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Is silver magnetic or not?
No, silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.
Silver doesn’t magnetize because of its electronic configuration.
Silver atoms have an electron configuration of [Kr] 4d^10 5s^1, where all the electrons are paired. There’re no unpaired electrons which means there’s no magnetic dipole moment, a property required for a material to exhibit magnetism.
Below you’ll find many more answer to common questions about silver’s magnetic properties, or lack thereof.
- Is Real Sterling Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is 999 Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is 958 Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is 900 Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is 800 Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is 500 Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is Fake Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is Nickel Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is Horn Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is Silver Argentium Magnetic or Not?
- Is Silver Decoplata Magnetic or Not?
- Is Raw Silver Magnetic or Not?
- Is Silver-Plated Jewelry Magnetic or Not?
- Is Silver More or Less Magnetic than Platinum?
- Is Silver More or Less Magnetic than Palladium?
Table of Contents
Is Real Sterling Silver Magnetic or Not?
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 999 Silver Magnetic or Not?
No, 999 silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.
999 silver, also known as “three nines fine”, is the purest silver form and 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.
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 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 used for making coins and bullion. It’s an 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 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 500 Silver Magnetic or Not?
No, 500 silver isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.
500 silver, also known as “500 fine silver,” is an alloy that’ s 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 (nickel is magnetic).
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.
Below I explain how you can easily test silver with magnets to see if it’s real or fake.
How to Test Silver at Home With Magnets (step-by-step):
- Step #1– get both the magnet and the silver item you want to test;
- Step #2– bring the magnet extremely close to your silver object without touching it.
- Step #3– See if the silver item responds to your magnet.
Precious metal market is rife with scams and you want to make sure you buy genuine silver bullion when investing your hard-earned money.
I recommend you check out Augusta Precious Metals if you’re looking to open a silver IRA account  (or alternatively a gold IRA account)
They’re a reputable US-based gold investment company that also sell a wide collection of IRA-approved silver coins and bars.
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.
Nickel silver isn’t magnetic because at least 80% of the alloy consist 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.
Is Silver Argentium Magnetic or Not?
No, Silver Argentium isn’t magnetic. It’s diamagnetic.
Silver Argentium is a 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 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 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 elemental metals that are magnetic are iron, nickel and cobalt.
Examples of magnetic silver-plated items are:
- an object (for example silver ring) that’s silver-plated with iron as base metal.
- an object (for example silver bracelet) that’s silver-plated with nickel as base metal.
- an object (for example silver necklace) that’s silver-plated with cobalt as base metal.
Non-magnetic silver-plated objects are those with a diamagnetic silver plate and a base made of some other diamagnetic or non-magnetic material.
Examples of non-magnetic silver-plated 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.
Gold vermeil is when sterling silver is plated with gold that’s at least 2.5 microns thick.
The most popular gold vermeils are yellow gold vermeil, white gold vermeil and rose gold vermeil.
None of these gold vermeils are magnetic.
- Yellow gold vermeil doesn’t magnetize because neither real gold nor sterling silver are magnetic.
- White gold vermeil doesn’t magnetize because neither white gold nor sterling silver are magnetic. Also, white gold often have a rhodium coating for added strength and durability. Rhodium isn’t magnetic. It’s paramagnetic.
- Rose gold vermeil doesn’t magnetize because neither rose gold nor sterling silver are magnetic.
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.
Is Silver Magnetic at All or Not? What about Sterling Silver (Conclusion)?
Sterling silver isn’t magnetic at all.
Neither is any other type of silver.
Fake silver jewelry can be magnetic depending on the base metal used when creating that jewelry.
Have questions?
Shoot them in the comment section below!
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/
Nikola Roza
Nikola Roza is a blogger behind Nikola Roza- SEO for the Poor and Determined. He writes for bloggers who don't have huge marketing budget but still want to succeed. Nikola is passionate about precious metals IRAs and how to invest in gold and silver for a safer financial future. Learn about Nikola here.
