So, ive been looking around and trying to come up with ideas for my next project, I know I haven't finished the ring yet, but sometimes at work I have some free time to do research into suppliers, materials I could use, designs, etc etc.

This brings me to my point

Ebay comes up a lot in my supplier searches, and although I would love it if I got everything from Cookson, sometimes its just not possible.

There is a massive amount of suppliers, and people selling crafting stuff they just aren't using or going to use anymore, so my question...

Just how reliable is the stuff you buy, when it says silver, is it? I really don't like buying things I cant actually feel and look at properly, how do you know who to trust? and is it worth the risk of buying something say for example the "joblot" of redundant beads and findings, how do you know if they meet EU Nickle & lead standards etc etc

Toni