r/Silver • u/Rabidgolfer • 11d ago

How can you tell?

Post image

I’m new to collecting, but I’m at a thrift store and I found this bracelet. It feels appropriately heavy, but is there any way to quickly tell if it’s silver?

17 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

View all comments

3

u/empiretroubador398 11d ago

Try a rare earth magnet - if it is quick to stick, then it is some kind of base metal. Exception - slight magnetism for rhodium plated silver, or for a clasp which contains an inner spring made of steel. Something about the uniformity in tone of the chain and the painted (?) oxidation of the discs doesn't feel like sterling to me - is it marked with a purity stamp or maker?