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Here at Muzeum, we buy all types of precious metals- including gold, silver, platinum, and costume jewellery. As experts in the industry for over 10 years, Muzeum is educated in buying all types of silver - whether jewellery, silver tea settings and silver cutlery, silver coins, silver bullion and more from all over the world.
At Muzeum, we value transparency with our customers and list all of our prices online, updated hourly, so that you know the market value ahead of time. Click here to see what we pay! Our on-site specialists simplify the process and take out all the guesswork for you! Simply bring your items to our storefront located in the Yorkville area of Toronto for a FREE evaluation!
Your items can be new, old, broken, scratched, mismatched and everything in between!
The most common items we see are:
The easiest way to determine whether or not your item is truly silver, is to look for the hallmarks. Hallmarks are stamps/markings on the pieces that help indicate the purity of the metal within the piece. Standard silver markings are: .500 (50% pure), .800 (80% pure) and Sterling/Ster/.925 (92.5% pure).
There can also be hallmarks that identify where and when the item was made – by something called a “maker’s mark.”
Common locations for silverware and tea settings are underneath or on the bottom of the piece.
More often than not, you will need a magnifying glass or a “loupe” to clearly see any hallmarks.
Common markings for plated items:
Another simple way to determine whether or not your item is real silver, is with the magnet test. We recommend getting a strong magnet that you can find at your local hardware store, for example an earth magnet.
The process is very simple. Precious metals, such as silver, are non-magnetic. Hold the magnet near your items, if your chain, ring, tea set, cutlery or coin are instantly attracted to the magnet, your items are not made of silver.
Another thing to keep in mind is that on most necklaces or bracelets, the clasp itself is not made of silver. So if you are only seeing a reaction from the clasp, but not the rest of the piece, your item could be silver.
However, if there is no reaction – it does not necessarily mean that your item is silver. The item could still be heavily plated or counterfeit, which is why we always recommend using our experts and x-ray technology to always ensure a fair assessment of your precious items.
Once you have determined whether or not your item is made of a precious metal, the next step is determining the purity of it. While there are “at home” ways of determining the purity, they are not 100% accurate. With our XRF machine technology, we are able to determine the exact metal breakdown of your items.
This is why we recommend getting a FREE in-person evaluation here at Muzeum, to make sure you get paid what you deserve for your items!
Want to get a FREE evaluation on silver? Contact us below!