Can you dip fake silver jewelry?

Yes! Let me explain: I bought a set of three stack rings at Target in California (not recently...this was awhile back, so I don't want to bag on whoever owns the jewelry counter there now). These rings were on a card that said "Sterling Silver". I was thrilled with them and wore them every day for the next few years. Then I began to notice that they weren't looking shiny and silvery like the rest of my .925 sterling silver and tried to polish them. It didn't help. It became obvious to me that the silver was wearing off and that another metal was underneath. When I tried to return them at the store, they told me too much time had elapsed and additionally, that the jewelry department was leased by a third party, so I'd have to take it up with them. Since then I'm very careful about the "Sterling Silver" I buy! I want to pass my jewelry on to my kids, not some junk someone else passed off as genuine!