Silver Jewellery question

[Beautiful-disaster]

Hi there - silly question from a newbie ahead .....
Is it safe or silly to assume all jewellery that is made of silver has fake and or cheap gems?
I had always assumed this to be so but am quickly finding out that this isn’t the case if the jewellery is old.
Now I’m also wondering if that holds true to newer jewellery as I found a ring a while ago which was super sparkly and rather gordy but as it was silver I just assumed it was a fake (like you get in one of those candles??) and just tossed it in a box and forgot about it. Was that a silly assumption to make?
I still think it’s a good quality fake it this now has me questioning everything. Maybe I should chuck it into the growing pile of things that need to be checked out by a professional

 

[elizat]

No, not necessarily. You will often find that older pieces have diamonds set in silver. Another thing you will see is silver settings on a gold base. If the piece is old enough, white gold would not have been an option and/or platinum would not have been either. So with very old pieces you will see silver topped gold.

 

[Eclectic]

Yes, there is some very lovely and well made silver jewelry. You just do no see it as much since there is so much mass made jewelry of lower quality. I think that for a good look into amazing and good looking silver jewelry you should look at the Arts and Crafts period. Elizat is also totally right. So if you see anything in your stash with gold on the back, or the silver could be blackened over time, it could be very old and/or very valuable.

 

[stracci2000]

I am an amateur silversmith and a lover of silver in any form.
It makes me sad that you are dismissing silver jewelry and calling it cheap.

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

I am an amateur silversmith and a lover of silver in any form.
It makes me sad that you are dismissing silver jewelry and calling it cheap.

Sorry about that! A friend of mine is a budding silver smith and I have full respect for the artform - I didn’t mean any disrespect in anyway.
I personally could never wear silver as it turns black on my skin within about 24hrs but I do have a white gold engagement ring because I like the clean look of it on my pale skin over yellow gold.
Having recently discovered that my sapphire pendant in what I thought was a silver setting (that magically never turned black on me - the chain did but not the pendant) is an 8.3ct good quality sapphire that could be worth a fortune.

I have an aqua marine now that is permanently set into a silver necklace as a gift - but could never wear it.
It’s actually very frustrating to only ever be able to wear gold.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I like silver jewlery
But it likes to be worn, not left in a drawer

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

I think I probably should of been a little more specific and included photos but didn’t want to look *that* naive.

I found the ring below. Picked it up while walking to the shops one day. Seeing the S925 mark inside and how large it is - I offered it to my daughter who laughed at me and then threw it in a box. If I had thought for a second that it could possibly have real diamonds I would have put up signs or taken it to the police station down the road.

Fast forward to me finding my Sapphire in what I’m pretty sure is a silver setting (very old one) and I’m now second guessing my attitude. After looking through a loop my partners and I’s very untrained eyes think it’s a good quality CZ fake.
I’m impressed they bother making them to this quality but I guess it’a a good substitute for someone who can’t afford a real ring like that (hello me) but actually wants a big bling statement like that (definitely not me).

It’s worth noting my Honkong friend who runs the bakery down the road has multiple 100% real rings that all look like this but even more over the top. All bought in HongKong. So there was that too.
You can see it in the photos next to my very real white gold passion8 H&A engagement ring. The silver one looks like a mummy one to mine - they are close..... those Cz’d are very impressive. They even bothered to put them in the little flowers in the gallery!

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I think I probably should of been a little more specific and included photos but didn’t want to look *that* naive.

I found the ring below. Picked it up while walking to the shops one day. Seeing the S925 mark inside and how large it is - I offered it to my daughter who laughed at me and then threw it in a box. If I had thought for a second that it could possibly have real diamonds I would have put up signs or taken it to the police station down the road.

Fast forward to me finding my Sapphire in what I’m pretty sure is a silver setting (very old one) and I’m now second guessing my attitude. After looking through a loop my partners and I’s very untrained eyes think it’s a good quality CZ fake.
I’m impressed they bother making them to this quality but I guess it’a a good substitute for someone who can’t afford a real ring like that (hello me) but actually wants a big bling statement like that (definitely not me).

It’s worth noting my Honkong friend who runs the bakery down the road has multiple 100% real rings that all look like this but even more over the top. All bought in HongKong. So there was that too.
You can see it in the photos next to my very real white gold passion8 H&A engagement ring. The silver one looks like a mummy one to mine - they are close..... those Cz’d are very impressive. They even bothered to put them in the little flowers in the gallery!

Its sad someone lost it but its still nice you found it and its been safe in that box all this time

I do know of people - i don't think anyone here - but some people for ethical reasons choose CZ even though they could well afford a dianond
Shame because there are better options that CZ but each to their own
I bet what ever it is it would love a good clean then to be taken out for day and worn on your finger for a bit of fun

The look of the gallery has become really important to me - ive learnt the hard way - so i love those sparkles on the galary

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

Its sad someone lost it but its still nice you found it and its been safe in that box all this time

I do know of people - i don't think anyone here - but some people for ethical reasons choose CZ even though they could well afford a dianond
Shame because there are better options that CZ but each to their own
I bet what ever it is it would love a good clean then to be taken out for day and worn on your finger for a bit of fun

The look of the gallery has become really important to me - ive learnt the hard way - so i love those sparkles on the galary

I agree with the look of the gallery. One of the reasons I love my ring so much is because of the little diamond set hearts in the gallery - and that is set on all sides. It’s something I don’t see very often at all design wise.
I’m a sucker for a bit of filigree and some detailed engraving.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I agree with the look of the gallery. One of the reasons I love my ring so much is because of the little diamond set hearts in the gallery - and that is set on all sides. It’s something I don’t see very often at all design wise.
I’m a sucker for a bit of filigree and some detailed engraving.

You know if it was mine and that big stone turned out to be a CZ id be tempted to swap it out for a coloured stone - lab grown to keep the cost down
Its just so pleasing to the eye

 

[dk168]

Hi there - silly question from a newbie ahead .....
Is it safe or silly to assume all jewellery that is made of silver has fake and or cheap gems?
I had always assumed this to be so but am quickly finding out that this isn’t the case if the jewellery is old.
Now I’m also wondering if that holds true to newer jewellery as I found a ring a while ago which was super sparkly and rather gordy but as it was silver I just assumed it was a fake (like you get in one of those candles??) and just tossed it in a box and forgot about it. Was that a silly assumption to make?
I still think it’s a good quality fake it this now has me questioning everything. Maybe I should chuck it into the growing pile of things that need to be checked out by a professional

No, some of the grandest tiaras were made with a mixture of precious metals including Silver.

DK

 

[glitterata]

Before white gold and platinum came into common use in the late 19th/early 20th c, silver was THE white precious metal. I have personally had beautiful natural gemstones--including a 1.4+ carat CBI diamond--set in silver. So no, don't assume anything.

 

[RRfromR]

I second what everyone is saying. I also saw platinum and 18 and 22 ct gold with synthetic stones, so the opposite is true, too.

 

[RRfromR]

A good example of a pretty thing set in silver

Antique Vintage Art Nouveau Silver Gold Wash Lapis Spinel Diamond Necklace 5.8g | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Antique Vintage Art Nouveau Silver Gold Wash Lapis Spinel Diamond Necklace 5.8g at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[pokerface]

Upon reread, I guess the original setting was gold, not silver, but never in a million years would I have guessed that this was the real deal: a 25ct untreated sapphire. https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/setting-my-sapphire.269718/