4 Ways to Check Authenticity of Gold From Your Home!
Saturday, June 30, 2018, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
Gold is a popular metal, and people love wearing gold jewelry for fashion and style. This metal is highly malleable as well as can be designed into many unique styles and patterns.
In the USA, less than 10 Karats gold is considered as fake. If you have gold jewelry and wish to determine whether it is real or not, take it to certified gold jewelry and get it checked.
However, if you want to do the real or fake test by yourself, the following 4 points can help you:
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Inspect the gold visually
You need to check the gold jewelry for traits that show it is real. Check the item for official markings. Genuine gold has markings inscribed on them. Most of the time they are so small, you need a magnifying glass to look at them.
You often find the mark of fineness in the form of 1-999 or 1-.999. Some pieces might indicate the karat- 10K, 14K, 16K, 18K, 22K or 24K.
If your piece of gold jewelry is very old, you might not be able to see these markings. Here, you should consult a specialist for further testing.
Another test you can do is to look for discoloration. The places where you can check for discoloration is the area where friction is high, like the edges of the jewelry. In case, you find that the gold has worn off and is showing a different color, this means that the jewelry is not made of gold, but it is gold plated.
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Bite Test
Most jewelers, take the bite test to determine whether the piece in question is authentic or a counterfeit.
Often you find winners of sporting events biting their gold medals. What is the significance of this bite test for gold?
Experts in the field say real gold will display the indents of teeth when bitten. In case the teeth marks are deeper, this means the piece you hold is pure.
However, most experts don’t recommend going for this test. That is because gold can damage your teeth. It is prudent for you to ask a certified gold jeweler to test it for you.
In the above context, you must note that lead is a soft metal and leaves similar teeth indents when bitten into. This means if you have a lead that is gold-plated, your teeth marks will leave an imprint and this will mislead you to believe the piece you hold is gold.
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Magnets for testing gold
This is a simple test you can do at home to test the authenticity of gold. However, like the above test, it is not a foolproof one.
Experts suggest when you are using the magnet test for examining gold, do not use fridge magnets. They are relatively weak. Special magnets available in hardware stores are perfect for testing gold. Again, experts who sell gold NYC from websites also suggest you can use strong magnets found in a lady’s latch handbag to a child’s toy to test whether the piece you hold is genuine or not.
Hold the item to the magnet. Note that gold is not magnetic. So, in case you bring a magnet close to the piece, and it sticks to the magnet, this means that the item is fake. However, as mentioned earlier, do not assume that the piece you hold is 100% real. Several non-magnetic metals are used by jewelers to make gold jewelry.
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Density
Gold is a dense metal. Few metals in the world today are as dense as gold. Pure gold at 24 Karat holds a density of 19.3g/ml. This figure is much higher over most metals available in the market today.
If you measure the density of your gold, you can determine whether it is real or fake. Experts here say the higher the density of the metal, the more genuine it is. While performing the density test on gold jewelry ensure there are no gemstones attached to it.
Given below are the steps to help you perform the density test for your gold:/p>
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Weigh your gold – In case you do not have a scale, visit a jeweler, he will weigh it for you. Generally, jewelers do no charge for weighing gold, so you can get it done easily.
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Find a vial and fill it with water – The vial should preferably have millimeter markings. This will make it simple for you to determine the measurements of the test. Do not fill in water till the top as once you immerse the gold the levels of the water will raise. Note the precise level of water before and after the gold piece has been submerged.
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Calculate the density with this simple formula-mass/volume – The result should be close to 19.3g/ml. However, the purity of gold in jewelry will yield a different result. For example, you may get 12.9 to 13.5 g/ml for a 14K piece of gold. Likewise, the results will differ for 18K, 22K, etc.
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Test with a ceramic plate – This is one of the simplest ways to test your gold. However, it might leave scratches on the jewelry. Here, you need to take a ceramic plate and drag it across. If you see a black streak across the plate, this signifies that the gold is not real. Real gold will always leave a gold streak mark on the plate when you drag it across with gentle force.
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So, if you are checking real gold, keep these simple home tests in mind. Though these tests are simple, they may not always give genuine results.
It is always better to get it checked by a certified jeweler so that you can get authentic results.
If you are planning to sell gold to take care of temporary funds crunch, it is always advisable to get it assessed and tested by a professional so that you can get the right value for your precious metals.
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