Magnet Test on a Real and Fake Engelhard 100oz Silver Bar

[Be sure to see our video on using Ultrasonic Thickness Gauges to accurately determine if a bar is made of real silver]

This video shows you how to use the "magnet test" to help determine which 100oz Engelhard silver bar bar is real, and which is fake (made from lead).

Silver is diamagnetic, meaning that a magnet will not stick to it, but you will feel strong resistance when moving a strong magnet on the surface of the silver. Although lead is also diamagnetic, it is much less so, as this video shows.

Note that this test will likely not detect real silver bars that were hollowed and filled with lead (the ring test might, however).

The magnet test can positively determine that a bar is fake, but cannot positively determine that a bar is real. For a very accurate test, you can use an ultrasonic thickness gauge (check our our other videos to see one in action; we were the first to use this technique).