That makes sense to me. I have silver that has turned that color in South Carolina. Quite often it is from sellers who melt and pour their own ingot. The heat and humidity here does quite a number on silver if you don’t pay attention. I’m definitely interested in what results she gets from the metal test.
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Nice explanation Mike. I’ll add my two cents worth.
The first stage of tarnish on sterling or coin is yellow from the formation of silver sulfide, eventually turning black.
The yellow can also be caused by aged lacquer. However in this case, as Mike points out, there looks to possibly be residual silver cream polish.
In your photo, the back of the buckle looks to be silver in an advanced state of tarnishing.
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I will get it professionally tested. And I am so grateful for all the interest. And care.
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You’re welcome, @Kenda . I would advise having both tested, and professionally tested is key. One of the issues with assessing possible silver content or lack thereof is that its impossible to view and examine the items first hand. Both of these belts if in silver are potentially many orders of magnitude more valuable, and if you chose to sell them, far more marketable to a much broader segment of potential buyers.
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Thank you for your guidance about that. I wish that they were silver and we will see what the professionals say. And in the meantime I can appreciate them and enjoy them whatever they are. And this forum has made that all the more so for me.
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I took the belt to a highly reputable jeweler and they were not able to do any kind of testing. I will have to find a metalsmith expert I suppose. Today, out of impatience, I used some Flitz cleaner on the underside of one of the pieces and what was revealed was something quite yellow, more yellow than I imagined it would be. I didn’t want to go to hard on it by working the paste more to see what I can find if I want deeper. I am unfamiliar with brass that has this much yellow rather than gold to it. I hope that the pictures I’ve attached come through.
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Good idea to have it tested by a professional silversmith. Many who call themselves ‘jewelers’ are simply merchants and not jewelry makers with actual jewelry fabrication skills.
Unless you have a professional test kit and the skills to use it effectively, polishing isn’t likely to tell you anything about what you actually have.
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mmrogers, I could not easily find a professional silversmith and so I took it with me to a Coin appraiser who had an XRF analyzer. He suggested that I not spend the money he charges for testing because he thought it was not silver. And I never remember this belt in the 40+ years of seeing it in my mother’s closet have a silver tint at all. It has always been “dark”. I don’t know if she bought it tarnished. I can only assume so. I don’t want to take up more of your time, or others’, out of gratitude for all the time I have been given. Unfortunately I still need to sell them.
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What does the jeweler charge to use the XRF? Also, geology departments at universities typically have an XRF as do some museums. If you were in Maryland I could test it for you.
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Seeing these photos of the polished reverse provides some insight, and I have a thought I would like to share. I’m still of the humble opinion that this was crafted from brass: taking into consideration the color, verdigris, and the almost black oxidation. Over time and under certain environments, the zinc in brass will leach out when subject to moisture or any kind of acidity (which we’ve touched on previously) and when the Zinc disappears, pure copper is left behind, which could very well be the red/pink spots we so plainly see.
Here is an example of the phenomenon on a brass musical instrument.
There’s obviously no definitive answer until it is professionally tested, but these most recent two photos have me all but convinced.
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Thank you for that Steve. If I were in Maryland I would ask you to. I believe that it was $20 for the XRF. You were nice to chime in.
Ravenscry, I so appreciate your thought on behalf of my item. Your contributions have been so helpful. Furthermore, they are good reminders that human beings have very much to offer and how lovely it is when they do so. Take care.
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You’re more than welcome, @Kenda. I know full well that you are very appreciative, but in this community, the credit belongs to all of the knowledgeable contributors who so willingly weigh in when genuine interest is shown. I’m glad to perhaps have provided some food for thought. 
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