A friend of mine who is a master bead maker in glass, wanted some
end/ bead caps in silver.
Her friend was going to Thailand (can you guess the rest?)
An original piece was sent to copy.
Back came the order a $100 worth of pieces, not like the original,
no fineness mark either.
When she went to bend one of the Thai pieces it delaminated.
I louped this piece and it looks like 2 layers.1mm thick were coming
apart.
There was a copper colour between the layers.
The outside surface looks like fine silver.
I think it may be a low grade silver alloy that has been scratch
brushed.
Any ideas?
Richard
Xtines Jewels
it is either silver filled material, or plated. more likely plating
is so thin you wouldn’t see it delaminate. While silver filled- badly
made- is a layer of sterling or fine silver clad over a core of a
base metal, usually brass, sometimes copper. when sliced in cross
section you could test for the base metal easily, there should have
been a fineness stamp somewhere on the pieces or on the invoice.
Sounds like, and this is purely speculation, some bad silver -filled
material. Fine silver (.999) is whiter than sterling. hope this gives
you something to go by. rer
... plating is so thin you wouldn't see it delaminate.
I have had rhodium plated over brass (after a nickel pre-plate?)
which peeled off. It was really thick (for a plating) and apparently
not properly bonded. Janet in Jerusalem