jewellery in handmade jewellery
Real 925 sterling silver jewelry consists of 92.5 percent pure silver and the rest in some kind of alloy, typically copper. This is much different from silver plated, where a layer of silver is placed over another metal or alloy, and can be scraped off or tarnished easily. There are a few steps you can take in ensuring that your sterling silver jewelry is the real thing.
The easiest test to do is to use a magnet. Attractive, shiny metals, such as silver, gold and platinum, are non-ferrous materials, meaning that they are not magnetic. Take a piece of "silver" jewelry and place it near a magnet; if it is attracted to it, then it is not sterling silver. It is stainless steel that is highly polished to look like silver.
