What is Tibetan Silver?
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Original Post
I saw some items posted that were described as Tibetan Silver and wondered what that term meant. I googled it and am still not sure if it is a constant standard like sterling silver which is always 92.5% silver, or if it is more like a descriptive term like saying something "is blue."
I even read an eBay article where items described as Tibetan Silver were lab tested and actually contained some pretty scary ingredients like arsenic and lead.
So, does anyone have experience with this metal/alloy and can shed some light on it for me?
Thanks!
Posted at 10:39pm Nov 22, 2008 EST
Responses
Be careful. Bali can be as pure or better than sterling. Tibetan can be great, or can contain no silver at all.
I treat ALL such names the same as trade names for gems....meaningless marketing blech.
It is sterling, fine, coin etc. Or a percentage listed. Other names leave too much ambiguity for me to have any confidence in.
Posted at 10:42pm Nov 22, 2008 EST
"Tibetan Silver" is like nickel-silver and german-silver. There is no silver in it at all. Look for the word "sterling" if you want sterling silver jewelry. Otherwise you will end up with silver colored jewelry.
Thanks for asking.
Posted at 10:44pm Nov 22, 2008 EST
So the 'Tibetan' is a trade name, not a specific percentage like sterling? It is a marketing term, right? So it does not even mean it contains any silver at all.
Posted at 10:45pm Nov 22, 2008 EST
Oh, okay, so it's like saying 'silver toned metal.'
Thanks you guys!
Posted at 10:47pm Nov 22, 2008 EST
Be careful Tibetan silver can contain lead.
-Chris
Posted at 5:09pm Nov 24, 2008 EST
This was a helpful article
reviews.ebay.com/Tibetan-Silver-A-Buyer-s-Advisory_W0QQugidZ1000000...
Posted at 12:35pm Aug 5, 2009 EDT
thanks for the article Shanmcin. That incident with the 4-yr-old was really scary.
Posted at 4:03am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
I think there seems to be more awareness of lead and nickel content now with Tibetan silver. Certainly one of the suppliers I use has certification to say their items are lead and nickel free.
In some ways I think tibetan silver is better than silver plate because it stays silver - ie no plating to wear off.
Posted at 5:24am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
wow that's interesting...and how about THAI silver??
Posted at 5:27am Aug 19, 2009 EDT