Silver jewelry is beautiful, but you must be cautious and buy high-quality pieces. Many local and online shops sell silver jewelry, so it can be hard to tell if the parts you purchase are real.

Luckily, it is possible to make sure that the silver jewelry you buy is made by real artists and is made to last a lifetime.

Read on for our best advice to ensure the silver you buy is genuine.

Watch out for the price.

Sterling silver is a valuable precious metal, so the item’s price will reflect that. Doing a simple price comparison is one way to ensure you’re getting the best silver jewelry.

Start by finding out how much sterling silver is worth on the market. This will give you a starting point for determining how much the jewelry you want to buy costs.

If this doesn’t help, consider how much the piece(s) you’re interested in costs. Prices that are too low to believe could be a sign that the silver isn’t exquisite or is even fake.

When you are in the market, be wary of big discounts and sales that sell a lot of sterling silver pieces at once.

If you want to buy something from a local store, ask how it sets its prices. Also, ask if you can get a refund or exchange, and only buy a Chi Rho ring or any other ring if you can get a full refund or return.

Look out for the grade

Authentic silver jewelry will have certain marks that show it is real.

Your jewelry will have these hallmarks in a hidden spot, and they will be small. You’ll likely need a magnifying glass and bright lights to look for them.

If you’ve already bought your silver, this is a great way to check its quality and ensure you’re holding real silver. It will say STERLING or.925 if it is real silver.

Both of these marks mean that the silver is of good quality.

If you see EPNS, you might have a piece of jewelry that isn’t very good. Electro-plated nickel silver is what EPNS stands for. This is not real silver. Instead, it is nickel that looks like silver.

Remember that pure silver is malleable, which means it is soft and easy to shape. To make silver jewelry last longer, it must be mixed with an alloy. The best silver jewelry is mostly silver with a small amount of something stronger, like copper, built in.

Only buy fine silver or sterling silver for the best outcome.

Test the ring

One of the best ways to ensure you have the best silver jewelry is to put it through a few simple tests.

Don’t worry, these tests won’t hurt your silver.

The first one is easy. Find a magnet and check to see if the piece of silver is magnetic. Silver is not a magnetic metal, so if something sticks to the magnet, it is probably nickel or another metal.

Find a strong magnet, though, if you want to test this. Home magnets might not be strong enough to tell if your jewelry is magnetic.

You can also rub your silver piece with a clean white cloth. If there are black marks, you can be sure you bought an excellent item. When real silver is in the air, it turns black because it oxidizes.

You can also check the sound. Use something metal to tap your jewelry piece. You are holding real silver if you hear a high-pitched ring and feel a vibration that lasts for a few seconds. Copper or steel alloys could be the cause of duller or deeper rings.

Ask questions

The world has advanced, and most people buy almost anything online, but you shouldn’t be satisfied with this.

Even buying online, call the number and talk to the company representative. During the conversation, ask as many questions as possible such as when the jewelry was made, the metal used, and any other relevant questions.

To ensure you are buying the right piece, ask for the raw photos of the piece.

Some companies will get angry when you ask too many questions, but you shouldn’t mind this as the genuine ones won’t have a problem answering your questions and even furnishing you with the photos you want.

Parting shot

These are some tips when buying silver, gold, or any other piece of jewelry. By following these tips, you will be ultra-confident that you are buying the right piece that will not only look good but also last for a long time.

When purchasing the parts online, be ultra cautious and ensure you engage with reputable sellers who know what they are doing.

The last thing you should do is send money to a merchant without verifying they are genuine. Before you transact, do background checks of the store and ensure it’s genuine.