Charming Vintage

Posted in Garden Antiques on 03/05/2009 06:00 am by admin

How can I tell if my vintage bracelet is real silver?

Several years ago, my Maw Maw gave me an old charm bracelet that she used to wear. I seem to remember her saying it was real silver, but I might not be remembering correctly. After doing a little research on the internet, it would seem to be a travel themed charm bracelet. Each charm is a monument or landmark (including the Eiffel Tower, Washington Monument, Liberty Tree, and Washington DC). Most of the ones I came across online were purported to be silver, though while a lot were similar to mine, none were exactly the same. I'm posting a few pics. Let me know if you know anything about this kind of bracelet.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3621/3682341595_39713c8946_o.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3606/3683154154_2a61786053_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2468/3683154168_09641ce778_o.jpg

Sorry about the bad quality, they were taken with my webcam.
I probably should take it to a jeweler. Until then, anyone else have an idea?

do you have a loupe or magnifier? You could try and find some hallmarks or stamps on the bracelet or the charms. A lot of those charms are made in silver and silver plated, so the design alone doesn't help. While you check with your loupe have a look at the places, where the links of the bracelet rub together. If it was silver plated, you should be able to see some wear of the plating and base metal (brass or copper) coming through.

Tarnish alone is not a definite indicator as silver plated items tarnish just as well.

I just had a look at your photos, those fold-over clasps are not very popular in sterling silver bracelets, but you never know.