You've just bought a beautiful silver necklace or a pair of earrings, and you want to make sure you're getting what you paid for. With so much silver jewellery available online and in local markets, it can be hard to tell the real thing from a cheap imitation. The good news is that there are several simple and reliable ways to check if your silver jewellery is genuine 925 sterling silver — and most of them require no special equipment at all.
What Does 925 Sterling Silver Actually Mean?
Before we get into the tests, it helps to understand what 925 sterling silver is. The number 925 refers to the purity of the silver — it means the jewellery is made of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. This small addition of copper makes the jewellery stronger and more durable without compromising the quality or the beautiful shine that silver is known for.
Pure silver (99.9% silver) is actually too soft for jewellery — it bends, scratches, and loses its shape too easily. 925 sterling silver gives you the best of both worlds: the beauty and value of real silver, with the strength to last a lifetime.
The 925 Stamp — Your First Check
The easiest and most reliable way to verify sterling silver is to look for the hallmark stamp. Genuine 925 sterling silver jewellery will have a small stamp engraved somewhere on the piece — usually on the inside of a ring, the clasp of a necklace, or the back of an earring post.
Look for any of these markings:
- 925 — the most common and internationally recognised mark
- Sterling — used by some older or British-made pieces
- 925/1000 — another variation of the same standard
- BIS Hallmark — in India, the Bureau of Indian Standards hallmark is an additional certification of purity
At Meera Jaipur, every piece in our collection carries the 925 stamp as a guarantee of authenticity. If you ever receive a piece and cannot find the stamp, contact us directly.
The Magnet Test
Silver is not magnetic. This is one of the quickest tests you can do at home with nothing more than a fridge magnet.
Hold a magnet close to your jewellery. If the piece is strongly attracted to the magnet, it is likely made of a base metal like iron or steel with a silver coating. Genuine 925 sterling silver will show no attraction to a regular magnet at all.
One important note — a weak or slight reaction is not always a red flag, as some clasps or findings may contain small magnetic components. The test is most reliable when applied to the main body of the jewellery piece.
The Ice Test
This is a surprisingly effective test that most people don't know about. Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of any metal, which means it transfers heat and cold faster than almost anything else.
Place a piece of ice on your silver jewellery. If the ice begins melting almost immediately — noticeably faster than it would sitting on a table — the piece is likely genuine silver. Fake silver or silver-plated items will not conduct cold as rapidly because the base metal underneath has much lower conductivity.
The Cloth Rub Test
Take a soft white cloth and rub your jewellery firmly for a few seconds. With genuine sterling silver, you will notice black marks appearing on the cloth. This happens because silver oxidises when exposed to air, and rubbing removes the thin outer layer of oxidation. Seeing these black marks is actually a good sign — it confirms the presence of real silver.
If no marks appear and the piece looks unchanged, it may be silver-plated over a non-silver base, where the top layer is too thin to oxidise properly.
Does It Tarnish?
Many people assume that if their jewellery tarnishes, it must be fake. This is actually the opposite of the truth. Real 925 sterling silver does tarnish over time — it develops a yellowish or blackish film when exposed to air, moisture, and certain chemicals. This is a natural chemical reaction between the silver and sulphur compounds in the air.
Silver-plated jewellery or costume jewellery made from base metals will often not tarnish in the same way — instead, it tends to turn green or leave colour on your skin as the base metal reacts with sweat and moisture.
So if your silver jewellery tarnishes over time and can be polished back to a bright shine, that is actually a reassuring sign of authenticity.
The Smell Test
Real silver has virtually no smell. If your jewellery has a strong metallic or sulphur-like odour, it is likely made of a base metal such as brass or copper with a silver coating.
What About Silver-Plated Jewellery?
Silver-plated jewellery is made by coating a base metal (usually brass, copper, or nickel) with a thin layer of real silver through an electroplating process. It looks identical to sterling silver when new but wears off over time, revealing the base metal underneath. It is significantly cheaper to produce, which is why much of the affordable jewellery you find in fast-fashion stores and markets is silver-plated rather than genuine sterling silver.
There is nothing wrong with silver-plated jewellery for occasional wear, but it is important to know what you are buying — especially if you have sensitive skin, as the base metals underneath can cause allergic reactions.
Why Buying from a Hallmarked Brand Matters
The safest way to ensure you are getting genuine 925 sterling silver is to buy from a trusted brand that provides hallmarked jewellery. When a jeweller offers hallmarked pieces, they have had their silver independently certified by a recognised authority, giving you confidence that the purity claim is accurate.
At Meera Jaipur, we use only 925 hallmarked sterling silver across our entire collection — from our tribal bangles and earrings to our minimal everyday pieces. Every item we sell comes with the 925 stamp, and our karigars in Jaipur have been crafting genuine silver jewellery for years.
If you ever have questions about the authenticity of a piece, we are always happy to help.
Explore our full collection of 925 hallmarked silver jewellery at Meera Jaipur — handcrafted in Jaipur, shipped across India.