The one-minute version: Real 925 sterling silver carries a stamp (a tiny 925, usually with a maker's mark next to it), it is not pulled by a magnet, it carries cold and conducts heat fast, it has no metallic smell, and it leaves a faint grey-black mark on a white cloth without ever turning your skin green. No single test is the whole answer. Run three or four of them together and the truth shows up quickly. Below is exactly how I check a piece at the counter, in the order I actually do it.
Someone came in last month holding a ring in a tissue, almost at arm's length, like it had wronged her. Two weeks of wear and a green band around her finger. She wanted to know if the new piece she was eyeing would do the same thing, and whether there was any way to check the one already sitting in her jewelry box at home. There is. You do not need a lab. A magnet, a glass of ice, a white cloth, and your own eyes will get you most of the way.
What does the 925 stamp actually tell you?
Start where the maker had to be honest. Genuine sterling is 92.5 percent silver, and that number gets stamped into the metal somewhere discreet. On a ring it hides inside the band. On earrings it sits on the post or the back of the stud. On a chain it is on the clasp or a tiny tag near it. Look for 925, sometimes written S925 or STERLING. A magnifying glass helps, because the stamp is small and a phone camera on macro will read it for you if your eyes are tired.
One thing to know. A stamp on its own is not proof, because stamps can be faked. What raises my confidence is a second mark right beside the 925: a maker's or responsibility mark. That is the registered identity of whoever made the piece, and a real workshop wants its name on its work. When you see a clean 925 next to a maker's mark, you are most likely holding real sterling. If there is no stamp anywhere, treat the piece as suspect until another test backs it up. I wrote a fuller breakdown of what the Lithuanian 925 hallmark means on silver if you want to go deeper on the marks themselves.
The magnet test: does it pull?
This is the fastest one and it costs nothing. Silver is not magnetic. Take a decent magnet, a strong fridge one or a small neodymium magnet, and bring it close to the piece. Real sterling will not jump to it. It might shift a hair if you tilt the piece, that is normal, but it will not stick or leap.
If the piece snaps onto the magnet, you are holding steel or a plated base metal with an iron core, and it is not sterling. Quick, brutal, useful. The catch is that a clever fake can use a non-magnetic base metal like brass or nickel alloy, so passing the magnet test is necessary but not sufficient. It rules out the worst offenders. It does not crown the winner on its own.
The ice test: how fast does it melt?
Here is the one that surprises people. Silver is the best heat conductor of all the everyday metals. Put an ice cube directly on the piece, on a coin-flat surface if you can, and watch. On real sterling the ice starts melting almost at once, faster than you would expect, because the metal is pulling room heat straight into the cube.
On a fake, the melt is sluggish. Lay two cubes side by side, one on your suspect piece and one on a plate, and the difference is easy to read. It is a kitchen-table test and it genuinely works. Do it after the magnet test while the piece is at room temperature, not fresh from a warm pocket.
Does it smell like anything?
Real silver has no smell. None. Bring the piece to your nose and breathe in. If you catch that coppery, coin-jar, slightly sour metallic note, you are smelling base metal, usually a high-copper or nickel alloy wearing a thin coat. That smell is also the thing that ends up on your skin, and it is a cousin of the reaction behind a green finger. Sterling has copper in it too, by the way, but properly alloyed and finished it should not announce itself on your nose or stain your hand in normal wear. If you want the chemistry of the green mark, I went through it in why jewelry turns your skin green.
The white-cloth rub: what comes off?
Take a soft white cloth, an old cotton tee works, and rub the piece firmly for a few seconds. Real sterling leaves a faint grey or black mark on the cloth. That is oxidised silver coming off, and oddly enough it is a good sign. It means the surface is actually silver reacting with the air the way silver does.
What you do not want is colour. A green or coppery smear means base metal under a thin finish, and it tells you the surface you are rubbing is not solid sterling. So grey-black is reassuring, colour is the warning. This pairs well with the smell test, because the two are reading the same underlying thing from different angles.
Weight and coldness: what does it feel like?
Pick the piece up and just hold it. Sterling has a certain density to it. For its size it feels a touch heavier than you expect, and it sits cold against your palm for a moment before your body warms it. Light, tinny, instantly room-temperature metal is a quiet tell that something is off.
This one takes a trained hand, so it is the least reliable on its own. The more real silver you have handled, the louder it speaks. Use it as a tiebreaker, not a verdict. When the magnet, the ice, and the cloth all agree, the heft just confirms what you already suspect.
Reading the results together
No single test is a courtroom. Stack them. A piece that has a clean 925 stamp beside a maker's mark, shrugs off a magnet, melts ice fast, smells of nothing, and leaves a grey smudge on a white cloth is real sterling, and you can wear it without a second thought. A piece that sticks to a magnet, reeks of copper, and smears green is costume metal, however shiny it looks in the photo.
The grey middle is where you slow down. A piece with no stamp that still passes the magnet and ice tests might be unmarked sterling, or it might be a good fake in non-magnetic base metal. That is your cue to ask the seller for the hallmark and the maker's mark in writing, and to walk if the answer is vague. A real workshop can tell you exactly what its mark looks like and where to find it.
How you can verify a Loretana piece
I will be straight about ours, since trust is the whole point of this. Every Loretana piece is 925 sterling silver, hallmarked by Lietuvos prabavimo rumai and carrying our registered responsibility mark right beside the 925. So the very first test on this page, the stamp and the maker's mark, you can run yourself the moment a piece arrives. The metal is nickel-free and compliant with the EU Nickel Directive, which is the part that matters if a previous piece left your skin green or itchy. Silver versions wear a rhodium finish and gold versions a 14K or 18K gold finish over the same sterling base, never solid gold, and we say so plainly.
One honest note on the stones, because people ask. The sparkle in most pieces is AAA or AAAAA cubic zirconia, not diamond. We do not pretend otherwise. Cubic zirconia is the sensible choice for jewelry you actually wear every day, since there is nothing to fear from a knock against a car door or a kitchen counter. If you want to put the magnet and the cloth to work yourself, the place to start is our full silver jewelry collection, or the pared-back minimalist jewelry if you prefer pieces that disappear into daily wear. The catalog runs from 18.99 to 108.99 EUR, shipping is free over 50 EUR, every order leaves Kaunas within 1 business day, and reaches you in 1 to 3 business days across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
Frequently asked questions
Can I test silver at home without any tools?
Mostly yes. The smell test, the white-cloth rub, and the feel for weight and coldness need nothing but your senses. For the most reliable read, add a magnet and an ice cube, both of which you already have in the house. Run three or four together rather than trusting one.
Does real silver stick to a magnet?
No. Silver is not magnetic, so a genuine sterling piece will not cling to a magnet or leap toward it. If your piece snaps onto a magnet, it has a magnetic base metal inside and is not sterling. A fake can still be non-magnetic, though, so use the magnet to rule out the worst, not to confirm the best.
Why does fake silver turn my skin green?
The green comes from base metals, usually copper or a copper alloy, reacting with sweat, lotions, and air, then leaving a salt on your skin. Solid 925 sterling, properly finished and nickel-free, should not do this in normal wear. A green mark is a strong sign the piece is plated base metal rather than real silver.
What does the 925 stamp mean?
It means the metal is 92.5 percent pure silver, the standard for sterling, with the rest a harder alloy for durability. Look for it inside a ring band, on an earring post, or on a clasp. The stamp is more trustworthy when a maker's or responsibility mark sits right beside it, since that ties the piece to a real, accountable workshop.
Is cubic zirconia the same as a diamond?
No, and any honest seller will tell you so. Cubic zirconia is a lab-made stone that looks bright and clear, which makes it ideal for pieces you wear daily without worrying about damage. It is not a diamond and should never be sold as one. Loretana states the stone grade, AAA or AAAAA cubic zirconia, openly.
Can I trust a 925 stamp on its own?
Not completely, because stamps can be counterfeited. Treat the stamp as the first clue, then back it up. A maker's or responsibility mark beside the 925 raises your confidence, and a quick magnet, ice, or cloth test settles most doubts. When a seller cannot describe their own hallmark, that hesitation tells you more than the stamp does.
MB Loretana is officially registered with Lietuvos prabavimo rumai (order 4819767, dated 2026-03-04) and identified by a registered responsibility mark. Every piece carries the 925 international hallmark alongside our responsibility mark, and ships from Kaunas within 1 business day, with 1 to 3 business days delivery across Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
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