Jewelry that is plated with precious metal, like gold-plated jewelry, is also considered costume jewelry. Costume jewelry also uses simulated stones, such as cubic zirconia or plastic to create the illusion of precious or semiprecious stones.
The first thing you should look for when determining if a piece of jewelry is real or not, is a karat stamp on the gold. The most common karat stamp on jewelry is 14k to indicate that its 14-karat gold. 10k, 18k and 22k are also stamps to look for.
You won't find genuine gemstones or diamonds in costume jewelry. They're most often crystals, plastic, or simulated stones. Only on rare occasions will you find a real gem in costume jewelry, so if the metal isn't real, the stone isn't likely to be real either.
In effect, Pandora has always been an accessible luxury brand since it doesn't sell costume jewelry, only fine jewelry made from precious silver and gold.
Sterling silver is real silver–there's nothing fake about it. It's simply a mixture of real silver and just enough other metals to make it strong but not too difficult to mold. Just like 14k or 18k gold jewelry, silver must be made into an an alloy to be wearable.
Jewellery comes with a stamp or hallmark, so do check for it while buying any jewellery. Be it gold, silver or platinum, it will have this stamp, which tells you that the piece you are buying is not fake. Also, you can ask the vendor or shopkeeper to show you the hallmark or stamp on the jewellery for assurance.
This means that diamond jewelry is often imitated and sold as a real diamond. If you have been sold a fake diamond it is most likely to be CZ (Cubic Zirconia), an imitation created in a lab. While some choose to knowingly buy and sell CZ gems, others attempt to exploit the industry and sell them as real diamonds.
Jewelers often use nitric acid to test their gold. Basically, gold won't react to nitric acid, but all other metals will turn greenish.
Older pieces of gold may not be stamped because stamping wasn't required in the past. Still, reputable gold dealers will always stamp their gold with a purity mark because it's the best way to guarantee that their customers are getting what they're paying for.
Costume jewelry, also called fashion jewelry is inexpensive jewelry that is made of low-quality materials. Costume jewelry is often made with base metals, such as brass, aluminum, or copper. These inexpensive metals become tarnished easily and can even cause irritation or allergic reactions.
925 silver, often referred to as sterling silver, is, in fact, real silver though it is an alloy rather than pure silver. 925 silver means your item is 92.5% silver and 7.5% another metal, such as copper. This means that your 925 silver is valuable and can be sold.
What Does 925 Mean On My Jewelry? When a ring, chain, pendant, earring, or other piece has 925 stamped on it, almost like a tiny engraving, it means that it is 92.5% silver and 7.5% of another metal. This 925 is called a “hallmark” and indicates high-quality sterling silver.
A sparkle test is quick and easy to do since all you need are your eyes. Simply hold your diamond under a normal lamp and observe the bright shimmers of light bouncing off the diamond. A real diamond provides an exceptional sparkle since it reflects white light extremely well.
Cubic Zirconia
They're so commonly used as a diamond look-a-like that many people will cite that all non-naturally occurring diamonds are fake diamonds are called cubic zirconias. Cubic zirconia is a lab-made synthetic substance composed of zirconium dioxide.
Chromium and nickel, which often cause allergic reactions, were found in over 90% of items," according to CBS News. Although there is no proven research that these metals pose a risk by simply wearing them, we do feel that it can potentially be a problem because chemicals/toxins can penetrate through our skin.
If it's real gold it will not stick to the magnet. (Fun fact: Real gold is not magnetic.) Fake gold, on the other hand, will stick to the magnet. If that necklace leaps to the magnet, your significant other has some explaining to do.
Pandora provides a universe of hand-finished and contemporary jewellery made from genuine materials, primarily solid sterling silver and 14 or 18 k gold with gemstones, stones, cultured pearls and glass. While the materials serve as indicators, we also mark all of our jewellery.
925 Sterling Silver jewelry certainly does not come cheap. It requires quite an investment from your side, whether you are buying sterling silver pendants or rings. But it is a worthwhile investment as its value increases with time.
There are markings such as “S925”, “. 925”, and “925”. This gives assurance that the silver is indeed a 925 sterling silver. However, there are some sterling silver that don't have these marks so don't directly assume that the silver is fake if it doesn't have the mentioned markings.
925 silver oxidizes when exposed to air leading to chemical changes in its wake. Using a soft white cloth, rub a small part of the jewelry, if the surface produces a black mark it would mean that the product is sterling silver. On the other hand, the color change would be absent in fake merchandise.
What is the difference between sterling silver and 925 silver? When 92.5% of pure silver is mixed with 7.5% of other metals (often copper, nickel or zinc), the resulting alloy is called sterling silver. So, to wrap up, there is no difference between the terms sterling silver and 925 silver.