LemonTrades
TL;DR
- No. Silver isn’t magnetic; like gold, it’s very weakly repelled by magnets. If a “silver” piece sticks to a magnet, it isn’t silver.
- Silver conducts heat and electricity better than any other metal, which gives two more home tests: ice melts fast on it, and a magnet slides slowly down it.
- Look for stamps like 925, sterling or .999. “EPNS,” “silver plate” and “nickel silver” mean little or no silver.
- LemonTrades follows the silver price for you, with alerts on sharp moves and the likely cause.
Silver is easy to fake with shiny base metals. A magnet is the first, free check. Here’s how to read it, and what to do next.
Is silver magnetic?
No. Silver is diamagnetic, meaning a magnet pushes it away very slightly, far too slightly to notice. Real silver coins, bars, flatware and jewelry won’t move toward a magnet. If a piece sticks, it’s steel, iron or nickel, probably with a thin silver plating.
Three tests you can do at home
- The magnet test. Hold a strong neodymium magnet to the piece. Any real pull means it isn’t silver. Test clasps separately; they are often steel.
- The slide test. Tilt a silver bar or a large coin at about 45 degrees and set a strong magnet on it. On real silver, the magnet slides down slowly, held back by electric currents the motion creates in the metal. On most fakes, it slides fast or sticks.
- The ice test. Put an ice cube on the piece and one on a steel or ceramic surface next to it. Silver conducts heat so well that the ice on it melts noticeably faster.
These tests rule fakes out; they don’t prove a piece is solid silver. Copper and aluminum also fail the magnet test, and plating can fool the others. For anything valuable, ask a dealer for an XRF test.
The stamps to look for
| Stamp | What it means |
|---|---|
| .999 or 999, fine silver | 99.9% silver: bullion bars and coins |
| 925 or sterling | 92.5% silver: jewelry and flatware |
| 900 or coin silver | 90% silver: old US coins |
| 800 | 80% silver: common in older European pieces |
| EPNS, silver plate, SP | A thin coat of silver over a base metal |
| Nickel silver, German silver | No silver at all: a copper, nickel and zinc alloy |
Old US coins have no stamp, but the year tells you; see what year of US coins are silver. A 1943 penny that looks silver is steel coated in zinc, and it sticks to a magnet.
What real silver is worth today
Sources
- Royal Society of Chemistry: Silver
- Wikipedia: Eddy currents (why the magnet slides slowly)
- FTC: Guides for the jewelry and precious metals industries (16 CFR 23)
Education, not financial advice. See our disclaimer.
