| There are many good and honest religious goods sellers, but some are out to make a obscene profit at your expense, sometimes selling at over 5 times the cost or worth of an item. I would like to educate buyers about what I have been seeing recently.
I would recommend that anyone looking for a new religious medal do some research on the Internet to get an idea of a reasonable cost.
I, like other sellers, do need to make a profit on our items, but the range of prices for the identical item on eBay has gotten ridiculous!
--For the type of medal on the far left,
a 1" long, oxidized nickel silver saint medal from Italy
prices range from $0.64, my usual cost when bought in small quantities, to $7-9 each by one eBay seller.
If the medals are bought in bulk, the price is around 20 cents or less!
You also need to look at the S&H charge before you bid,one seller offers medals for 99 cents, but their shipping and handling charge is $4!
"German Silver" is another name for the alloy of Copper, Nickel, and Zinc usually called Nickel Silver. Despite the name, Nickel Silver contains no silver.
--For any jewelry, you need to understand that any listing that says "silver" or "gold" only represents the color.--
-To buy a more expensive religious medal, there are several types of medals to consider.
*Aluminum medals have little material "worth" but are often valuable because they are rare, hard to find, or commemorative struck for a special event. They often have fantastic detail!
*Pewter, as shown in the second to the left,
is very affordable, easy to care for, at least 91% tin and the rest in antimony and copper. I have a pewter crucifix I have been wearing for years and it still looks great.
*Some vintage medals, are often called French silver, it is a silver alloy and also holds up well with a great antiqued look.
*sterling-coated pewter- A seller claims to be offering this type of medal on eBay, but I couldn't find any on the Internet. A jeweler friend says that the silver coating would be thin, at best. I doubt that there would be any way to prove it is silver without physically testing it.
*Sterling silver, 3rd from left
Sterling Silver is 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper.
99.9 percent silver is called "Fine silver".
Sterling components and jewelry made in the USA are often stamped "Sterling", but are not required to have the stamp.
If an item is marked "Sterling", it must also have a US registered hallmark.
Goods made for international trade are often marked "925" indicating the 92.5 percent fineness. "Coin" silver is used in some countries and could be marked "900" or "800" depending on fineness.
In the USA , The National Gold and Silver Marketing Act doesn't require precious metals to be marked with quality, but in many countries, precious metal must be stamped with a quality mark such as "925" for sterling. Some countries require jewelry of precious metal be submitted to a governmental assay office for destructive testing before being marked and sold.
In my opinion, I would buy only Sterling medals stamped Sterling and from well-known companies such as Creed. My first wedding band is marked Sterling with a hallmark from a well-known discount store and after 4 months of wear, a huge copper area has appeared on it.
I e-mailed a seller lately and asked if the Blessed Kateri medal in far right
was stamped Sterling, and they responded "this piece is not stamped because it would ruin the design". Their listing clearly stated in several places that the item was Sterling.
This seller is a Power Seller with over 40,000 positive feedbacks, but look at the pictures above or on the Internet and form your own opinion.
If an item is claimed Sterling or such and is not, if you have used PayPal to purchase it, you may be able to get a refund because the item is not as described.
The Jewelry, precious metals, and loose beads policy by eBay
doesn't have any guidelines for silver items that I see. Maybe it's time they did!
Until then, buyers of silver jewelry, do your research and be careful. You don't always get what you pay for.
Immaculata Rosaries | 
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