Original Silver Rakhi vs Silver Plated: How to Tell

A rakhi listed at Rs 199 and a rakhi listed at Rs 5,000 can carry the identical description: 925 sterling silver. One of them is telling the truth. This guide shows you which, using checks you can run on the piece in your hand rather than on trust. It covers what an original silver rakhi is made of, the four other metals routinely sold under the same name in India, and the five minute test that settles it before Raksha Bandhan on 28 August 2026.

What an original silver rakhi actually is

An original silver rakhi is one where the motif is solid 925 sterling silver all the way through, not a coating over something cheaper. The number matters: 925 means 92.5 percent pure silver, with the remaining 7.5 percent alloy, usually copper, added because pure silver is far too soft to hold a shape on a piece that gets tied, pulled and worn.

That definition is the whole argument. A solid silver rakhi can be scratched, polished, tarnished and cleaned a hundred times and it is still silver underneath, because there is nothing else in it. Everything below is a way of finding out whether that is what you are holding. If you want the metallurgy in full, our note on what 925 sterling silver means goes deeper than this page needs to.

Original silver rakhi vs silver plated: the difference that matters

The difference is depth. A plated rakhi is silver only on the outside, and the layer is measured in microns, thinner than a sheet of paper. Underneath sits brass, an alloy or occasionally nickel.

	Original silver rakhi	Silver plated rakhi
Material	92.5 percent silver throughout	Base metal with a micron thin silver skin
Typical price	Rs 1,000 to Rs 8,000	Rs 99 to Rs 500
When scratched	Silver underneath, polishes out	Yellow or grey base metal shows through
Over a year	Tarnishes evenly, cleans back	Plating wears at the edges and rubs off
Skin reaction	Rare, copper alloy is well tolerated	Possible, nickel is a common allergen
Resale or melt value	Holds against the daily silver rate	Effectively none

Neither product is dishonest by itself. A plated rakhi is a reasonable festival item if you know that is what you are buying. The problem is that both get sold under headings like pure silver rakhi, so the buyer thinks she has found a bargain when she has found a different product.

The other metals sold as a silver rakhi

Four materials get sold under the silver rakhi label in India and only one of them contains silver. Learning the four words saves most of the trouble.

German silver. Contains no silver at all. It is a copper, nickel and zinc alloy named for its colour, not its content. A German silver rakhi is not a cheaper grade of silver, it is a different metal.

Silver plated. Base metal with a genuine but extremely thin silver coating. Real silver on the surface, nothing underneath.

Silver coated or silver finish. Usually a lacquer or electro deposit even thinner than plating. This is the layer that goes patchy within weeks.

Silver colour or oxidised metal. No silver claimed and none present. The grey tone comes from a finish applied to brass or aluminium, which is why an oxidised rakhi at Rs 80 is possible and an oxidised silver rakhi at Rs 80 is not.

Five ways to check a silver rakhi is original

Run more than one on any silver rakhi you are unsure about. A single test can mislead on a motif this small, but three agreeing tests are conclusive.

1. Look for the stamp. Genuine sterling carries 925, .925, 92.5, S925 or STER somewhere on the metal. On a rakhi this is usually on the back of the motif or on a clasp tag, and it can be tiny enough to need a phone camera zoomed in.

2. Try a magnet. Silver is not magnetic. Hold a fridge magnet against the motif: an original silver rakhi ignores it completely, while anything with a steel or nickel core pulls toward it. A pass here does not prove silver on its own, because brass is not magnetic either, which is why this test never travels alone.

3. Judge the weight. Silver is dense, roughly 10.5 grams per cubic centimetre against about 8.5 for brass. A solid silver motif feels heavier than it looks. A plated rakhi of the same size feels thin and hollow in the palm.

4. Watch how it tarnishes. Real silver darkens evenly to grey or black over months, and a soft cloth brings it back. Plating does the opposite: it stays bright then goes patchy at the edges where the coating has worn through and the yellow base metal shows.

5. Use the ice test. Silver conducts heat better than any other metal. Rest a small piece of ice on the motif and on a coin at the same time. On an original silver rakhi the ice starts melting noticeably faster.

For the full testing method across other jewellery, including acid testing, see our guide on how to identify real 925 silver.

Where the 925 stamp sits, and why some genuine pieces do not carry one

On a rakhi the stamp is usually on the reverse of the motif, and on bracelet styles it is often on the clasp or on a small tag beside it. Look with a phone camera on maximum zoom rather than with the naked eye, because on a piece this small the mark is often under a millimetre tall.

A missing stamp is not proof of a fake, and this is where most buyers get confused. BIS hallmarking is mandatory for gold jewellery in India but voluntary for silver. A great deal of genuinely solid 925 silver sold in India therefore carries no BIS hallmark and no six digit HUID, simply because the law does not require one. On top of that, some rakhi motifs are too thin or too detailed to stamp without damaging the design.

So treat a stamp on a silver rakhi as strong positive evidence when present, and treat its absence as neutral rather than damning. Fall back on weight, magnet and tarnish behaviour, and on whether the price is physically possible.

What 925, 92.5 and 999 actually mean

All three numbers describe how much silver is in the metal, expressed per thousand. 925 and 92.5 are the same thing written two ways, 92.5 percent silver, which is what sterling means and what almost every silver rakhi worth buying is made of.

999 is fine silver, 99.9 percent pure. It is softer, scratches more readily and is used mostly for coins and very simple shapes rather than for a rakhi motif that has to survive being tied. A 999 silver rakhi is not an upgrade on a 925 one for this purpose, it is a trade of durability for purity you cannot see. Anything below 900 is not sterling and should not be described as an original silver rakhi at all.

What plating actually does over the first year

Plating fails at the edges first, and on a rakhi that means the raised parts of the motif. The high points rub against clothing and skin, the micron layer thins, and the base metal underneath starts to show as a warm yellow or dull grey patch. On a piece worn regularly this is usually visible within a few months.

Solid silver behaves differently and better. It tarnishes, which looks like a problem and is not: the darkening is a surface reaction with air and moisture, it goes no deeper, and a soft cloth removes it. That is the practical difference between a rakhi that ages and one that degrades. Our notes on whether silver tarnishes and on cleaning silver at home cover the ten minute fix.

How to judge a silver rakhi before you can hold it

Every test above needs the piece in your hand, which is no help while you are still deciding what to order. Online, four signals do most of the work.

Read the specification, not the title. Titles are marketing and are rarely precise. The specification table or the FAQ further down the listing is where sellers state the truth, because that is the part their returns team relies on. A page titled sterling silver rakhi whose FAQ answers questions about plated rakhis has told you what it sells.

Zoom into the photographs. Look at the back of the motif and at the clasp, which is where a stamp would sit. Look for warm yellow tones at raised edges on any worn or sample piece, the signature of plating rubbing through.

Check what the seller does not say. A genuine silver rakhi listing states the purity plainly, usually 925 or 92.5. Vague language, silver finish, silver tone, silver look, oxidised silver colour, is doing deliberate work.

Read the return policy before ordering. A seller confident in solid metal offers a normal return window. One that excludes returns on festival items is telling you something about how many buyers ask for their money back.

Asli chandi or chandi coated, the same check in Hindi terms

Chandi is simply the Hindi word for silver, so an asli chandi ki rakhi and an original silver rakhi are the same thing. The words to look for on a listing are asli chandi or 925 chandi. The words that should slow you down are chandi jaisi, chandi coated, chandi polish and German silver.

The same split runs through the other regional terms, vendi rakhi in Telugu, rakhdi in Gujarati and Rajasthani, chandichi rakhi in Marathi. Whatever the language, the question is identical: is the silver all the way through, or only on the surface? Every test above works the same regardless of what the seller calls it.

The price test, in one line

Silver was quoted at about Rs 235 per gram in India on 3 August 2026, which puts roughly Rs 217 of metal in every gram of 925. A solid rakhi motif of any real presence weighs several grams, so a genuine one cannot cost Rs 199 before a single making charge is added. If the number is impossible, no other test is needed. The full arithmetic sits in our silver rakhi price guide, alongside our silver weight and price guide for other categories.

Our own original silver rakhi range

Every piece we make is solid 925 sterling silver, which is the reason nothing in the range starts at Rs 199. These eight span the full ladder from the lightest bracelet to the heaviest handcrafted motif, so you can see what solid silver costs at each level.

The wider range, including lumba pieces, is in the rakhi collection for men and the lumba rakhis for bhabhi, and every style is broken down in our guide to silver rakhi designs by family.

What to do if you have already bought a plated rakhi

Tie it anyway. A rakhi is a blessing rather than a receipt, and the ceremony is not diminished because the metal was thinner than the listing suggested. Nothing about the ritual depends on purity.

Then act on the commercial side separately. Most Indian marketplaces allow a return within seven days if the item was described as sterling silver and is demonstrably plated, and a photograph of a magnet sticking to the motif is usually enough evidence. Keep the listing screenshot, because descriptions get quietly edited. Next year, run the price check before you order rather than the magnet check after, and the question of original silver rakhi or plated never comes up again.

FAQs about original silver rakhi and plated rakhi

How do I know if a silver rakhi is original?

Check for a 925 stamp, test that it is not magnetic, feel whether it is heavier than it looks, and confirm the price is physically possible against the silver rate. Three agreeing tests are conclusive.

Is a Rs 199 silver rakhi real silver?

No. With silver near Rs 235 a gram, Rs 199 does not cover the metal in a solid rakhi motif of any size, so a piece at that price is plated, coated or German silver.

What is the difference between pure silver rakhi and silver plated rakhi?

A pure silver rakhi is 92.5 percent silver throughout. A silver plated rakhi is base metal with a micron thin silver skin that wears off. The price gap is usually ten times or more.

Does an original silver rakhi need a BIS hallmark?

No. BIS hallmarking is mandatory for gold in India but voluntary for silver, so plenty of genuinely solid 925 silver carries no hallmark and no HUID. Absence of a stamp is not proof of a fake.

Is German silver the same as silver?

No. German silver contains no silver at all. It is a copper, nickel and zinc alloy named for its colour, so a German silver rakhi is a different metal, not a cheaper grade.

Does a magnet stick to real silver?

No. Silver is not magnetic, so an original silver rakhi ignores a magnet entirely. Brass is also non magnetic though, so use this test alongside weight and price rather than on its own.

What does 925 mean on a rakhi?

It means the metal is 92.5 percent pure silver, the sterling standard. You may also see it written as .925, 92.5, S925 or STER, all describing the same alloy.

Is 999 silver better than 925 for a rakhi?

Not for a rakhi. 999 is purer but much softer, so it scratches and bends more easily. 925 sterling is the right choice for a piece that gets tied and worn.

Why does my silver rakhi turn black?

That is tarnish, a surface reaction with air and moisture, and it is actually a sign the metal is real. It polishes off with a soft cloth and does not go deeper into the silver.

Can silver plated rakhi cause skin irritation?

A plated rakhi can. Plating is often applied over nickel, a common allergen, and irritation becomes more likely once the coating wears through. Solid sterling silver uses a copper alloy that most skin tolerates well.

How much should an original silver rakhi cost?

Expect Rs 1,000 upward for a light solid silver rakhi and Rs 3,000 to Rs 8,000 for a handcrafted motif with real handwork. Below Rs 500 you are buying a coating.

What is asli chandi ki rakhi?

Asli chandi means real silver, so an asli chandi ki rakhi is the same thing as an original silver rakhi. Treat chandi coated, chandi polish and chandi jaisi as warnings rather than synonyms.

Will a plated rakhi last until next Raksha Bandhan?

A plated rakhi may survive in a drawer, but not on a wrist. The coating typically wears through at the raised edges within a few months of regular wear, showing the base metal underneath.

Can I return a rakhi that was sold as silver but is plated?

Usually yes, within the marketplace return window, if the listing claimed sterling silver. Keep a screenshot of the description and photograph any test result, because listings are often edited later.