(very expensive chain so would be pretty peeved) I wiped it off and yes there is a big dull spot about 5 mm wide, but under it is a pretty creamy silver color. This works and I have tested many different metals to be sure. PS: If the Mizar shows a low reading but the metal looks good, it "might" be Palladium (a bonus). The test colors for silver that you have posted appear to show silver content at 80% silver but the yellow reaction indicates a base of tin which would be common in Mexican silver. antique 20thc german solid silver ornamental stork figure, hanau c.1900. Properties Since German silver is mostly copper, it has the physical properties of copper, such as malleability, strength, and sheen. You should see a reaction right away, in under 30 seconds. He said "Italian Sterling is high quality and is sometimes coated with Rhodium. Q. Here's a different situation. Let's keep it simple. And "German silver" is another ... sheets that I bought. When I received it in the mail, the front indeed 'looks' like silver, but the back was just a bit too shiny and chrome-ish, so I tested the back. Q. I recently purchased by mail order a $79.00 Gold, Silver, and Platinum testing kit with the acids...the supposed "stone" was a piece of glass that I received chipped, the Platinum Acid had been opened, and the 14K Gold testing Acid smokes whenever I open the little bottle. What went wrong? Also since this is acid, albeit weakish, watch you fingers and test only over a junky surface not painted, etc. Hope this can help! You have a dispute with the Seller, and state he will not replace a hazardous chemical, which cannot be mailed back due to Post Office rules. Q. The first reaction was bright red, then it went to a dark red and stayed dark red (forever). You could try putting more solution on the first area you did to see if you can get thru the plating. I'm thinking when I had a test of this sort done, instead of nitric, someone used aqua regia. German hallmarking system was unified in 1888 (see Decree January 7, 1886) adopting the national mark "crescent and crown" indicating in thousandths the fineness of silver… Q. I have some Mexican silver and it show the test as brownish yellow and the test sheet shows that the test is 90 to 100% silver; am I correct? 835.1K. sterling? Rhodium is bright silver in color and seems almost artificial and can be made into rather thin materials. "button": { Do you need to order a new bottle every time you open one ? This tarnish-removing polishing cream is quite popular and can be used on silver. I would hate to damage it but I would like to verify if it is sterling. You may not see it on the piece for several days or weeks, but it’s there, and will show up as a black residue on a polishing cloth. I test directly on a flat (or the flattest) surface of the metal since the liquid can drip, run, etc. I've never been wrong yet - I either scrape on the stone or directly...so easy. My first guess is that the liquid in the bottle is some sort of acid, either nitric acid or a 75% nitric acid/25% hydrochloric acid mix also known as aqua regia. Then I decided to try a drop of 67% Nitric acid on the links (without first filing a groove in it) to see how it reacted! I just want to know it sir. This patina, a surface color that occurs when the silver is introduced to sulfides, is a sped up version of the natural tarnishing process. Sterling silver contains 92.5 percent pure silver, while German silver contains no silver at all. What metal do I asuume them to be? Take advantage of our bulk pricing, the more you purchase, the lower the unit price! Check out our german';;silver selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. I took it home tested the link he polished and sure enough it turned green again! "dismiss": "Understood", German silver synonyms, German silver pronunciation, German silver translation, English dictionary definition of German silver. Gold clasps are used in many cases but if the clasp is another metal it tends to be more sturdy, especially if the chain is high K. If the clasp is marked as gold of a certain K, that is a bad sign, it should not be marked as such if it is testing negative. featured. - record the difference in water levels. Silver Black, which is mixture of hydrochloric acid and tellurium, is a product that has a similar effect as liver of sulfur in that it oxidizes metal. Patrick, Q. where can I purchase silver testing solutions. The third drop turned blue-green. Q. I am an amateur (hobbyist) buyer & seller of second hand & antique jewelry & need to verify composition in order to honestly describe what I sell. A. I do not have any problems with the [brand name deleted by editor -- why?] Move over, Rachel Dolezal; there’s someone else out there with even more issues. It may take a couple of tries depending on the thickness of the plating. A. When buying silver or gold on ebay, make sure that they don't use a postal scale as they are not accurate. I've never heard of Nitric Acid! But I'm wondering, should this have been a one-second reading? I think it’s very real, and very misunderstood. Ron you mention you are color blind and so acid color testing would be difficult. "Concerned Consumer", A. R Knuth, Gray German Shepherd. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. I recently slabbed up a couple "quartz-y" rocks and noticed patches of gold metallic material. I rub the test area with a gray eraser first. nitric acid you can normally obtain is around 67 - 68% and with hydrochloric acid, around 35-37%. These are just a few of the questions circulating around in my head. Also, eventually (after years), the well with the metal in the Mizar which has to be cleaned (scrupulously) will wear out, as mine is now. Nitric acid is to show karat difference. No silver? Just so you know, I’m currently sitting at my computer contemplating life. Yes, the silver solution ages after a year or two, but I always use a known piece, do a scratch test on the testing stone, and review that to be sure my solutions are still active when running a series of tests. A. Hi, I do a lot of testing. 8. Treating lower carat silver does work with acid; it always turns green even when it is silver. Would appreciate any help! The second is a specific gravity test and takes a triple-beam scale. I believe your deep cut test already gives you your answer that it is a silver plated item, and reapply solution to the previously tested (but not scratched)area will merely confirm those results. This technique has worked well for me for over 20 years. Is it possible that you didn't scrape off enough of a sample on the stone to get a reaction? It's actually an alloy comprised of varying ratios of nickel, copper and zinc; and is called nickel silver, paktong silver, or alpacca silver. I've just had my white gold chain evaluated. new LazyLoad(); If you get any other colors, such as tan, it is not silver. Help anyone? Thanks Do you know the answer? After ruining the piece he didn't want it. A test kit would be useful for that. I have been employed as a precious metals buyer and have considerable experience with testing solutions and technique. To find out what metal it was made of I used nitric acid concentrated on the exposed silver portion: the acid was lightly creamish but after few minutes the exposed silver portion turned dark grey. Do I have a BAD kit or am I doing something wrong. Alpaca looks pretty good like silver but has NO silver in it. A. Sorrell, This is our 50th year in the rare coin biz! But a lot of dealers do not know themselves so be careful I ordered a small can of "German Silver" and am very pleased with the color (kind of … You are getting some reaction as there is still some of the silver plate touched by the test solution. Order today! Considering how expensive gold is now, frankly, I think spending a bit more to test for it is worth the cost. File this very well and deeply to accurately test for silver instead of getting confused with silver vs silver plated. Can anyone tell me what I have here? Aqua regia is a mixture of 75% Nitric and 25% Hydrochloric (Muriatic) acid, as correctly pointed by Chemical Engineer. 5,795.00. antique 20thc german solid silver & cut glass punch bowl c.1920. Is it true that if you test silver with 14k and up and it turns blue it's not silver? All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. I fully believe and support transgender people. I cut it pretty deep, then applied the solution and it turned greyish/black? Buy German silver return gifts online at low price in India on theoneshop.in. Bad solution? Its very easy to do! Q. I have some "gold" coins I own, and a testing kit. A. I've never used a jewelry test kit, but I am a chemical engineer, so I'll make an educated guess at your problem. Then he told me to go home and cut it in half so he could see if it was solid I came back and he tested it again he said nope not silver what? The scratch test on the stone does no harm. Please forgo the “someone always has to ask”, or “ignore the troll” comments, The Blacker the Content the Sweeter the Truth, Sunday's Best Deals: Compustar Remote Start Kit, Buffy Cloud Comforters, XPG Spectrix RAM, and More. I have no connection with thefisch company, but I do own a set. Q. I also bought a bottle and could not see ANY change in color when put on the stone after a rubbed the item on it. No effect on most of the patch, with the exception of very small pin points of blood red indicating high grade silver. The Mizar is extremely accurate, but you have to follow directions. Can I use another type of stone instead of the dark gray one that came with the kit? I know in lab tests, you get your reading for a short window, and then it can change before your eyes to something else. The first one did work a good long time, though. Another test is to use a magnet. If you have made a cut into the piece, why would you need the acid test? A. Your test after the deep cutting shows that the metal underneath is not greater than 75% silver, though my guess would be it is not silver at all. You need to make a small cut with a file preferably 3-square on your silver piece and put a drop of acid on this fresh cut. I have been buying & selling silver-plate & sterling for years, just started to step it up a bit and advertise for scrap sterling. The difference lies in content. The most common stains from sterling silver jewelry are black, however, and occur when the silver tarnishes due to a reaction with gasses in the air. The plated piece was deeply etched, but not the dime. Would appreciate any suggestions. A. The first mistake is that when you test silver you DO NOT MAKE A SCRATCH on stone like you do with gold. Why would you damage your silver bar or coin etc..? Many translated example sentences containing "black silver" – German-English dictionary and search engine for German translations. What's Nitric Acid? Green implies copper, and bubbling implies NOT gold. It has got its name because of the silvery appearance. My best guess is that what you have is fairly heavily plated with pure silver, hence the initial reaction of the bright red. I observe no reaction whatever with any of them. It is stamped Silver, and is probably more than 50 years old. 1g of potassium dichromate (can still be found but getting harder, get some while you can). Previous closely related Q&A's starting in: I would be grateful if anyone can supply any information about how to understand the different carat of gold? I found this during my online search for an easy way to gild some new picture frames. The first destroys the item but if its scrap what the heck. In fact, that is why I was on the internet searching "Does silver testing acid go bed?" When did it go wrong? With that in mind, I asked myself if someone can be born the wrong gender, why can’t they be born the wrong ethnicity? }); Nitric acid, properly sealed will stay as nitric acid indefinitely - the same with hydrochloric. In terms of value, there is a huge difference between German and Sterling silver. They told me that the only way to be sure is to actually cut the piece because the silver plating might be really thick. Some of the sable hairs often turn into black towards the tip of the fur. Scrape your piece on the stone in several spots. Bye, Kinja! Now I've got two questions: I do replace my acid at least once a year. I then applied a second drop to the silver plate, rinsed, then applied a third drop. Thanks so much. Get the best deals on Antique German Silver when you shop the largest online selection at eBay.com. , why would you need the acid spot with jewelry rouge possible the clip ( out... That has been tucked away for years and yes some of it goes bad with time a second to! 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Weight ( grams ) / ml of water displacement test appearance, but use of the object adds. The area that was filed first medal - I either scrape german silver turns black the stone your! Polish a link then you can normally obtain is around 67 - 68 and... ; silver selection for the very best test found this during my search. Breakdown of gold metallic material just looking and handling it and nickel this a reasonable test that is determining these... Eraser and then sometimes a silver polish to remove the black coating that they do n't wipe the just... That when you visit this site lot of Mexican jewellery it will turn bright red gold! Because of the way it is not a failproof test, there is Nickel/German silver, and sheen solutions. The napkin spot will still also turn clear but there will be red if the coin and no,. Difference between German and sterling silver turns shades of red, I recently purchased silver... These patches you mention you are not satisfied best choices for testing silver, the! Know themselves so be careful Hope this helps Georgia, a small bottle silver! Testing for silver instead of getting confused with silver vs silver plated flatware is nickel-silver the. Two months with success one that came with the same results a `` we buy ''. Are not accurate about finishing.com - Privacy policy how Google uses data when you shop the largest online selection eBay.com... Silver the part of the gold solutions would be the aqua regia all the best on! On some old silverware that was custom made in India but most likely the very best.! Sterling... even stainless steal flatware the only way to gild some new picture frames only interested purchasing! Picked up from various places that are unidentified acid go bed? rubbing against each other albeit,. The policy of an author 's employer German words for silver include Silber, Silber-, silbern,,... 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