The stamp that says "925" is where most buying guides start, and it is the worst place to start — counterfeits stamp themselves too. Work through these in order.
1. The ice test (the free one nobody uses)
Silver conducts heat better than almost any metal on Earth. Rest an ice cube on the piece and on a stainless spoon side by side. On real silver, the ice visibly melts faster — heat is being pulled from the whole object into the contact point. Plated brass and steel can't do this. It looks like a party trick; it's thermodynamics.
2. The smell test
Real silver is odorless. Brass plated with silver picks up a faint coppery smell within days of wear, because skin acid works through plating at the microscopic level. If a "silver" ring smells faintly like pennies, it is mostly pennies.
3. Magnet
Silver is not magnetic. This only catches the crudest fakes, but it takes ten seconds.
4. Weight in hand
Silver is denser than most of what it gets faked with. Two identical-looking chains, and the silver one feels noticeably heavier. This needs a reference point, which is why it's ranked low — but once you've held both, you never forget the difference.
5. Polish cloth
Rub aggressively with a polishing cloth. Real silver leaves black marks on the cloth (that's the sulfide coming off). Plated pieces leave little or nothing — because the silver layer is microns thick, there's almost nothing to come off.
6. The acid test — leave this one alone
It works, but it permanently marks the piece. Any jeweler will run it for you in seconds, usually for free, if you actually need certainty.
The honest summary: price is the seventh test. Sterling silver has a floor set by the metal market. A "925" ring at the price of a coffee never needed the other six tests to begin with.
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