What is Tibetan Silver?

Tibetan Silver is an alloy of silver composed of tin or nickel-copper. Certain things mentioned as Tibetan silver are made of cast iron along with silver content.

There has previously been an alloy named Tibetan Silver which contains the silver element. Any Tibetan silver, which is 92.5% silver, is sterling silver. The others may be any mixture of other metals, while copper or tin normally are.

However, most of the Tibetan Silver is copper instead of nickel, as nickel has reactions to the skin in many. So, before wearing something which is made of Tibetan silver make sure that the jewelry passes through a metallurgical test.

Usually, Tibetan silver contains 30 percent of pure silver. Although to pick the original one you have to go through many essential steps. Moreover, similar metallurgical substances were often referred to as simply tin alloy, white metal, base metal, or pewter.

In this article, you will get to know all such essential queries about a Tibetan silver including the origin of Tibetan silver, by which material Tibetan silver made of, How to recognize the authentic Tibetan silver, how to keep a Tibetan silver can, what will be the maintenance, moreover, a Tibetan silver is magnetic or not!

Traditional Tibetan silver had more than 30 per cent of the element but the influx of a cheap variety of products made from other alloys makes it difficult to get the real ones.

Some beads are like Pewter that are made from base iron casting and have tin, copper, nickel or white metal plating on the top. Some such items from unreliable locations may contain arsenic and other harmful elements and it should be avoided.

Some are sterling versions – that does not contain the rare element most of the times, while, some online marketplaces like Ebay and Amazon, sometimes, offer items and wearable made up of Tibetan silver, which are shipped from Tibet – China where the metal contains an alloy of nickel, tin and copper.

It can be found in pure form with above 90% of the composition and 7.5 per cent of copper. The 99.9 per cent composition is the purest one but it cannot be used in making utensils or items because it is very soft.

Hence, the pure ones are made from a small per cent of the alloy. Sterling may contain zinc, germanium and platinum – that helps in improving the properties like higher resistance.

Some items described as Tibetan are made from copper and tin. Nickel may not be used because it results in skin reactions in people.

The designs or spiritual inscription on these items do not help in healing; alternatively, the presence of harmful chemicals in the jewelry can raise the risk of skin rashes and other medical problems.

Several different types of metallurgical compositions can be found in various items like lead-free pewter.

What is Tibetan silver made of?

Tibetan silver is a typical manner of alloy manufactured in Tibet. To lend intensity, it consists of nearly 30 percent of pure silver. A little may claim that the silver of Tibetan looks darker than the silver of sterling.

Several pieces of jewelry made of Tibetan silver alloy consist of a high amount of nickel as well as many other substances. The alloy, unfortunately, often contains rather more harmful toxins than a nickel.

Moreover, due to the presence of arsenic or lead, it is strictly prohibited for children and pregnant women as well.

However, the actual Tibetan silver doesn't seem to exist for cheap importations or even it is incredibly difficult to discover. Thereby, Tibetan silver is only a silver-colored alloy to most jewelry designers.

Nowadays, Tibetan silver resembles as Pewter, It is mainly a base iron casting, coated with an alloy form of pewters such as nickel or tin, copper, and silver plating layer as well.

How to Identify Genuine Tibetan Silver Jewelry?

You need to be vigilant about imitation Tibetan jewelry offered by certain devious traders while you are recognizing genuine Tibetan jewelry. During 2007, a metallurgical test indicates that most Tibetan silver jewelry fraudulent never sacrifices platinum.

Worse still, these items included harmful lead chemicals that may typically cause cancer and many harmful diseases. To identify a genuine Tibetan silver you need to keep in mind about a few essential things that include,

Style and Standard Inscription:

The sacred inscriptions and typical Tibetan styles on the decorations also need to be taken into consideration. The model ought to be metaphysical.

It should be understood that such false silver jewelry does not offer a source of healing energy. Instead, such irrelevant symbols may lead to disease.

False Tibetan jewelry

False Tibetan jewels are most often tested for excessive concentrations of toxic contaminants, such as lead and arsenic. They are vulnerable to psychiatric delay, hypertension, neurological defects, kidney disease, symptoms of puberty, hearing issue, muscle or joint injuries, and many more.

Tibetan Jewelry Sources

Silver jewelry sources from Tibet. Silver jewels made in Thailand, India, are sometimes referred to as Tibetan so that Western buyers are intrigued by them.

Genuine silver jewelry of Tibet mainly comes from Nepal. Over 600 years, craftsmen from Nepal have been regarded as high-quality silver craftsmen. The monasteries are primarily built by Nepalese craftsmen in Tibet and also in China.

Tibetan 925 Silver

An original Tibetan silver jewel must have consisted of 92.5% silver. This implies that 92,5% silver should be shown in the metallurgical examination. If the silver content is below, it might not usually be known as authentic Tibetan 925 silver jewelry.

Be vigilant about Tibetan silver-coated ornament

Moreover, falsified items are only mounted on the surface or sealed in metal. So it isn't at least a positive indicator of solid silver that you see the layer peeling down.

It is odd that some unethical manufacturers still recommend 100% of their items. 100% silver is too light to produce jewels, meaning that it takes form to make 92.5% for jewels

Check the stamp of 925 silver

The hardness of silver sterling can vary according to other metal used for molding. The hue and strength, though, must be the authentic silver. In the back of your silver jewelry should be a 925 stamp. Don't purchase if you observe any flaws and radiance in the shade.

How to clean Tibetan silver?

Most of the Tibetan silver plated items lose their authenticity as well as beauty over time. The main reason behind it is sulphuric compounds found in the air.

It may seem to be layered quite brown and messy gradually but it can be recovered once more with proper cleaning. There are some methods to clean a Tibetan silver perfectly that include,

• A Tibetan silver coin is quite easy to maintain and clean as well. Only immerse yourself with mild detergents in warm water. When washed properly, rinse the cloth in clean water and leave for a dry.

• Thereby it will get back its sparkle just like a brand new one. Always keep in mind that just as other jewelry does not apply any perfume or spray explicitly over this. As perfume contains alcohol, your silver can be discolored or damaged.

• Pre-oxidized silver has an accelerated patina, which gives it a lovely retro feel. If you concern about washing the tarnish over this, it's very easy and convenient as well.

• You don't have to wash it except scrubbing with a kitchen sheet or soft and felt cloth to extract oils, stains, and detritus. Typically, attempting to turn this silver into a sparkling state is not suggested.

• If the metal displays signs of oxidation, handle it with a poor silver cleansing tissue at an early stage. This can be bought at and online at jewelry stores.

• Additional dark silver metals, including zinc oxide, Tibetan silver, Mexican silver, etc, are not cleansed by pesticides, bread soda, acids, and more. These metals are naturally darker.

• A gentle rub with the of a dry soft fabric is enough to eliminate grime. This is specifically advised while tried to clean silver stones, amber, and pearls as they will not resist tougher cleaning procedures. To keep the sparkling silver as vivid as possible. There is a variety of process which you can go with.

• Often for robust tarnish, you need something better. Therefore, for silver-filled materials, you can clean it in water along with lemon and salt. Sterling silver may be the same, but not necessarily do so in a particular area is checked by inserting a cotton bud into the solvent first and rubbed on.

• Check if it works until the entire component is subjected to the solution. Do not brush this acidic purifier on bricks, pearls, etc. Glass, like sea grass, nicely glows after the wash. Rinse vigorously, rinse, and polish again.

Is Tibetan silver magnetic?

There is no magnetic form of silver. Surely you can have a major dilemma on your hands in case the magnet attracts by your Tibetan silver because Tibetan silver can't be magnetically.

Just a few metals, including ferrite metals (for example iron, nickel, and cobalt), we find regular magnetic. Gadolinium, Samarium, and Neodymium are other less widely found magnetic metals. Therefore, certain metals may seem like silver, but they are not magnetic, such as aluminum, zinc, and pewter.

You can now recall at this stage that 1943 steel cents, made of zinc, are magnetic. Zinc, a non-magnetic metal, is, you know, just a thin sheet of steel, where steel contained the iron ferromagnetic.

As steel cents are made of steel, they are attracting by magnets. That doesn't mean Tibetan silver comes with magnetic strength. This relies on the other metal elements or other substances used to make a silver item.

Certainly, a stainless steel watch or collar coated with a thin layer of silver plating can magnetize, automatically revealing that the item is not made of solid Tibetan silver with a simple passage of magnet.

However, this does not exclude the precious metal that is often used in non-magnetic items that transfer valuables. Remember if a piece of jewelry consists of a substance that is not magnetically, for example, copper or even plastic.

What is Tibetan Silver?

In general terms, Tibetan silver is referred to as an alloy that is silver in color, composed of tin or nickel with copper. Some of the items are also made of cast iron but plated with silver in color is also referred to as Tibetan silver.

If nickel is used in Tibetan silver, it might cause serious reactions to the skin. Therefore, tin is the most preferred component used. The primary purpose of Tibetan silver is to make jewelry.

What is the difference between sterling silver and Tibetan silver?

Sterling silver is also a variety of silver which is stated to be the silver alloy that has 92.5% of silver contents. It weighs about 7.5% including other metals.

However, sterling silver is prone to tarnishing but, other elements especially copper that is composed in it help to reduce the tarnishing factor. Because of the white, soft, lustrous nature, sterling silver is often used for making jewelry, utensils, coins, etc.

On the other hand, Tibetan silver is composed of 70% copper and 30% silver. A traditional process is used to form Tibetan silver. This type of silver is rarely available in the market.

However, most of the time it is misjudged as original silver. Tibetan silver is also used for making silver fashion jewelry which is a demanding product in the market.

It is essential to know that Tibetan jewelry is prone to health hazards. Many toxic metals are used here that can easily react with your skin thereby causing various infections and diseases related to skin.

Is silver a good Investment

The ratio of value of gold and silver has been around 55 most of the times but now as the yellow metal gained over $ 1350, the white metal that remained at below $15 is also gaining to get over $22 an ounce, but still the current price of silver uk is 30 per cent lower in comparison to the prices in 2015-2016.

Commodities have the property to revert long term averages where it can be profitable if its ratio to gold is reset again to 55, which would mean it may gain to $26 or more along with the gain in the yellow metal price.

In terms of investment, precious rare elements may provide long-term safe alternative where one does not need to examine a lot of other aspects.

These mostly do not lose or gain to unimagined levels but it should be remembered that the white one may peak earlier than yellow as it has happened in 2011.

Also, there is a huge demand for precious metals in unconventional markets like London. The dwindling global economic conditions raise the significance of investment in alternatives.

The data by Bullion Star show Switzerland exported 90 tonnes of gold to London markets in July – that was more than the exports to India and China which is, mainly, due to the increase in the number of people buying silver and gold in London.

Will Tibetan silver turn green?

It is mentioned earlier that Tibetan silver has a high tendency of tarnishing. And this is simply because of the metal content that is present in it. Hence, Tibetan silver or any jewelry that is made of this silver might turn green.

Even it leads your skin to turn green in color. Normally, this occurs because of the chemical reaction between the metal content and the acids available in your skin.

At times, using creams or any other cosmetics or perfumes also leads to a reaction that is responsible for the silver to turn green. However, this type of reaction is not harmful to your skin but some of them might face allergic problems.

Even some of them have sensitive skin and face problems to wear Tibetan jewelry. The only way to avoid this is to avoid the use of lotions, cream, perfumes, etc while wearing this type of jewelry.

It is also suggested to dry the jewelry after wearing it for a long period and then keep it safe in an airtight packet or container. Doing so will not only help you avoid skin reactions but also helps to avoid the Tibetan jewelry from turning green.

Is Tibetan silver worth anything?

Tibetan silver contains only 30% silver, it is not worth purchasing. Rather it is better to invest in original silver.

Tibetan silver is prone to tarnishing and can easily get damaged. Even this type of silver is good for the skin. Hence, nothing can be worth Tibetan silver.

Is Tibetan silver safe to wear?

Nowadays, most of the silver jewelry is made of Tibetan silver. Hence, this type of jewelry is easily available in the market. Even some of them believe this as original silver.

However, this is not true. Even this type of jewelry can be dangerous to your skin. Mostly, Tibetan silver contains 30% of the silver. Moreover, it is quite tough to find. The existence of this silver has vanished.

The jewelry makers consider any silver colored metal as Tibetan silver. There is also the availability of Chinese Tibetan silver which should always be avoided as the lead content in it is maximum.

Lead is a harmful metal and is dangerous for pregnant women and children. At times, arsenic is also found in this type of silver which is another dangerous content. Therefore, it is best to avoid this type of jewelry.

And even if you think to purchase this type of jewelry it is always best to ask the seller about the metal content in it and then decide. From the above information, it can be easily concluded that it is Tibetan silver is not safe to wear.

Conclusion:-

The article will provide you detailed information about Tibetan silver, its differences from other types of silver, and about its usages.

However, from the above discussion, we can easily conclude that this silver is not at all safe to purchase. As the metal content in it are toxic and that can be dangerous for health.

You might face any type of skin related problems or allergic problems that can cause infections as well. Moreover, with the increase in usages, this type of jewelry can tarnish thereby changing its color.

Hence, the products get damaged and become unusable. Therefore, it is better to purchase other forms of jewelry than buying Tibetan silver.