Is Silver Magnetic or Not? Does any Form of Silver Magnetize and Sticks to Magnets?

Silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Pure silver doesn’t magnetize because of its electronic configuration. Silver atoms have paired electrons with no unpaired electrons, meaning there’s no magnetic dipole moment required for magnetism.

Real sterling silver (925 silver), 999 silver, 958 silver, 900 silver, 800 silver, and other silver alloys are all diamagnetic because they contain diamagnetic metals like copper and zinc.

However, fake silver can be magnetic when thin silver coating covers magnetic base metals like iron or ferritic stainless steel.

Silver is less magnetic than platinum and palladium, which are paramagnetic metals weakly attracted to magnets.

Below you’ll find many more answers to common questions about silver’s magnetic properties, or lack thereof.

Here’s a quiz about silver’s magnetic properties. Take it after you’ve read my guide for your best results.

Is 999 Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, 999 silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

999 silver, also known as “pure silver” and “three nines fine”, is the purest silver form and is often used in creating coins and bars for precious metal investing.

For example, you can buy 999 silver bullion to include in your silver IRA account.

Note: pure silver doesn’t magnetize because of its electronic configuration.

Is 958 Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, 958 silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

958 silver is known as “Britannia silver” because it’s a popular silver standard in Britain. Britannia silver is an alloy of 95.84% silver and 4.16% copper or zinc.

Copper and zinc give 958 silver strength and durability and both copper and zinc are diamagnetic metals.

Is Silver Argentium Magnetic or Not?

No, silver Argentium isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Silver Argentium is a modern silver alloy with a huge percentage of pure silver in it (93.5%, 94%, or 96%) with the remaining few percent consisting of germanium and copper.

Pure silver, copper and germanium are all diamagnetic metals making silver Argentium diamagnetic.

Is Real Sterling Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, real sterling silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Sterling silver is also known as “925 silver” because it’s an alloy made 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper or zinc. Fine silver, copper and zinc are all diamagnetic metals which means they can’t be significantly magnetized under any circumstance.

Bottom line is that real sterling silver doesn’t magnetize.

Is 900 Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, 900 silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

900 silver is known as “coin silver” because in the past it was the silver standard predominately used for making coins and bullion.

900 silver is a silver alloy made of 90% silver and 10% other metals. These other metals are usually copper and zinc, both diamagnetic materials.

900 silver can also be made with nickel, and nickel is magnetic. However, 10% nickel combined with 90% pure silver isn’t enough for 900 silver to display a magnetic effect.

Is Scandinavian Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, Scandinavian silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Scandinavian silver is a silver alloy composed of 83% pure silver and 17% copper. Both silver and copper are diamagnetic metals making Scandinavian silver diamagnetic too.

Is 800 Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, 800 silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

800 silver is known as “Continental Silver” or “European silver”  because it was a common silver standard in Europe, especially in Germany, Austria and Italy where it was used for making flatware, jewelry, coinage, and niello work.

800 silver is an alloy made of 80% silver and 20% other metals. These other metals are usually copper and zinc, both diamagnetic materials.

800 silver can also be made with nickel, and nickel is magnetic. However, that 20% of nickel isn’t enough for 800 silver to display a noticeable magnetic effect.

Is Silver Decoplata Magnetic or Not?

No, silver Decoplata isn’t magnetic, it’s diamagnetic.

Silver Decoplata, also known as .720 silver, is a silver alloy containing 72% pure silver and 28% copper. It was commonly used in coins, particularly those from Mexico and the Netherlands, during the mid-20th century, but has also been used by other countries at various times

Both pure silver and copper within the alloy are diamagnetic making silver Decoplata diamagnetic as well.

Is 500 Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, 500 silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

500 silver, also known as “500 fine silver,” is a silver alloy that’s made of 50% silver and 50% other metals like copper and zinc.

Both copper and zinc are diamagnetic making 500 silver a diamagnetic silver form.

Note: 500 silver can also be made with nickel where 50% of silver is alloyed with 50% of nickel. In that case 500 silver becomes magnetic due to high nickel presence in the alloy (because nickel is ferromagnetic).

Is Fake Silver Magnetic or Not?

Yes, fake silver is magnetic when thin silver coating is covering a large base of some magnetic material or metal.

This is very common with cheap fake silver jewelry that looks genuine, but is actually made of fake silver.

A good example is thin silver plating covering a ferritic stainless steel base. Stainless steel visually looks similar to silver and ferritic stainless steel is magnetic.

Underneath the image below I explain how you can easily test silver with magnets to see if it’s real or fake.

Test your silver to see if it magnetizes or not #silver Share on X

Is Nickel Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, nickel silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Nickel silver is a silvery, diamagnetic alloy that’s often used in applications where there’re multiple metals present.

Typical composition of nickel silver alloy is 60% copper, 20% nickel, and 20% zinc, but the composition varies.

And there’s never any silver in nickel silver alloy.

Nickel silver isn’t magnetic because at least 80% of the alloy consists of copper and zinc, both diamagnetic metals.

The remaining 20% is usually nickel. Nickel is a magnetic metal, but 20% of nickel isn’t enough to magnetize nickel silver.

Is Horn Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, horn silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Horn silver, also known as cerargyrite or chlorargyrite, is a mineral primarily composed of silver chloride (AgCl). It’s an ore of silver and is known for its dull, horn-like appearance, hence the name “Horn Silver“.

The silver embedded within this natural mineral gives it its diamagnetic properties.

 

Note: horn silver is a type of silver ore and silver is extracted from it (~26 000 metric tons of silver are mined in a calendar year).

Is Raw Silver Magnetic or Not?

No, raw silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.

Raw silver isn’t magnetic because silver has paired electrons which create opposing magnetic moments that cancel each other out, resulting in a weak repulsion to magnetic fields.

Is Silver-Plated Jewelry Magnetic or Not?

Some silver-plated jewelry objects are magnetic, and some aren’t.

Silver-plated objects that are magnetic consist of diamagnetic silver plate (can’t be magnetized) and magnetic base metal. Three common magnetic base metals are iron, nickel and cobalt.

Examples of magnetic silver-plated items are:

• an object (for example silver ring or broch) that’s silver-plated with iron as base metal.
• an object (for example silver bracelet or earring) that’s silver-plated with nickel as base metal.
• an object (for example silver necklace or pendant) that’s silver-plated with cobalt as base metal.

Silver-plated jewelry’s magnetic properties apply here regardless of the type of jewelry in question.

Even silver-plated cutlery, flatware and musical objects (like a trumpet) would magnetize all the same thanks to the strong ferromagnetic core.

Which Silver-Plated Jewelry Isn’t Magnetic?

Non-magnetic silver-plated jewelry is those objects where a diamagnetic silver plate is put on top of a base made of some other diamagnetic or non-magnetic material.

Examples of non-magnetic silver-plated jewelry items are:

• an object (for example silver ring) that’s silver-plated with real palladium as base metal.
• an object (for example silver bracelet) that’s silver-plated with authentic platinum as base metal.
• an object (for example silver necklace) that’s silver-plated with genuine gold as base metal.

Is Silver More or Less Magnetic than Platinum?

Silver is less magnetic than platinum.

It’s because platinum as a paramagnetic metal is weakly attracted to a magnet. Whereas silver as a diamagnetic metal is weakly repelled by magnetic fields.

Is Silver More or Less Magnetic than Palladium?

Silver is less magnetic than palladium.

It’s because palladium as a paramagnetic metal is weakly attracted to a magnet. Whereas silver as a diamagnetic metal is weakly repelled by magnetic fields.

Silver is less magnetic than both platinum and palladium. #silver #platinum #palladium Share on X

Is Silver Magnetic at All or Not? What about Sterling Silver (Conclusion)?

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Pure silver and nearly all silver alloys aren’t magnetic. Instead, they’re diamagnetic, meaning they are weakly repelled by magnetic fields. Fake or silver-plated items, however, may be magnetic if they have a core made of a ferromagnetic metal like iron, nickel, or ferritic stainless steel.

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Resources:

• Sterling Silver vs Stainless Steel: What’s The Difference?- https://lanewoodsjewelry.com/blog/sterling-silver-vs-stainless-steel/
• Testing precious metals with magnets- TESTING PRECIOUS METALS (silver, gold, platinum)
  AND OTHER METALS (Copper, brass, bronze)
  WITH MAGNETS- https://www.quicktest.co.uk/blogs/testing-precious-metals/testing-precious-metals-with-magnets
• Do magnets affect silver coins or metal objects?- https://www.quora.com/Do-magnets-affect-silver-coins-or-metal-objects
• Is a magnet a good way to tell if something is made of silver?- https://www.quora.com/Is-a-magnet-a-good-way-to-tell-if-something-is-made-of-silver
• Remember folks, only the purest of silver is magnetic- https://www.reddit.com/r/Silverbugs/comments/yy2azl/remember_folks_only_the_purest_of_silver_is/
• What does .999+ Mean in Precious Metals? https://learn.apmex.com/answers/what-does-999-mean-in-precious-metals/
• What is Britannia Silver?- https://goldguys.com/what-is-britannia-silver/
• What Is 900 Silver?- https://www.silverrecyclers.com/blog/900-silver.aspx
• The Difference between Silver, Sterling Silver, 900 Silver, 800 Silver, Alpaca, Nickel Silver and Silver Plated Jewelry- https://hunterridgeacquisitions.wordpress.com/2014/06/27/the-difference-between-silver-sterling-silver-900-silver-800-silver-alpaca-nickel-silver-and-silver-plated-jewelry/
• Fake silver- https://zengold.com/gold-guide/fake-silver/
• Nickel silver- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_silver
• Argentium 940 Silver Sheet 0.70mm- https://www.cooksongold.com/Argentium-Silver/Argentium-940-Silver-Sheet-0.70mm-prcode-CS40-070
• Antique French Horn Silver and Bone Salad Servers Art Deco Silver and Horn Utensils and Flatware- https://www.etsy.com/listing/1767933975/antique-french-horn-silver-and-bone
• Decoplata: The History of .720 Silver in World Coinage- https://coinweek.com/decoplata-the-history-of-720-silver-in-world-coinage/
• Silver mining- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_mining
• How to Care for Antique Silverware- https://familytreemagazine.com/preservation/heirlooms/8-tips-caring-for-silver-pieces/
• Scandinavian Silver Fringe Necklace- https://www.antiquejewellerycompany.com/au/shop/scandinavian-silver-fringe-necklace/