Silver is one of the most commonly used precious metals. It ranks second only to gold, and many people prefer buying silver jewelry, especially those who don’t feel it to be economically viable to spend so much on gold. Whereas the prices of gold tend to fluctuate drastically, silver is much more consistent, and is also available in ready supply. If you are interested in buying silver wholesale, there are a number of local companies that also offer wholesale silver of varying grades. However, if you are interested in buying silver in large quantities, you need to know how to test it for authenticity. Here are four ways to test silver for authenticity.

  1. It Turns Your Skin Green

One of the simplest ways to test for authentic silver is to check whether it leaves any kind of stain on your skin. For instance, if you ever bought a piece of inexpensive jewelry, you will probably know the kind of stain that it leaves: a green or a slightly black stain appears on the skin where the piece of jewelry came into contact with. That’s because copper oxidizes and mixes with the sweat, creating the hue. Simply put, if this happens, you should know that the silver is not pure. Genuine silver doesn’t leave behind any kind of stain. If you are interested in buying 925 sterling silver wholesale, there are other tests that can be carried out too.

  1. Look for the Marks

Most of the silver that is available nowadays is marked 925. Simply put, this means that the silver is 92.5% pure. Even then, this is quite high. If you are buying the jewelry from a reputable store, you might want to take a close look at the piece of jewelry itself. You might be able to see some sort of stamp or a mark on it. However, if you see a mark that says IS or “international silver,” this just means that jewelry is silver plated, and will wear off after a while.

  1. Magnets

Magnets can also play an important role in identifying whether the silver you are buying is pure or not. Silver does not respond to magnets, and you won’t notice any kind of a pull when you bring a strong magnet close to it. However, it’s important that you have magnets made from neodymium to use this test. Thankfully, neodymium magnets are available at almost any hardware store, making it easy for you to try it out on your own. If there’s a pull, it’s not pure silver.

  1. Tarnish

You might want to look for tarnish on the piece of jewelry as well. Tarnish, commonly known to many as patina, simply indicates that the piece of jewelry you are holding is made from genuine silver. Handcrafted and other artisan jewelry pieces are usually covered with tarnish, and that only forms over the passage over time on original silver.