In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) states, in order for something to be considered “sterling silver”, “solid silver” or qualify for the abbreviation “ster”, it must meet the threshold of 92.5% Ag, the element of silver. Coin silver is 90% Ag (silver)*.
Recently I got sucked into Temu. It is one of many bargain sites with items predominantly coming from China. The site tends to entice people, like me, with freebies with orders. I thought I’d take the opportunity to test out several products. Of the 10 “real 925 sterling silver” items I obtained, only 2 of them tested as actual solid silver, and all but 2 were fraudulently stamped as “S925” or “925”. The remaining items were either a silver flashing (electroplating), or silver color.
Each item was tested by a common acid test kit. Most appeared to be copper or cheap alloys. While China and other nations are expected to abide by our FTC laws, in order to conduct business within our country, it’s often cheaper to issue out refunds, since they’re cashing in on the multitude of unsuspecting customers who are unaware—or just don’t care, that they have been duped.
To Temu’s credit, they made returns easy. Most items were under $10 and not worth collecting items in exchange for a refund.