Saturday I was at a Vendor Fair and I purchased some jewelry. I will be the first to admit I am a jewelry whore. I have more jewelry than I can ever wear but who cares! I love adorning myself in baubles and glitz. The more sparkle the happier I am.
I sell jewelry. I make jewelry. I buy jewelry.
I am well aware of the adage "Buyer Beware" and I consider myself a pretty good judge of sterling silver and gold. You handle enough of it and you get a pretty good feeling for the stuff. I have a gold and silver tester kit but you can't whip it out at a show and test items you want to buy. You hope the person you are purchasing from is reputable.
Over the years, some countries developed systems of hallmarking silver. The purpose of hallmark application is many fold:
To indicate the purity of the silver alloy used in the manufacture or hand-crafting of the piece. (.925)
To identify the silversmith or company that made the piece.
To note the date and/or location of the manufacture or tradesman.
So when I see a silver item stamped .925 I can safely assume that it is indeed sterling silver. So I felt pretty safe thinking that the three pendants I purchased were sterling silver.
They were, after all, stamped .925
WRONG!
Only one of them tested positive for sterling silver.
The bracelet I purchased from this seller is NOT sterling silver either.
Each tag has the price of the item on it and S.Silver. The three pendants are stamped .925 on the back and the bracelet is stamped .925 on the bar end of the clasp
So what would you do? Contact the seller and complain? Or write it off?
