What is heavier platinum or silver. How to distinguish platinum jewelry from silver

Outwardly, platinum and silver are very similar, so it will not be superfluous to know how to distinguish them from each other. Both metals are used to make all kinds of jewelry that any online jewelry store offers. and it's very easy to make a mistake.

And it’s good if you buy jewelry in a reputable store, and not in an unfamiliar shop in the market, where the likelihood of fraud is as high as possible. Therefore, you should rely only on your own experience, which we will share.

Are very popular wedding rings platinum, because it is a very durable metal, while silver is softer, gets dirty more easily and is not intended for everyday use. Most often, small jewelry is made from platinum, since its price is very high. Silver is often mixed with another metal such as copper to increase its strength.

1. Look at the price of the item, as this is usually the easiest way to tell two metals apart, as silver is much cheaper than platinum. Silver is easier to mine, so it's not as rare as platinum. The second key can be the size of the jewelry, because due to high price platinum is used to make small jewelry: rings, earrings or chains. If the product big size It is most likely made of silver.

- black deposits on silver are due to oxidation, and it can be removed by rubbing the product with a paste of baking soda and water. Or you can have your jewelry cleaned by a professional jeweler.

Rhodium silver or radiated (erroneous spelling) is silver coated with a thin layer of rhodium. The thickness of the rhodium plating is from 0,1 before 25 microns(thinner than a human hair).

Silver is born exclusively for decorative purposes. Such decorations retain their original appearance longer, are not subject to corrosion and do not fade.

How to distinguish rhodium sterling silver from regular?

Pictured is 925 sterling silver rhodium.

This is what regular silver looks like, without rhodium plating.

Below is a ring and earrings made of rhodium-plated silver made in China.

As you can see, rhodium sterling silver has a special brilliance and brilliance, while ordinary silver has a slightly grayish tint.

How to distinguish rhodium-plated silver from platinum and white gold

Rhodium-plated silver easily competes with white gold and platinum: it costs less, but looks the same. The photo shows wedding rings made of white gold, platinum and rhodium-plated silver. Try to distinguish.

Most likely, an external examination will not give a result. The most reliable way to distinguish white alloys is by examining the brand and sample. To do this, you need to know the standards of fineness of gold, platinum and silver.

Or distinguish marks by shape.

Or at the cost of decoration. average price per gram in the product: rhodium-plated silver - 950 rubles, gold - 3500 rubles, platinum - 7000 rubles.

Rhodium silver - does not darken and is completely harmless!

Silver jewelry that has undergone a rhodium procedure has won its niche in the jewelry market. Positive feedback and stable demand for such jewelry suggests that rhodium-plated silver is a worthy alternative, first of all, to white gold. Rhodium-plated silver products do not darken and do not oxidize over time, unlike ordinary silver. In addition, rhodium jewelry is completely safe: rhodium does not cause allergic reactions. Rodation jewelry from gold, silver and platinum is regulated by GOST.

How to care

Caring for rhodium-plated silver jewelry is no different from

Hello dear reader! I won't tell today fascinating story discovery and use of this amazing noble metal. It is enough that now it is for making jewelry. Although its popularity in Lately is growing rapidly, many do not really know, and therefore the risk of encountering a fake increases, for example, in online stores, and not only in them.

I will tell you how to determine platinum so as not to become a victim of scammers.

We will always have time to see specialists, let's first try to figure it out on our own, and then you see, and you won't need help.

How to determine weight and density

The density of platinum jewelry depends on the sample, the highest is 999. The metal has a specific density of 21.45 g/cm3, and in the 950 sample it is 21.05 g/cm3. In jewelry, platinum 850-950 samples is used, where the content of the precious share is 85-95%, respectively. Mostly 950 fine is found, less often 900, very rarely - 850. Fine 999 is used only in bank bullions. The sample number is always indicated on the inside of the product.

Expert opinion

Vsevolod Kozlovsky

6 years in jewelry business. Knows everything about samples and can identify a fake in 12 seconds

The platinum product is weighed with a pharmacy or special electronic scales. You can determine the density as follows: we lower the weighed decoration into a measuring container filled with water. We get the volume of the displaced liquid in cubic centimeters. It is best to collect it with a syringe. This value is divided by the weight in grams. If it turned out to be about 21.05 - the density is 950 samples, then it is not a fake.

Fraudsters do not use other dense metals, they are too expensive and rare for this. Therefore, you can be sure that a metal with such a density is what we need.

Alcohol solution of iodine

This tool is in every home first aid kit. It is applied to the surface of the metal: iodine should remain dark. It is easy to determine: the darker the drop, the higher the sample. Do not forget to wipe off the iodine, there will be no streaks left on the real jewel.

Aqua regia

A chemical solution called aqua regia is made from 1 part nitric acid and 3 parts hydrochloric acid. It has a unique ability to oxidize metals: any metals are dissolved in it, but not platinum.

Liquid ammonia

This is a simple and easy way to check. It is based on the fact that liquid ammonia in contact with metals leaves dark marks on them. Platinum is an exception: ammonia does not affect it.

Concentrated salt solution

In a metal jar, make a concentrated solution of ordinary table salt. Place a researchable decoration in it. Take the battery. Connect the object under study to the plus, and the body of the can to the minus. If the solution becomes cloudy, a precipitate falls out, then it is a fake. If the solution remains still clear and chlorine is released, which you can identify by all the familiar smell, then this is platinum.

Magnet

Platinum, like any other noble metal, is not magnetic. Therefore, check whether the jewelry under study is magnetized or not. It cannot be distinguished from silver in this way, it also does not react to a magnet, but in principle this will help to determine a fake.

How to distinguish from silver

Most often, they try to give out silver for platinum, so it is important to know their differences.

Color

Despite the similarity of these noble metals, there are differences. Silver has a grayish tint, while platinum is lighter, shiny. Silver tarnishes over time, platinum does not.

Weight and Density

Platinum is almost twice as heavy and denser than silver. Comparing even without weights 2 jewelry of approximately the same size, you can easily feel the difference. How to determine the density, I told at the beginning of the article.

Resistance to mechanical stress

The high density results in resistance to mechanical stress. Carefully inspect the piece of jewelry: you are unlikely to find scratches or deformations on platinum. On silver, everything is exactly the opposite.

Heat resistance

Platinum, unlike silver, is. At home, it is impossible to create the necessary temperature for its melting. Even special jewelry furnaces for melting gold will not cope with this task. Silver will darken in the place of heating even from the flame of a lighter. This will not affect platinum: if you heat a platinum product for several seconds, then you will not burn yourself from touching the place of heating.

Also watch the video below:

Conclusion

So, I have listed you ways to determine the authenticity of platinum products, now you can, in most cases, figure it out on your own at home. Feel free to buy rings or other jewelry from this amazing metal.

I hope the article was helpful for you. Goodbye, do not forget to subscribe to articles and share usefulness in social networks!

Eleonora Brik

The fear of being deceived haunts many people, and this fear is not unfounded. According to statistics, over the past 10 years, the extraction of precious metals has practically not increased, but at the same time, the number of jewelry stores is growing at an incredible pace. Alas, even when buying jewelry in a jewelry store, there is a chance of running into a low-quality fake. Overwhelmed by doubts? Authentication of precious metals is available not only to specialists, but to each of us. To do this, there are many ways, the implementation of which is possible at home.

Not all that glitters is gold

Only a jeweler who has all the necessary analytical equipment at his disposal can check a gold product and issue a reliable conclusion on belonging to a noble metal. Professional verification is carried out by the Assay Office. Examination of gold jewelry is not a cheap pleasure, the price of the service ranges from 10 to 20% of the estimated value of the item. counterfeit more and more often, and no one wants to waste money. By the way, the need to check gold for authenticity may arise not only in relation to jewelry, but also, for example, when buying ingots or nuggets.

Silver earrings with cubic zirconia, SL; (price link)

The most difficult type of fake for self-determination of gold is a piece of jewelry, on which the thinnest layer of precious metal is applied. It is extremely difficult to determine the authenticity of such work at home without causing harm to the product.

The most common methods for counterfeiting gold items are:

• surface gilding;
• copper replacement;
• alloys of aluminum and other metals;
• an alloy of titanium and gold.

Fake jewelry made from alloys close to gold in color leaves spots with a green tint on the skin, especially when the ring is worn for a long time. The replacement of gold with other less valuable metal alloys or similar deposition can be determined using well-known methods.

The first stage is checking gold by comparison. Surely you have a piece of jewelry, the authenticity of which you have no doubt. On a rigid object, draw a line with these two decorations. Gold items will leave the same mark, but if there are differences, this is a direct reason to doubt the quality.

With the help of a magnifying glass, peer into the brand, which should reflect the sample of gold. It should be clear, without damage.

The cost of a gram of gold changes daily, however, you should rely on it when buying jewelry, even if they are not purchased in a store.

Gold ring with diamonds and citrines, SL; gold earrings with diamonds and citrines, SL; (price link)

There is also an opinion that the sound helps to calculate the copy. Crystal ringing when hitting a hard surface is emitted by gold items. A dull or any other sound is a cause for concern.

Iodine test

Iodine is able to change the color of most components that are used to falsify precious metal, but at the same time, such a sample is completely harmless for jewelry with a sample above 500 (that is, which contains more than 50 mass percent of gold).

A drop of a pharmacy alcohol solution of iodine should be applied to the product in doubt, and after 10-15 seconds, remove its remnants with a napkin. If a trace of iodine remains, then this is not a gold product. Unaltered metal color may indicate authenticity.

Magnet check

Precious metals are not affected by a magnet. Steel products covered with a thin layer of gold will instantly be attracted to the surface of the magnet, real gold jewelry will not react to the magnet.

Many manufacturers use lock designs for chains and bracelets that include a steel spring - in this case, the magnet will only attract the lock.

Indifference to the magnet is a necessary condition, but not sufficient. For example, most alloys of copper and tin are non-magnetic. However, such products are much lighter: the difference in weight can be felt even without an analytical balance.

Vinegar test

A cheap fake will turn black under the action of acetic acid. If you lower into it with a sample above 500, then nothing will happen to him. This is another sure way to recognize authenticity. 3-5 minutes is enough to conduct an experiment.

To the tooth

You have probably seen in films how the main characters tried a gold coin “by the tooth”. This method is only suitable for high-grade gold (whiter than 900), which is relatively soft. On such gold, a mark from the teeth will certainly remain, since its hardness is much lower than that of other metals.

Determining the Authenticity of Gold Using Analytical Instruments

Instant recognition of metal components at home is possible using special device called metal analyzer. The result is displayed on the screen within 2-3 seconds. To obtain it, it is necessary to point the device at the object under study. The analyzer is widely used by miners of precious metals.

Gold earrings with diamonds and sapphires, SL; (price link)

In order not to doubt the authenticity of gold jewelry, you should choose the right place to purchase it. Jewelry stores and pawnshops are points of sale of this precious metal. Buying from the hands is always a risk.

Authentication of Platinum Jewelry: Your Own Expert

Platinum is a precious metal used in jewelry making. The silver-white metal gained its fame in the 18th century, but only in our time has it become widely used by jewelers. As a rule, only small jewelry, such as rings, earrings and chains, is made from platinum. This is due to the high cost of the material.

With the spread of the Internet, buying jewelry has become much easier. However, you will not have the opportunity to examine the product before buying, which means that you may encounter a fake. Many people prefer not to risk buying jewelry in specialized stores, but in this case, you are not immune from fakes. So how can you independently verify the authenticity of jewelry made of platinum?

Determining the weight and density of a product

Platinum is a heavy metal whose weight is comparable only to iridium, osmium, rhenium and uranium. All other elements are lighter. In addition, in the production of jewelry, the share of platinum is from 85% to 95% in the total weight of the product. That is, jewelry is almost 100% composed of this noble metal. Products made of gold and silver, for example, have a much lower weight of the precious metal.

The use of iridium, osmium and rhenium to make jewelry heavier is not advisable, since these elements have the same value as platinum, and besides, they are rarely found in nature. Pick up a platinum ring and a similar-sized ring in another metal. A piece made of platinum will be heavier than a similar piece of jewelry made from another alloy.

May 26, 2016 at 12:42 pm PDT

If you have a suitable measuring vessel, then you can measure the density of the product. To do this, you need to weigh the precious accessory, and then place it in a bowl of water and determine the volume of liquid displaced in cubic centimeters. After that, the weight of the jewelry in grams should be divided by the value of the water displaced by it in cubic centimeters. The resulting value should be near the figure 21.45. In this case, we can say with full confidence that the platinum jewelry is genuine.

Use of chemicals

• Iodine. Take ordinary medical iodine and drop it on a platinum product. The drop must have dark color, only in this case it is possible to speak about the authenticity of the noble metal. The darker it is, the higher the sample of the jewelry. There should not be any stains on the accessory. Also, no stains will remain from acetic acid and hydrogen peroxide.
• Ammonia. All precious metals, except for platinum, react to the action of this substance. Only it does not turn black and does not react with ammonia.
• Nitric and hydrochloric acid. These chemicals should be mixed in a ratio of 1:3 to obtain "aqua regia". When heated, this mixture will slowly dissolve the platinum product. In a cold state, no changes will occur.

How to distinguish platinum from silver

Silver is much cheaper than platinum, so some negligent manufacturers sell silver products under the guise of an expensive precious metal. To distinguish a fake, first of all, you need to consider the color of the precious jewelry. Platinum is a lighter metal, while silver has a gray tint. In addition, due to the high cost of platinum, large items are not made from it. If you are offered a massive chain and at a bargain price, then most likely they are trying to deceive you by selling a silver accessory.

You can try to try both products on the tooth. Nothing will remain on platinum, while a slight trace will remain on silver. This is due to the fact that platinum has a higher density. In addition, these elements enter into chemical reactions in different ways, for example, with hydrogen sulfide. At home, you can use a rotten egg, on which you should put jewelry made of two metals in turn. Silver will turn black under the action of hydrogen sulfide, and nothing will happen to platinum.

Product heating

Platinum is a refractory metal, so it cannot be melted with an ordinary lighter, stove flame or gas burner. Platinum jewelry will not change color even with strong heat. By the way, platinum has a rather low thermal conductivity, which means that a product made from it will heat up longer than, for example, from silver and gold, but it is very problematic to draw any conclusions based on this property.

Silver cufflinks, Okami; (price link)

If you still doubt the authenticity of platinum jewelry, then the best option- Contact a professional. Then you will have no doubts, and you will be sure that your jewelry is made of noble metal.

Silver Jewelry Self Authentication

Silver is a noble metal, the properties of which were appreciated many centuries ago. Pure silver and its alloys are widely used in the manufacture of jewelry, crockery, cutlery, and instrument making.

Try

The cost of silver is quite high, and, by the way, recently the prices for this metal on world exchanges have been constantly growing. Not surprisingly, the number of fakes and falsifications is also increasing. When buying silver things, first of all, you need to pay attention to the sample. It is quite difficult to fake it: only top-class specialists can make a cliché. On the surface of the product, the sample should be well readable, with even, clear outlines. Assay mark on silverware Russian production has the form of a rectangle, inside of which a three-digit number is printed, showing the proportion of chemically pure silver in the product.

The amount of impurities determines the quality of the metal. The following samples are most common: 720, 750, 800, 875, 916, 925, 960. Sample 720 means that the jewelry alloy contains 72% silver, 750 - 75% and so on. From this dependence it follows that the higher the sample, the higher the cost of the product.

Alloys 750 and 800 contain a lot of copper, so they are yellowish in appearance. They are usually used to make cutlery. The silver of this sample is subject to oxidation, so you will have to clean the spoons and forks quite often.

Quality silver used for jewelry production is 925 and higher.

Silver ring with cubic zirconia, SL; (price link)

Authentication

If there is no sample on a product that is passed off as silver, you can ask the jeweler for a definition, for example, take it to a pawnshop and ask for an assessment. In addition, there are many ways to check the authenticity of a thing yourself.

Express ways to determine the authenticity of silver at home

• One of right ways– magnet: silver should not be attracted. However, this test alone is not enough: a lot of silver-imitating alloys are also not magnetic.
• To determine the use of sulfuric ointment, which can be bought at any pharmacy. The product should be smeared with a thick layer and let lie down for a couple of hours. Genuine silver or an alloy with a high content of this precious metal will definitely turn black.
• Test with iodine. Under a drop of an alcoholic solution of iodine, silver also turns black, and the higher its quality, the stronger. But here we must act carefully, these manipulations can lead to damage to things, since it will be very difficult to remove the stain.
• Often, silver-plated brass or copper is given out for silver. You can make a scratch in an inconspicuous place: if a reddish or reddish tint appears on the edges of the inscription, this is a fake.
• Silver bends quite easily, and after the cessation of exposure, it does not restore its shape (silver-plated copper and brass are weakly springy, because they have high elasticity).
• Silver has a high thermal conductivity. Thing dropped into hot water heats up instantly. It also quickly takes on the temperature of the human body.
• When wearing fake jewelry, dark streaks remain on the skin. This indicates the addition of much cheaper zinc. Jewelry made from such alloys is very fragile and often breaks.
• Silver has a specific smell, people with a sensitive sense of smell can determine the authenticity of the product.

All these verification methods are quite superficial, and can only be used for a preliminary assessment. A guarantee that the product is made of silver, and not just silver plated, can only be given by an expert jeweler. To be 100% authentic, you will have to file or carry out calculations with specific gravity.

May 28, 2016 at 8:30 AM PDT

Real silver darkens over time. But it takes years, and besides, its brilliance can be easily restored. For this they use special cream or ammonia. The brilliance of low-quality products disappears forever.

Silver test

One of the most accurate methods for determining the authenticity of silver at home is a silver test, which can be purchased at specialty stores or online. Following a simple instruction, with a high degree of probability, you can determine not only the authenticity of the product, but also an approximate sample.

There are electronic devices that can distinguish silver, gold, white gold, platinum. However, their cost is so high that a purchase for the purpose of a one-time determination of precious metals at home is not economically justified.

Finally

Counterfeiting of precious metals is one of the most common methods of fraud. The growth in the number of falsifications is explained by the high income of fraudsters and the difficulty of suppressing activities of this kind. That is why the purchase must be taken seriously. Only specialized stores that work directly with manufacturers can guarantee the safety and quality of precious metal products.

November 19, 2014, 17:18

Platinum is the most expensive precious metal that occurs in nature ten times less often than gold, which is why it was nicknamed the "queen of metals". Platinum has a high density, incredible wear resistance and resistance to corrosion. The metal also has a great appearance, so the decorations do not leave anyone indifferent. In addition, platinum products do not break, bend or fade over time. Many people who are interested in jewelry made from this metal are wondering how to determine platinum at home.

Natural Platinum Ingot

A little about metal

Platinum is a metal that is characterized by a high hardness and density, therefore, in the jewelry industry, it is used practically in pure form, while an alloy of gold can contain up to 63% ligature. For platinum, the following samples are typical:

• 850: the alloy consists of 85% precious metal and 15% ligature;
• 900: the alloy is 90% precious metal and 10% ligature;
• 950: The alloy is 95% precious metal and 5% ligature.

As a ligature, metals such as rhodium, palladium, iridium and silicon are added to platinum. These metals do not add an uncharacteristic hue to platinum, but only emphasize its white-silver radiance.

Checking platinum jewelry

When answering the question of how to check platinum, it should be said that the check should begin in a jewelry store. The purchase of platinum products must be approached with knowledge of the matter, since such jewelry is expensive, which is what scammers use, seeking to sell gold or silver to the buyer at the price of platinum. Therefore, you need to buy platinum jewelry only in large jewelry stores or salons that offer their products under famous brands. Genuine platinum jewelry will never be sold "by hand".

Jewelry made of platinum is not massive, primarily because this metal is very rare and expensive. Therefore, if the seller offers the buyer a massive ring (pendant, earrings) made of platinum, then this should alert.

You need to take a platinum jewelry in your hand for a few seconds and try to heat it. If the metal remains cold, then this will be a sign of its authenticity, since platinum is characterized by poor thermal conductivity.

At home, iodine can be used to check the authenticity of platinum. Select a small area on the product to be tested and apply some iodine to it. If a dark spot appears on platinum, then this will indicate the authenticity of the metal. Important: iodine must be wiped off as soon as possible so that there is no dark spot on the decoration!

If you put a little ammonia on real platinum, then this substance will not harm the product. If the jewelry darkens from ammonia, this will indicate that it does not contain platinum. The most radical method of verifying the authenticity of platinum is the use of "aqua regia", consisting of nitric acid (1 part) and hydrochloric acid (3 parts). The object to be tested should be placed in such a solution. "Royal vodka" will not affect natural platinum in any way.

If there is a silver item at home, the size of which is similar to the parameters of the checked platinum jewelry, then you can compare the weight of the two items. Also, for verification, you will need high-precision scales (pharmaceutical). On them you need to weigh the jewelry in turn and compare their masses. Silver will be 2 times lighter than platinum. But if the products weigh the same, then this will indicate that they are both made of silver. In the same way, platinum can be distinguished from white gold, which is very similar to the "queen of metals".

You should also evaluate the appearance of the product. Platinum has a pure white luster, while silver (even high-grade silver) has a grayish tint that is clearly defined when comparing two pieces of jewelry. Unlike silver, platinum does not tarnish or darken over time.

Platinum authentication methods used at home are not 100% reliable. Only an expert can accurately determine the authenticity of the metal.