Gold and silver are some of the most popular jewelry metals. Both are used in the form of alloys, as they are too soft and malleable in their pure form. Gold, which is originally yellow in color, turns white due to the addition of silver, platinum, palladium and nickel. Products made of it are extremely similar to silver. Therefore, the owner of a piece of jewelry often faces the question – is it white gold or cheaper silver?

We tell you how to distinguish white gold from silver.

Visual differences

Jewelry made of white gold has a warmer shade. Silver has a steely, cold color. The shine of gold is brighter, lacquered. Silver is more matte, dull. The easiest way to notice the differences in halftones and shine is to put the products side by side.

Pay attention! If a jewelry piece has a rhodium-plated coating, visually both silver and gold will look the same!

Marking

Gold and silver jewelry must necessarily have a hallmark. It is usually located on a small, inconspicuous area: on the inside of the ring, on the shackles of earrings, on the clasp of chains and bracelets. The proof can be read with a magnifying glass or a magnifying glass.

  • Gold grades: 585, 740. 375 white gold does not exist!
  • Silver grades: 800, 830, 875, 925, 960.

The nature of the birthstone

Due to differences in price, as well as physical and chemical properties, different stones are inserted in different settings. For example, diamonds are almost never inlaid in silver: it does not hold such a hard stone well.

  • Semiprecious stones are most often set in silver: agates, amethysts, chrysoprase, onyxes, quartz, fianites, pearls. Silver of the highest grade can be inlaid with topazes and emeralds.
  • White gold is more often set with diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, rubies, natural pearls.

Sound from a fall

One of the safest home ways to test an item is by tossing it. The sound of the product hitting a hard surface from a height of 3-5 cm will be different: gold is more sonorous, while silver has a muffled sound. The reason for the difference is the hardness of the metals: white gold has a hardness of 70-175 kgf/mm2, while silver has a hardness of about 25 kgf/mm2.

Test with paper

If a silver product is scratched on a white sheet of paper, it will leave a gray trace. Gold, as a harder metal, will not leave any marks.

Iodine test

If you drop iodine on a silver product, the silver will take on a darker color. The blacker the mark, the higher the grade of silver. On white gold, iodine does not leave marks and is completely erased with an ordinary cloth or napkin.

Please note: use iodine only on a small area, as the mark on silver can remain for several days.

Checking with chrompik reagent

Chrompik is a specialized compound used by jewelers to test precious metals. If you drop chrompik on a silver piece, the solution will start to turn red. The brighter the red color, the higher quality silver in front of you. After the remedy is removed, a “burn” will remain on the silver – a small trace in the shape of a drop. On white gold, chrompeak does not change color and does not leave a trace after removal.

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