Welcome to Case Studies
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
WHAT IS THIS?
CATEGORY: Precious Metals
LEVEL: Easy
PURPOSE: Recycling
DESCRIPTION
A bracelet sold by an auction house. Item had a silver “looking like” color, yet showing a black color (similar to classic silver oxidation) on its edges and finally coated with transparent varnish. At a distance it looked authentic, but the varnish made questions arise. The item was bought to be recycled.
OBSERVATIONS
In this case the obvious matter was its weight. Density was taken in whole and showed a density that was much lower than silver. Up to here, there were still variables that can alter this density such as a different alloys, internal fillings, the bracelet being hollow on the inside etc… . As the bracelet was sold to be recycled, it was cut into pieces for further research. Pieces then were hammered; making sure no cavities would be present in the next density test. This test was followed by microscopy using on – light, again here it revealed immediately that the oxidation layer was painted on the metal.
RESULT
This is aluminum – (aluminum alloy?) bracelet painted black to imitate oxidation on silver coated with transparent varnish. The varnish probably was used to protect the black paint from fading away due to wear. Further research to determine the exact composition of the alloy would be too expensive and would not be beneficial.
CONCLUSION
It shows that with minor research and preparation, the client could have prevented himself of buying this article leading to a small financial loss.
As researcher, every case is important and similar cases had been present in the past. In some cases, clients received refunds by the auction house, in exchange of research results in order to inform their own experts.