What is Tibetan silver

Tibet is the birthplace of stunning silver jewelry

Alina Recently I heard that there is Tibetan silver. Tell me, what is its peculiarity and what kind of jewelry is made from it?

Every girl’s dream is a real piece of jewelry at the price of ordinary, but high-quality jewelry. For men, this is also a dream - a profitable investment as a gift for the woman they love. One of the most common types of jewelry recently that fits this description is Tibetan silver.

Tibetan silver is an alloy of ordinary inexpensive metals with only a small addition of real silver. For alloys, tin with copper or zinc is often used. Less often, with nickel, since this metal has one unpleasant property - many are allergic to it. The alloy contains less than 30% silver itself.

But proven, honest manufacturers undergo voluntary certification, which initially speaks in favor of the product they produce.

Too low a price should also alert a potential buyer. A product consisting of 30% silver cannot cost a penny.
You can seek advice from specialists; only a jeweler can accurately determine the quality of the purchased product.

Tibetan silver, unlike silver products, is much easier to care for. Does not darken, does not wear out. The reason is that tin, the main component of the alloy, immediately oxidizes in air and is coated on the outside with a film of oxides that is resistant to external influences.

It is enough to wash the jewelry in soapy water or wipe with a soft cloth. Real Tibetan jewelry hardly fades and does not cause allergies.

What is Tibetan silver?

Do not buy or wear Tibetan silver if you are pregnant or have small children.

Under no circumstances should you buy supposedly Tibetan jewelry without finding out where it came from, what the composition of the alloy is, and without making sure of its safety. Until 2009, most “Tibetan silver” products boasted a high lead content. Therefore, if you purchased such jewelry before 2009, it is better not to wear it and do not let children wear it, at least until you have checked for lead content.

Unfortunately, costume jewelry is not subject to mandatory certification.

There are no technical regulations even for children's jewelry.

Important

Children who wore fake Tibetan silver had a low level of knowledge, poor school performance, growth retardation, inappropriate behavior, irritability, poor memory, hearing impairment, decreased attention, and kidney and liver problems.

Nickel in the alloy can be an allergen and cause an allergic reaction. Children should not be allowed to wear Tibetan silver until you find out what the alloy is made of. Costume jewelry, unfortunately, does not have special certification.

In our country there are no special standards that the material for making jewelry must comply with.
The manufacturer voluntarily certifies its products. This means that he tests himself and proves the safety and quality of his products. Conscientious sellers always write what the material of the product is made of.

What is Tibetan silver from China

In 2007, seven samples of goods positioned by sellers as products made from Tibetan silver were purchased on the popular Internet sites eBay and Etsy. There was no information about the true components of the alloy.

After careful analysis of the metal using X-rays, not a single gram of silver was found in any of the samples. Six of them were made of an alloy where the main components were nickel, copper and zinc.

The seventh contained a small percentage of arsenic, which is a strong poison and carcinogen, and as much as 54% lead.

In 2009, the studies were repeated. Again, five different pieces of jewelry were purchased from different eBay sellers. Only one of them contained 1% silver. The main “Tibetan” metals are chromium, aluminum, tin and lead.

The use of lead in production is easily explained: it not only costs much less, but also melts at a lower temperature.

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What is Tibetan silver on aliexpress

Attention

This means that formally in our legislation there are no standards that the material used to make jewelry must comply with. Therefore, more responsible manufacturers carry out voluntary certification of their products, that is, they independently check and prove their quality and safety for human health.

When choosing between jewelry with a voluntary safety certificate and “not subject to mandatory certification,” it is better to prefer the first option. Do not believe unsubstantiated claims that jewelry does not contain lead.

If you are not sure, don't buy.
Remember that real silver is always more expensive than Tibetan silver, which is actually just a white metal alloy. Choose only products marked “nickel-free” or “lead-free”.

Therefore, now conscientious manufacturers do not use nickel in production.

Products made from Tibetan silver have an original, unique design. They look like antique silver, darkened by time. The high demand has led to a veritable wave of counterfeit jewelry that only claims to be silver, but may actually contain no silver at all.

Moreover, when analyzing some products sold under this well-known brand, it turned out that they could be harmful to health, as they contain hazardous substances.

Significant amounts of lead were found in some samples. There were also those that contained arsenic.

If the jewelry contains a lot of lead, it can cause high blood pressure, cause nervous diseases, deterioration of memory and attention, and aches in muscles and joints.

Tibetan silver what is it

Yes, and Nepal is not far behind.

Tibetan bracelet

“Tibetan Silver” bought outside Tibet, at best, contains from 10% to 30% silver, or even a meager 1-2%. But often the silver “didn’t spend the night here.” Sometimes (and most often in products massively sold over the Internet - beads, clasps, hairpins) there is no silver at all, but alloys of copper, bronze, brass, nickel, zinc, tin, cobalt, chromium, aluminum, in different compositions and proportions. Sometimes there is even lead that is hazardous to health.

In California (USA), in order to protect consumer rights, back in 2007, an examination was carried out to determine the percentage of silver in Tibetan Silver brand products.

The goods were purchased via the Internet in different countries - China, USA, UK, Australia. All products were stamped 925.

According to laboratory standards, the permissible lead content should not exceed 0.06 percent.

Nowadays it is very difficult to find real Tibetan silver. There are thousands of manufacturers of this style of silver in China. Today, the word Tibetan silver refers to the silver color or design of jewelry that replicates the jewelry of the Tibetan people.

Before buying Tibetan silver, you must first find out what country it came from, who the manufacturer is and what impurities are included in its composition. Cheap Chinese metal may contain harmful impurities: lead or arsenic.

Lead in the alloy increases blood pressure, reduces reproductive function, causes nervous disorders, memory loss, pain in muscles and joints.

Such an alloy contained 30 percent or more pure silver, with the remaining percentage being tin and other alloying metals. We can say that Tibetan silver is a low-grade alloy of 300 silver. In appearance, such silver resembles antique or time-aged silver jewelry.

After Tibetan silver gradually spread throughout the world, various counterfeits appeared.

Counterfeit copies were made from alloys with less pure silver or no silver at all. Today it is very difficult to track how much silver is contained in Tibetan silver; most often it can be different. Manufacturers of Tibetan silver, in order to save money, often reduce the percentage of silver to various indicators.

The baby died from severe brain damage after swallowing a bead from a bracelet! It was later discovered that it was 99% lead.

In fairness, it is worth noting that the usual 925 silver for us is also an alloy consisting of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.

If Tibetan silver does not contain nickel and lead, it can be an excellent alternative to more expensive silver jewelry. Many people like “Tibetan” jewelry because of its deliberately simple or even rough design. The surface can be polished to add shine and brightness, a more impressive appearance, to obtain a beautiful play of reflections on a product of complex shape.

Tibetan silver has properties that pure silver does not have. It hardly fades, it is much easier to clean, just wipe with a soft cloth or wash.

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Tibetan silver is a jewelry alloy based on tin with copper or zinc, with the addition of other alloying metals.

Initially, Tibetan silver, used by the people of Tibet to make jewelry, was an alloy with a silver content of 30%. Gradually, with the spread of Tibetan products around the world, a large number of copies appeared, made from alloys with a lower silver content or containing no silver at all.

Testing of twelve lots offered for sale on EBay as Tibetan Silver has shown that these lots often contain no silver at all.

Additionally, test results from 2007 found high levels of lead and other hazardous metals such as arsenic.

Genuine Tibetan silver is usually made from an alloy containing 92.5 percent silver.

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Source: https://turboliders.ru/chto-takoe-tibetskoe-serebro

Is it possible to wear jewelry made of Tibetan metal?

All kinds of jewelry made from Tibetan silver have recently become quite a popular and widespread product in online stores. Primarily because of the name, many people believe that the beads and pendants are made of precious metal brought from Tibet, although in fact this is not the case. Moreover, so-called Tibetan products may not contain silver at all or even contain harmful and dangerous elements.

Indeed, until just over a decade ago there was an alloy known as Tibetan silver. It was used by the Tibetans as a material for jewelry and contained up to 30% real silver. In appearance, a product made from such an alloy resembles an antique, “aged” decoration. However, it was still not a precious metal, but an alloy of it with copper, nickel and tin. Nickel is no longer used because many people are allergic to products made from this metal.

Real Tibetan products are now very difficult or almost impossible to find, especially among the hundreds of thousands of offers from Chinese manufacturers. The words “Tibetan silver” most often mean just the silvery color of the metal and a certain design of jewelry that replicates the jewelry of the Tibetan inhabitants.

What is hidden under the name “Tibetan silver”?

Perhaps a typical X-ray film contains more precious metal than a Tibetan alloy necklace or bracelet.

A well-known study was carried out by the California Metallurgical Laboratory at the request of a Californian manufacturer of accessories for costume jewelry. In 2007, seven samples of goods positioned by sellers as products made from Tibetan silver were purchased on the popular Internet sites eBay and Etsy.

There was no information about the true components of the alloy. After careful analysis of the metal using X-rays, not a single gram of silver was found in any of the samples. Six of them were made of an alloy where the main components were nickel, copper and zinc.

The seventh contained a small percentage of arsenic, which is a strong poison and carcinogen, and as much as 54% lead.

In 2009, the studies were repeated. Again, five different pieces of jewelry were purchased from different eBay sellers. Only one of them contained 1% silver. The main “Tibetan” metals are chromium, aluminum, tin and lead.

The use of lead in production is easily explained: it not only costs much less, but also melts at a lower temperature. Therefore, the cost of finished products will be significantly lower.

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In adults, lead can cause high blood pressure, nervous disorders, muscle and joint pain, irritability, memory disorders and even problems with conception.

Children are more sensitive to the effects of toxic metals because their body weight is smaller and a smaller dose is needed for serious poisoning. Even a small amount of harmful metal can cause attention disorders, hearing impairment, growth retardation, and kidney disease. Large doses can lead to mental disorders, coma and even death.

Children under six years of age are especially vulnerable as their brains and nervous systems are still developing. In a tragic incident in the United States, a bracelet made of metal beads made in China given to a four-year-old child caused severe lead poisoning. The baby died from severe brain damage after swallowing a bead from a bracelet! It was later discovered that it was 99% lead.

Advantages of “Tibetan metal”

In fairness, it is worth noting that the usual 925 silver for us is also an alloy consisting of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.

If Tibetan silver does not contain nickel and lead, it can be an excellent alternative to more expensive silver jewelry. Many people like “Tibetan” jewelry because of its deliberately simple or even rough design. The surface can be polished to add shine and brightness, a more impressive appearance, to obtain a beautiful play of reflections on a product of complex shape.

Tibetan silver has properties that pure silver does not have. It hardly fades, it is much easier to clean, just wipe with a soft cloth or wash. It can be worn by people with allergies to precious metals.

Tibetan silver is used in the production of jewelry primarily because it looks noble, similar to ordinary silver, and does not wear off when worn, like silver plating. Its cost is much lower, and “Tibetan” jewelry made from high-quality alloy can last longer.

To wear or not to wear – that is the question

What if you really liked Tibetan silver jewelry? Remember that cheap Chinese metal may be an alloy containing lead or arsenic. You shouldn’t endanger your health or that of your loved ones for the dubious joy of wearing a beautiful bracelet.

Of course, sellers who list a higher percentage of the precious metal than is actually the case and do not warn that the alloy contains lead are breaking the law. They will be held responsible for the damage caused by the jewelry, but you may suffer due to the dangerous alloy.

Do not buy or wear Tibetan silver if you are pregnant or have small children.

Under no circumstances should you buy supposedly Tibetan jewelry without finding out where it came from, what the composition of the alloy is, and without making sure of its safety. Until 2009, most “Tibetan silver” products boasted a high lead content. Therefore, if you purchased such jewelry before 2009, it is better not to wear it and do not let children wear it, at least until you have checked for lead content.

Unfortunately, costume jewelry is not subject to mandatory certification. There are no technical regulations even for children's jewelry. This means that formally in our legislation there are no standards that the material used to make jewelry must comply with. Therefore, more responsible manufacturers carry out voluntary certification of their products, that is, they independently check and prove their quality and safety for human health.

If you are not sure, don't buy. Remember that real silver is always more expensive than Tibetan silver, which is actually just a white metal alloy. Choose only products marked “nickel-free” or “lead-free”. Try to buy products from a reliable manufacturer.

Source: https://oserebre.ru/zarubezhnoe-serebro/tibetskoe.html