A maker of jewelry must be sure
to mark the metal and the quality of the metal. The laws a very
clear on this. You will find the mark on sterling to be either
925% ( which means 92.5 % silver which again in turn is sterling.
You may also find a stamp with the word " sterling ".
Usually you can find the markings at the end of the chain usually
on a little flat ring. There is no one spot it must be so if you
do not see the marking or stamp then look around for it.
Due to the chemistry in our bodies and the
fact that sterling silver does tarnish it will tarnish at
different rates on different people. There are some people who
sterling silver will never tarnish on. A lot of the time the maker
will plate the sterling to protect it and keep it from tarnishing
with a metal called " rhodium. The piece of jewelry could
have the protected plating on it but still be sterling under the
plating.
Other than that, the only real way to tell
if something is sterling silver is to test it. For example, like
an acid test done by a jeweler. Generally a test will cost some
money, not a lot, but maybe not worth it, depending on what you
paid for the chain. On a large heavy chain, the test might be
worth it, but that's all up to you.
Always look for both a sterling mark and a
stamp or symbol for the manufacture. Both of those marks should be
there.
Beware of Chlorine
The chlorine in bleach is dangerous to gold
jewelry, so it's best not to test gold in bleach, or else you'll
ruin your jewelry. Stress points like where the metal has been
hammered, bent over stones in prongs, formed by chain making
machines and the like are the most affected by chlorine. Soldered
areas are sometimes affected by chlorine. White gold is most
easily damaged but apparently this happens with yellow gold also
at stress points in the metal.
Chlorine will cause a darkening on gold, but
on yellow gold it looks almost like a very pale gray color. White
gold reacts the same way but sometimes goes darker. This is the
chlorine reacting to the metals in karat gold. All jewelry metal
of 18k, 14k and 10k has other metals in the recipe when the metal
is made. Pure gold is mixed with mostly silver and copper (with
nickel or palladium with white gold) to make metal strong enough
for jewelry.
The karat mark shows how much pure gold is
in the mix. For instance, pure gold is called 24k. Now, 10k will
have 10 parts pure gold and 14 parts of the other metals, all
adding up to 24 part. 18k gold will be 18 parts pure gold and 6
parts other metals, all adding up to 24 parts. That is how it goes
with karats.
Yellow gold is not as dangerously affected
by chlorine in bleach and a good buffing should make it ok, that
is, if it is really gold. The best way to see if it is real karat
gold is to have it tested. That means an acid test or a test using
one of the newer electronic gold testers some jewelers use.
