What is genuine jewellery? Everything you need to know! - fejn jewelry

Urban heroines know the problem: When shopping for jewelry in the city, the selection is huge. It is often not that easy to determine the quality of bracelets, rings, etc. with the naked eye and to distinguish real jewelry from costume jewelry. Even when rummaging through mom or grandma's old jewelry collection, the question often arises: What is real jewelry? And what is costume jewelry? Most jewelry lovers know that real jewelry is the high-quality counterpart to so-called costume jewelry. But what exactly distinguishes the two jewelry categories from each other and how can you recognize real jewelry? fejn explains!

Real jewellery – this is how the term is defined

As the name suggests, real jewelry describes pieces of jewelry with lasting value. But what exactly is real jewelry ? Real jewelry can be described as such if the majority of the material used consists of precious metals such as gold, silver or platinum. Real jewelry pieces not only look beautiful, but can also represent a long-term investment - depending on the precious metal content. Regardless of whether it is gold, silver or platinum, all real jewelry pieces have one thing in common: the embossing. It is also called a "hallmark" or "hallmarking" and is usually found in a hidden place. For example, inside a gold or silver ring.

This stamping provides information about the fineness of the precious metal used - in thousandths. For example, for a gold ring with a 750 stamp, this is 750/1000, or 75%. The basic rule is: the higher the number indicated in the stamping, the more precious metal is contained. The rest of the piece of jewelry usually consists of other metals that are used to alloy - i.e. to mix several precious metals. The alloys commonly used in Europe that are recorded in the stamp are 333, 585 and 750. Unfortunately, the stamping alone is not reliable proof of the authenticity of jewelry, because it could also be a fake. So when buying jewelry, it's better to take a closer look. We'll tell you how.

How do you recognize gold?

Have you fallen in love with a piece of jewelry that is supposedly made of real gold, but want to be absolutely sure that it is the high-quality material? How do you recognize real gold? If - especially with older pieces of jewelry - a color other than gold shines through at the edge, you are probably holding a gold-plated piece in your hands and the underlying material is recognizable. If possible, you can also carry out a water test. Real gold jewelry is heavy and sinks. If your piece of jewelry floats on water, it is not made of gold. A magnet can also help you to recognize real gold jewelry . It is not magnetic. If the ring, chain or bracelet is attracted to the magnet, it is a different metal. If you have a tile or other unglazed piece of ceramic to hand, you can simply pull the supposed gold piece over it. If it leaves a thin trace of gold, real gold has been used. But be careful, there is a risk of scratches! If in doubt, a jeweler can of course also help you to recognize gold.

By the way: If you have got hold of a real gold piece, then proper cleaning and care is crucial. Because only carefully treated gold pieces will remain beautiful in the long term.

How do you recognize silver?

If you are buying silver jewelry and you are wondering: " What is real silver jewelry? " or "How do I recognize silver?" there are a few tricks to recognize it as such, beyond the stamping. Like gold, silver is not magnetic. The magnet test therefore also works for real silver jewelry. And another fact tells you whether the piece of jewelry of your dreams is made of the precious metal: silver tarnishes. If it is in contact with air for a long time, it oxidizes with the air and changes color. This is a natural process, the traces of which can be quickly removed with a silver cleaning cloth. However, if the piece of jewelry is new, the chances are slim that it will already have dark streaks from tarnishing when you buy it. This test is therefore more suitable for inherited jewelry or flea market finds.

How else can I recognize silver? There is another way to test the authenticity of silver jewelry. However, this requires a bit of effort and can easily damage the piece of jewelry. This is the so-called acid test. You can order a set online, for example. Drip the acid onto the jewelry and it will tell you whether it is a genuine silver piece of jewelry. With fine silver, the corresponding spot turns light red, sterling silver causes a dark red discoloration, and with 800 silver, the test spot should turn brown. The acid test can of course only be carried out at home.

Did you pass the test? Perfect! Now you just need to treat the silver jewelry professionally. This includes cleaning it properly with a silver cleaning cloth or household remedies such as baking soda and baking powder.

What is costume jewelry?

Style icon Coco Chanel made so-called costume jewelry a big hit back in the 1920s. It is a type of jewelry that is designed to match current trends but has no significant material value. So it is real jewelry, but not real jewelry. Costume jewelry is meant to serve the purpose of putting the wearer in the spotlight for a short time - that's it! And there's nothing wrong with that. However, you should be aware that costume jewelry is of course less high quality than real jewelry . Materials such as plastic, glass or inexpensive metals such as brass or tombac are used to make it in order to recreate the look of real jewelry as best as possible. Of course, costume jewelry is much less durable than its real counterpart. Depending on the quality of the materials used, the pieces often discolor after a short time and break much more easily than jewelry made of real gold or silver. When it comes to sustainability, costume jewelry is therefore usually viewed more critically.

Sustainable real jewelry from fejn Jewelry

What is real jewelry? You don't have to ask yourself this question when browsing our online shop. Even if you can't try on our jewelry in the store before buying it: With all fejn pieces you can be sure that you are getting timeless real jewelry made from recycled precious metals and responsibly manufactured. For our the glamorous collection, for example, we use 14K solid gold. This is how real jewelry shopping works.