Is Pure Silver Magnetic?

 

Is Pure Silver Magnetic?

Accidentally buying fake silver is a stacker’s worst nightmare. This isn’t a uniquely modern fear, either. Counterfeit and fake silver have been around for as long as humanity has been trading the precious metal. Scammers are getting more sophisticated, too. Fakes can be highly convincing, and it’s important for investors to learn how to confirm the purity of a silver coin, bar, or round.

The magnet test is one of the most popular ways to detect fake silver. Silver is not magnetic, so it should not be attracted to magnets. In fact, silver is diamagnetic, which means that the metal is repelled by magnets. Some investors mistakenly believe that silver should not react to magnets at all, but this is untrue. In reality, the phenomenon of eddy currents can cause strong magnets to experience resistance of “slow down” when near silver. This is what makes the “magnetic slide test” effective for silver coins; coins that are real silver will slowly slide down the magnetic silver slide, while fake coins will either stick to the slide or slide down quickly.

So, is pure silver magnetic? Pure silver isn’t magnetic, but eddy currents can cause silver coins to react slightly to magnets. While magnets can be useful for spotting badly faked silver coins, some silver coins may react slightly to magnets, especially powerful ones, due to the eddy phenomenon.

On this page, learn more about silver’s strange relationship with magnetism – and how to test your silver coins using magnets at home.

Silver’s Diamagnetism Explained

One common misconception among silver stackers is that silver does not react in any way to magnets. While silver isn’t magnetic, it is diamagnetic, which means that a silver coin, bar, or round will be repelled by a magnet. The repelling effect that magnets have on silver is very slight, especially for highly pure silver items.

To complicate matters even more, a magnet may slow or face resistance when exposed to pure silver. This happens because of eddy currents, a phenomenon when a magnet is brought near a highly conductive material, like silver or gold. The conductivity of the metal causes the induction of swirling currents of electricity. These currents resist the motion of the magnet across the metal’s surface by creating an opposing magnetic field.

This can sometimes confuse investors, as it can appear that a magnet is attracted to their silver coins or bars. In reality, a magnet can be slowed or face resistance when approaching a genuine silver coin because of eddy currents.

The Magnet Test for Silver

Many investors use the ‘magnet test’ to help determine whether or not their silver is real. Since silver is not magnetic, it shouldn’t be pulled toward magnets. However, a fake silver coin can pass the magnetic test if it is made out of another metal that is not attracted to magnets, so the magnet test alone cannot verify that your silver coin, bar, or round is real.

The magnet test can also be a bit misleading, especially if you choose to use a strong magnet. Because of the effect of eddy currents, a pure silver coin may slow or impede the movement of a magnet across the surface of a silver bar or coin. To the untrained eye, this effect can make it appear that the silver is being pulled by the magnet, even though this isn’t the case.

A strong enough magnet can even appear to move a genuine piece of silver without ever touching it. Since silver is diamagnetic and repelled by magnets, a magnet may appear to influence the movement of a silver coin along a surface by pushing it away.

For this reason, the magnet test is an excellent initial test, as it can rule out obvious fakes. If you hold a magnet up to your coin and the coin is pulled immediately onto the magnet, you’re dealing with a clear fake. But if the coin passes the magnet test, all you know is that your coin is not magnetic. A good start – but not confirmation.

Luckily, specialized silver testing slides can be a more effective way to determine whether your silver coin, bar, or round is made of genuine silver.

Silver Testing Slides – How Do They Work?

The silver slide test is used to demonstrate a metal’s diamagnetic quality. Like the magnet test, the silver slide test doesn’t confirm that an item is real silver, but it does rule out certain metals that are not diamagnetic. Both the magnet test and the magnetic slide test are great methods to rule out obvious fakes, which can give you valuable information for future testing strategies.

A silver slide is a slide-shaped item with a magnetic surface. To test a coin, place it at the top of the magnetic slide. If the coin slides down slowly, then you have a diamagnetic coin. However, if the coin falls down the slide at the speed of gravity, then it isn’t diamagnetic and thus is not silver. You can buy a silver testing slide online, but it is also possible to fashion one yourself using a suitably strong magnet.

The only problem? The silver magnet slide test is another method of testing silver that can rule out certain metals but will not fully confirm that your silver is genuine. Copper is another diamagnetic and highly conductive metal, so copper rounds will also pass the magnetic slide test by slowly falling down the slide.

Magnet Tests and False Positives

Magnet-based silver tests can be flawed in several different ways. Most notably, both the traditional magnet test and the magnet slide test can produce false positives, since any diamagnetic metal will react in a similar way to silver when approached by a magnet. Inexperienced or misinformed investors may assume that a metal that doesn’t react to a magnet is silver, or that a metal that’s influenced by a magnet is not silver. In reality, non-silver metals can be nonreactive to magnets, and silver itself is reactive to magnets – just not pulled by them.

Because of the limitations of magnet-based tests, we recommend using a variety of methods to test your silver at home. Electronic metal testers are generally the most effective way to test precious metals, including gold and silver. In fact, most of your favorite precious metal dealers primarily use electronic testers to ensure that they get the most accurate reading possible.

Final Thoughts: Understanding Silver’s Strange Magnetic Quality

Because silver is not magnetic, the magnet test has long been a mainstay for stackers who want to make sure they’re only receiving genuine silver for their cash. But in reality, the magnetic test has several limitations that investors need to understand. Silver is diamagnetic, which means that it is repelled by magnets. Other metals are also diamagnetic, which can create false positives when using only the magnet test to verify the authenticity of a silver coin, bar, or round.

The silver slide test is another way to test whether your silver is genuine, but it also has a notable false positive limitation. A silver slide is a magnetic slide used to test the silver content of a silver coin. Because silver is diamagnetic, it is slowed when exposed to a magnet through an effect known as eddy currents. But silver isn’t the only diamagnetic metal. Other metals, including copper, are slowed when falling down the magnetic silver slide of a tester, and this can lead to false positives as you check coins.

At the end of the day, the best way to make sure your silver is genuine is to buy from companies you trust and, if necessary, use multiple different testing strategies. An electronic metal test is particularly effective, especially compared to more rudimentary testing methods like the magnet test or the ping test.

You might also be interested in:

• How to Check Silver Purity | Authenticating Your Investment
• How to Tell if a Coin is Real Silver
• How to Spot Fake Silver Coins