HOW TO TEST YOUR GOLD
Gold Testing at home
Gold Testing at home
Gold is a precious metal that comes in a variety of colors and different purities or fineness. The value of a piece of gold or sliver jewelry or another object greatly depends on whether or not it is plated or pure. Gold plated or silver plated items have virtually no cash resale value since they are made of inexpensive copper or nickel with a microscopic gold or silver chemical electroplating.
There are a few steps you can take at home:
Place a magnet against the potential gold item. Hold a magnet directly above the piece. Lower the magnet until it is almost touches the surface of the item. If you feel as if the magnet is being drawn or pulled downward, then the item is not pure. The other metals in the item, such as nickel, are responding to the magnet. A pure gold piece will not draw the magnet.
The next step would be to inspect the item. Look for a hallmark. Usually most gold and sliver jewelry will be stamped with a mark indicating its type. A stamp of “GF” or “HGP” indicates that the piece is gold-plated, not pure gold. In contrast, a solid gold ring or bracelet may show a “14K” or other marking indicating fineness or purity. Hallmarks are usually located inside the band of rings or near the clasp on necklaces. However, be aware that some hallmarks can be faked. This is why it’s important to use a mark as only one of many indicators of authenticity. The hallmark may be very small. You might even need a magnifying glass in order to see it clearly.
The next step would be to look for fading around the edges of the piece. You will need a good light source. Turn on a bright light. Hold the piece close to the lamp’s light. Rotate it in your hand and examine all of the edges in particular. If you see that the gold appears faded or worn away at the edges, then it’s likely wear on the plating. This means that piece isn’t pure gold.
Look for spotting on the piece’s surface. If you hold the piece under a bright light, do you notice white or red spots anywhere on it? The spots may be very tiny and difficult to see. That is why it’s important to examine the piece under a bright light and maybe with a magnifying glass. These spots indicate that the gold plating may be wearing away showing the metal underneath.
Congratulations! You passed all the tests!
If you pass all of these steps, there is a actually a very good chance that your item is real gold!
It's not that simple though...
There are still fakes out there that will pass these do it yourself tests
In order to be 100% certain, you will need to conduct a more detailed tests using acid or specific gravity machine. We do not recommend doing this at home but this method is used by most pawnshops and gold buyers to determine gold and silver purity. Professional gold buyers, gold refineries and mints use XRF technology which is 99.9% accurate and determines the metal purity instantly by using a low intensity x-ray specifically designed to measure composition of any metal.
As you can see, gold and silver testing is not that simple. There are a lot of fake gold jewelry out there and many more plated items that look like gold. Experienced buyers with years of experience would be able to spots most fakes easily just by taking a look and holding it in their hands! With our vast experience and with the help of the latest technologies, here at Gold Lobby, we would be more than happy to test your jewelry using XRF technology and show you a few tricks that you could do at home. Honesty is our policy which is why Gold Lobby is on of the highest rated Ottawa jewelry buyers!
