My daughter bought a pendant after saving some money
but after heating it and adding a ring for the necklace it all turned yellow.
Is it really 925 sterling like the ad says?
Have you tried polishing it? Depending on how hot it got, it could change to this color and still be sterling. Then again, it could be something else. The fact that the ring did not change color would be concerning.…Rob
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Hi,
i wonder…if it was sterling plated, over a base metal?
i did a stone replacement on a college class ring for a friend…she said it was gold…i did not look for a quality stamp…i do not have testing kits…i had to heat the ring because the bezel was work-hardened…to my horror it turned a whitish gold…it was gold plated over…something…i burnished it with a brass scratch brush to give it a warm burnished finish…thank goodness she loved it after i was done…
julie
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From what you’re describing, it doesn’t sound like solid sterling silver. Sterling won’t suddenly turn yellow when heated. What often happens with lower-cost jewelry is that the piece is only plated with silver, while the underlying metal is brass or another copper alloy. When you heat it, the thin silver plating burns off or diffuses, exposing the yellow base metal underneath.
Unfortunately, it sounds like your daughter may have bought something silver-plated rather than genuine sterling.
You didn’t mention if it was stamped 925, but stamps alone don’t guarantee authenticity, as unscrupulous sellers often misuse them.
To be sure, you could do a specific gravity test, which is noninvasive, reliable, and simple. You’ll need a scale accurate to 0.01 g, a piece of string, and a container of water. This test can easily distinguish sterling from brass.
Magnet test since Sterling is not magnetic. If it sticks strongly, it’s not sterling.
If you file a small discreet spot, solid sterling stays silver all the way through. If it turns yellow, it’s plated. This is my least favorite since it mars the piece and voids returns.
Depending on what she paid for it, it may or may not be worth pursuing a return. Since you already added a jump ring and the heating changed the color, the seller might not accept it back unless you can call them out for misrepresentation if it was bought through a platform like Etsy or similar.
Another option would be to have the piece polished and silver-plated again to return or keep it as a lesson learned. Ultimately, it’s a matter of weighing what effort is worth it for your particular situation.
I hope this helps.
~AJ
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