Bali silver

Just exactly what is Bali silver? I just came back from this
weekend’s International Gem Show (Marlboro MA), and again, I’m
confused about the silver beads and findings currently on offer.

Sterling silver (“bright” or “white”) looks like pickled polished
sterling. But a lot of this “Bali” stuff is much darker even though
highly polished, and if you look at it closely, the dark stuff in
the crevices is NOT polishing compound or patination - it chips off
like some kind of lacquer. And all of a sudden this stuff is .30 -
.35/gram, rather than the .60 - .80 it was recently. WHAT is this?
Is it a different alloy? Non-silver? Plated? Does anybody out
there know what I mean??

Help, please - I’m going back tomorrow and I need findings!

Tas <-- grumpy, because she used to know EVERYthing

Hello, Well I’m no expert, but at the last Gem Show in Tucson, I
learned that some Bali is sterling silver and some is pewter (less
expensive). I expect there are all sorts of metal variations. Ask!
It’s not often volunteered. Diana

Be very careful when purchasing Bali silver. It is best to purchase
from a seller you can trust. There are so many “knock off” copies of
Bali that are just cast and then blackened to appear like Bali. Good
Bali silver is not cast. You cannot see any seam lines around the
circumference as it is handmade. At the IGM shows you can usually
find it at good wholesale prices, anywhere from 35 to 50 cents per
gram. Ask specifically if it comes from India. If the answer is yes,
then it is definitely not Balinese.

Hope this helps…
Betty