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
I can only go by what I've learned by reading articles on the web, but as far as I'm aware Thai silver is 99% pure.
Posted at 5:48am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
Anything that is not sold as sterling or fine or in rare cases britannia isn't silver.
If it just says "bali silver" and doesn't state the actual silver content as fine, 999, 925 or sterling then don't buy it, the seller is most probably trying to deceive you. It is just base metal.
Posted at 10:16am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
Aeris - but it will always be advertised as 999 or fine, again if they just try to sell it as thai silver - with no mention of the silver content then its probably not silver.
Posted at 10:17am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
I don't trust a silver colored metal to contain silver unless I either trust the source implicitly or find an internationally accepted quality stamp somewhere on the piece. Most metals with special names are mere impostors: german silver, alpaca, etc.
Also, the threat of lead from manufacturing in developing countries is very real. Please be careful.
Posted at 10:19am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
i have some Items with Tibetian Silver but its not real silver. Iam allergic to it when i wear it, so someone who hat allergies should be careful.
Posted at 10:32am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
right, Balisilver, Tibeatian, Indian is all the same stuff. Its just silvercolor metal wich can couse allergies.
Posted at 10:35am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
Great post! I've been wondering about this myself.
Posted at 10:40am Aug 19, 2009 EDT
Bali silver is sterling silver.
"Bali Style" can be any metal.
This concept of only stamped items are sterling is not true. Most small sterling components are not stamped, and anyone can buy a Micro Stamp and mark .925 or "Sterling" on an item.
Posted at 1:51pm Aug 19, 2009 EDT
If someone was selling "bali silver" and not stating also that it is sterling, I would not trust them to be selling sterling silver.
Stamping as vintage said, can be done on any metal - legally though if you quality stamp a piece, you should also put your trade mark on the piece (in the US and UK anyway)
Posted at 2:53pm Aug 19, 2009 EDT