Have you cleaned out your jewelry box and have a pile of rings, necklaces and more in front of you. but have no clue about the karat or if it is actually gold? There are several methods that you can use to tell if your gold jewelry is made of real gold. Keep in mind, these do-it-yourself methods are not all 100% conclusive.
All of these methods can be useful ways to see if your gold jewelry is made of real gold or fake. However, they will not give guaranteed answers or tell you the quality or carats of the piece. To be certain, bring your gold jewelry to a certified jeweler.
Visual Inspection
Look closely at the piece for a stamp or label on it somewhere identifying either the karat (24K, 22K, 12K, 10K...), fineness (.1-.999 o r.999), or percentage (.999, .916, .833, .792, 583). This would be a small marking usually on the clasp of necklaces, inside the bands of rings and on the backs of pendants. If you see anything marked 1/20, GF, GP, RGP or EGP, these are symbols for gold filled or gold plated items, which means they are not pure gold.
Don't panic if you don't see a stamp at all, gold produced before the early 1900's was rarely tagged and you may have a valuable antique on your hands. Also, older pieces may not have visible stamps because of wear or repairs that may have been previously done on the piece. On top of that, some forged pieces will still have authentic looking stamps so further testing would be recommended.
Related Post: Guide to Gold Jewelry Stamps and Marking
The terms karat, spelled with a K, and carat, spelled with a C, are different. Karat with a K describes the purity of a substance and carat with a C is a measure of a gemstone's weight.
Check for dull splotches or discoloration, especially around edges and other areas that would experience a lot of friction. If the gold is wearing off and revealing another material underneath, your jewelry is only gold plated and not real gold.
Anything under 10k isn’t considered real gold in the U.S.
Magnet Test
Check whether the object is magnetic. Gold is not magnetic, so if the object is attracted to the magnet, it is not gold. But just because the object is not magnetic does not mean it is authentic gold. However, scammers also use non-magnetic metals, which would not be attracted to the magnet, and therefore appear to be gold. So again, this is not a full proof test.
Nitric Acid
Nitric acid can tell you if your gold jewelry is real. This is the method most jewelers use. Always take all necessary precautions when handling any type of acid. Put on your gloves and glasses and take a drop of nitric acid and see if it causes a reaction. To tell if the piece is gold plated, you may have to take a file and make a scratch in the jewelry (somewhere that will not be noticeable) to test under the plating. Then, rinse with running water. If the nitric acid creates a green reaction, you are dealing with a gold plated piece or a base metal. If you see a milky color reaction, it is probably gold plated over sterling silver. What you want to see is nothing at all—real gold should not react when it comes in contact with nitric acid.
Use an Unglazed Ceramic Plate
(Warning: His technique may scratch your piece!) Rub your jewelry across a piece of unglazed ceramic (from a home improvement store). Real gold will leave a gold streak on the ceramic, while fake gold will produce a black streak.
Compare Weights
Use a small balance scale to weigh two pieces of jewelry - your jewelry to be tested and a piece of real gold jewelry of the same size. Gold is very heavy, so if two pieces of the same size and shape weigh exactly the same amount, chances are your piece is made of real gold.
Have it Inspected by a Gold or Jewelry Expert!
If you have used the methods above, you may or may not have determined your items to be gold. Don't worry. The best option for discovering the authenticity of your jewelry is to have it appraised by a professional. This can be a jeweler or someone who purchases gold regularly. Be sure to find someone trustworthy! A professional will be able to quickly test your items and give you an accurate quote for the value of the gold.
Related Article: How to Get a Jewelry Appraisal
All of these methods can be useful ways to see if your gold jewelry is made of real gold or fake. However, they will not give guaranteed answers or tell you the quality or carats of the piece. To be certain, bring your gold jewelry to a certified jeweler.
Visual Inspection
Look closely at the piece for a stamp or label on it somewhere identifying either the karat (24K, 22K, 12K, 10K...), fineness (.1-.999 o r.999), or percentage (.999, .916, .833, .792, 583). This would be a small marking usually on the clasp of necklaces, inside the bands of rings and on the backs of pendants. If you see anything marked 1/20, GF, GP, RGP or EGP, these are symbols for gold filled or gold plated items, which means they are not pure gold.
Don't panic if you don't see a stamp at all, gold produced before the early 1900's was rarely tagged and you may have a valuable antique on your hands. Also, older pieces may not have visible stamps because of wear or repairs that may have been previously done on the piece. On top of that, some forged pieces will still have authentic looking stamps so further testing would be recommended.
Related Post: Guide to Gold Jewelry Stamps and Marking
The terms karat, spelled with a K, and carat, spelled with a C, are different. Karat with a K describes the purity of a substance and carat with a C is a measure of a gemstone's weight.
Check for dull splotches or discoloration, especially around edges and other areas that would experience a lot of friction. If the gold is wearing off and revealing another material underneath, your jewelry is only gold plated and not real gold.
Anything under 10k isn’t considered real gold in the U.S.
Magnet Test
Check whether the object is magnetic. Gold is not magnetic, so if the object is attracted to the magnet, it is not gold. But just because the object is not magnetic does not mean it is authentic gold. However, scammers also use non-magnetic metals, which would not be attracted to the magnet, and therefore appear to be gold. So again, this is not a full proof test.
Nitric Acid
Nitric acid can tell you if your gold jewelry is real. This is the method most jewelers use. Always take all necessary precautions when handling any type of acid. Put on your gloves and glasses and take a drop of nitric acid and see if it causes a reaction. To tell if the piece is gold plated, you may have to take a file and make a scratch in the jewelry (somewhere that will not be noticeable) to test under the plating. Then, rinse with running water. If the nitric acid creates a green reaction, you are dealing with a gold plated piece or a base metal. If you see a milky color reaction, it is probably gold plated over sterling silver. What you want to see is nothing at all—real gold should not react when it comes in contact with nitric acid.
Use an Unglazed Ceramic Plate
(Warning: His technique may scratch your piece!) Rub your jewelry across a piece of unglazed ceramic (from a home improvement store). Real gold will leave a gold streak on the ceramic, while fake gold will produce a black streak.
Compare Weights
Use a small balance scale to weigh two pieces of jewelry - your jewelry to be tested and a piece of real gold jewelry of the same size. Gold is very heavy, so if two pieces of the same size and shape weigh exactly the same amount, chances are your piece is made of real gold.
Have it Inspected by a Gold or Jewelry Expert!
If you have used the methods above, you may or may not have determined your items to be gold. Don't worry. The best option for discovering the authenticity of your jewelry is to have it appraised by a professional. This can be a jeweler or someone who purchases gold regularly. Be sure to find someone trustworthy! A professional will be able to quickly test your items and give you an accurate quote for the value of the gold.
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