Silver Tests XRF: X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Silver Content
XRF: X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis of Silver Content
Overview of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF)
There are websites out there that claim that the scratch silver acid test is the only way to determine the composition of your jewelry. Not true! In fact, the "gold standard" of silver content testing is X-Ray Fluorescence Analysis, or XRF testing, for short. X-Ray fluorescence is carried out with a scientific piece of equipment called an XRF spectrometer. It can be used to determine the chemical composition of solid materials and fluids.
In the jewelry field XRF is most often used to determine the composition of jewelry. Is that jewelry really sterling silver? XRF will let you know. Is that gold ring really made of gold, and if so, how many carats? XRF can tell you. The nice thing about XRF is that an assessment can be made without damaging the sample. For metallurgic analysis, all that is needed is a few grams of material.
We closed shop at a time when silver was flirting with the $50/ounce level. Because of recession, our remaining stock had more value to scrap sellers than to our financially challenged customer base. We sold about 10,000 grams of sterling to a large buyer of gold and silver based in New York that did an XRF analysis on all jewelry submitted to them. For us, this was a test of their technology and honesty because we mixed our own alloy and knew without any doubt that we had submitted .925 sterling silver to them. Their analysis was right on.
How X-Ray Fluorescence Works
This method takes advantage of scientific understanding of how x-rays interact with the atoms in samples. When hit with radiation, the atoms in the materials being assessed become excited and release energy, called fluorescent radiation. Each element has its own signature, which can be assessed, allowing for precise determination of the composition of the sample.