N50 4 LB Pull Strength Neodymium Key Pocket Rare Earth Magnet
A powerful 1/4" N50 grade neodymium rare earth magnet (rated at 4 lbs pull strength to bare steel) is encased in aluminum for industrial use and comes with a stainless steel split ring.  Use it for:*Identifying fake/plated jewelry, which often use steel as the base material.*Identifying steel grades and metal alloys that contain iron or cobalt.*Identify/sort chrome plated items from polished aluminum, silver, and non-magnetic grades *of stainless steel (chrome plating requires a nickel layer, which is magnetic)*Identify/sort solid brass and bronze from plated items (handy in the antique market and *hardware store)Dimensions are:3/8" diameter1 1/2" body length (3/4" available)1/2" diameter stainless steel split ring1 3/4" overall length with ring extendedThe aluminum casing protects the magnet from chipping and breaking, common with unmounted rare earth magnets.  These are made in the USA. The N50 magnet insert has the highest field density of any type of available magnet, this gives you a very precise feel if you are using this as a metal tester. Jewelry: The magnet should always be the first test you perform on an unknown piece of jewelry.  If there is any steel or iron present, the magnet will be "attracted" to them.  These metals are common in costume jewelry where they are electroplated with gold or silver, but they will never be present in high quality jewelry (with the possible exception of clasps, which sometimes have steel springs inside them). It is important to note, however, that not all fake jewelry will have these metals present because there are other non-magnetic metals than can be used as a base. A deliberate forgery might have metals such as brass or tungsten as a base metal, and these are non-magnetic just like gold and silver. Anything that passes a magnet test (no reaction from the magnet) can be scrutinized further wit acid. Buy 3 or more items and receive 10% off your purchase!