[Jewelry making - Article 00935] - Re: [Orchid] Test for sterling

[John Burgess]

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>         what is the teeth test for sterling??? I have not heard of
>     this one. 

    One might take a good bite and if it is pewter, teeth marks will
    be left.  If it is sterling, a broken tooth might indicate that. 

    I haven't got too many teeth left, so, my quick test is to
    dissolve a tiny bit of the metal in nitric acid, add plenty of
    ammonia and check the colour. If the drop of liquid is blue, then
    the metal contains copper.  Add a solution of table salt to the
    original solution. A white precipitate that turns violet-grey in
    sunlight indicates silver, and if the white precipitate dissolves
    in excess ammonia, then silver is confirmed. The two positive
    tests indicate sterling as opposed to fine silver.  Simple, eh? 


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