategy among many financially wise people.
Spending your money on stocks, bonds, and other financial assets can work sometimes, but it’s not nearly as secure and trustworthy as precious metals like gold and silver, whether in bars or coins.
If economic forecasters predict a bumpy road, putting retirement funds into safe havens like precious metal or gold individual retirement accounts might be wise.
When push comes to shove, people trust real assets they can hold in their hands rather than invisible accounts controlled by distant managers and bankers.
In the second case, imagine you have a silver piece of jewelry and want to know whether it’s worth selling or gifting to someone else. Sterling silver looks just the same as real silver to the naked eye.
Therefore, you need to understand how to tell if silver is real to accurately know the value of your silver piece.
10 Ways To Tell If Silver Is Real
Whether you need to know whether your silver is worth a fair amount of cash or appropriate for jewelry, you can tell if silver is real with 10 easy tests. Let’s take a closer look.
The Magnifying Glass Test
The first and easiest is the magnifying glass test. Although you technically don’t need a magnifying glass, it’ll help you look closely at your silver bar or other piece.
In any case, look for a stamp, marking, or some other engraving on the surface of your silver piece. If an item is pure silver, it will have an engraving or authentication stamp from the place where it was made.
In addition, you might find a stamp with a number like 925, 900, or 800. Each number tells you the percentage of pure silver content the piece has.
For example, say you have a silver bar with a 925 stamp on the surface. That means the piece is 92.5% silver: the purest type of sterling silver possible. An 800 stamp, meanwhile, would mean that the piece was made of 80% silver (this is sometimes called coin silver).
Lastly, check for the below stamps:
- STER means the silver is sterling, usually with a silver content of 92.5%.
- IS stands for international silver. That means the piece is made with real or pure silver. But if the “IS” doesn’t have a number stamp, it also might mean the pure silver percentage is relatively low or just plated with silver.
As you can see, this visual test can tell you some information, but it’s not the most surefire way to tell if silver is real. To do that, you’ll need to run some additional tests.
The Magnet Test
Go to your refrigerator, garage, or anywhere else you might have a magnet. Then, simply take the magnet and put it close to the silver. If it sticks, the silver is not pure.
That’s because silver is “paramagnetic.” It only exerts a feeble magnetic effect compared to other metals. So, if your magnet firmly sticks to the silver surface, the piece has a ferromagnetic core.
It could be a cheaper metal like copper or zinc. In any case, the piece isn’t pure silver. It’s more likely to be sterling silver or some kind of silver alloy.
However, some metals might stick to a magnet that can look like silver. For the best results, try to use your magnet on several silver pieces just to be safe.
To see if the magnet is attached to the silver piece enough, turn the piece down at a 45° angle and see if the magnet slides down the surface. Fake silver will cause the magnet not to move at all.
Note that your magnet needs to be very strong and made of a rare-earth material like neodymium. Otherwise, the test might be inconclusive, and you’ll have to try some of the other tests below.
The Sound Test
You can also use your ears to tell if silver is real. Silver makes a bell-like ringing sound when tapped, particularly if you tap it with some other metal.
Therefore, tap your silver bar or coin with a fork or metal. Alternatively, drop it on a tabletop. Listen for a high-pitched ringing sound. If the silver piece sounds like it rings, it’s made of pure silver, in all likelihood. But if it makes a dull sound, it’s probably an alloy or sterling silver.
Fun fact — older United States quarters made before 1965 also work with this test since they were made of 90% silver. Quarters made after 1965 were instead made with copper-nickel alloys.
The Ice Cube Test
To tell if silver is real, take some ice from your freezer. Then simply put a piece of ice on your silver bar, coin, or jewelry. If the ice melts quickly, the silver is real — in fact, it might melt as quickly as if you were to place it on a hot surface.
Silver has high heat conductivity (the highest conductivity out of any common metal or alloy). Any residual heat from the surface the silver sits on will be transferred to the ice cube almost immediately. The ice won’t melt quickly if the silver piece is an alloy or sterling silver.
The Bleach Test
Household bleach might help you tell if silver is real. Put a drop of bleach on the silver item you want to test. Because silver tarnishes when exposed to an oxidizing agent like bleach, it should have an immediate effect.
If the silver is pure, it will tarnish quickly, turning black or dark gray. If the silver piece doesn’t tarnish, it’s probably not even sterling silver. Don’t worry about the mark your bleach makes — you can easily clean any tarnished silver using a combination of baking soda and toothpaste or specialized silver polish.
The Acid Test
The acid test is a valuable chemical test that will tell you whether a piece is made of pure silver if it doesn’t have a stamp on the surface. Purchase a dedicated silver acid testing kit (available online and from jewelry stores).
Then, put on some thick gloves like you would use when working on a car or doing deep cleaning in your house.
Make a small scratch on the silver with a metal file or knife. Alternatively, use a black stone plate to avoid scratching your silver piece — that should come with your silver testing kit.
Next, drop a little bit of acid only on the scratched surface. Follow the instructions of your silver testing kit. The acid will change colors depending on the purity of the silver, usually with the following scale:
- Fine silver is bright red
- 925 silver is darker red
- 800 silver is brown
- 500 silver is green
- Lead or tin is yellow
- Brass is dark brown
- Nickel is blue
The Bend Test
What if you have a silver piece like a necklace, bracelet, or plate? In that case, you can use your hands to test the silver content.
Try to flex or bend the item with your fingers. If you can do this, it’s made from pure silver or very high-purity sterling silver. Remember, silver is very soft, so pure silver isn’t often used for jewelry. If the silver piece doesn’t bend, it’s a more durable alloy with copper and nickel mixed in.
The Sniff Test
Use your nose to put silver to the test. Silver doesn’t smell like anything, so wash it and dry it if it has been sitting in an area with mold or dust. After letting the silver piece dry, hold it up to your nose and see if you detect any fragrance.
If the piece has a strong smell, it’s likely not silver or high-quality sterling silver. You might instead smell copper (one of the most common alloys in sterling silver and silver alloys).
If you smell nothing, it’s more likely to be a pure silver piece or at least very high-purity sterling silver.
The Rub Test
As we mentioned earlier, silver oxidizes when exposed to air, which causes the silver surface to take on a black shade over time. Therefore, if you have dirty silver pieces, take a cloth and rub the silver to see if any tarnish shade comes off. If it does, you can bet it’s high-purity or sterling silver.
Send Your Silver to an Expert or Lab
Don’t hesitate to send your silver piece to a professional expert or laboratory when all else fails. For example, you can take your silver pieces to a jeweler or professional appraiser.
Professional appraisers are certified by the American Society of Appraisers, so they can accurately assess the value and quality of any items you provide.
Professional jewelers might conduct nitric acid tests, and dedicated silver testing labs will conduct many other complex tests to determine your silver pieces’ true worth and purity. This could be an excellent way to tell the exact purity of a silver bar or other rare piece if the above tests are inconclusive.
The Bottom Line
Now you know many different ways to tell if silver is real. Whether you have a few silver bars, silver jewelry, or other silver goods, you can tell with certainty whether you have pure silver on your hands or if your silver is sterling instead.
You can still build up your pure silver collection with American Hartford Gold if it’s the latter. AHG is in the business of providing people just like you with real assets for their funds.
Silver, gold, and even dedicated gold IRAs are just a few ways we can help you put your money into a safe haven protected against government meddling and economic upheaval.
Want to learn more? Check out our silver selection today, or contact us for additional information.
Sources:
Silver | University of California, Berkeley
What is sterling silver? | USGS
