All of us at some point in our lives are faced with the purchase of gold items. Nowadays, modern technologies have appeared, thanks to which it is easy to make a fake that is indistinguishable in appearance from real metal. It is important not to get into trouble when choosing a gold item and not to spend money on a low-grade product. The price of gold is growing every day, and having decided on such expensive purchase I don't want to throw money away.
How to identify quality gold
Recognize at home gold quality very easy with the following steps:
- Checking gold with iodine. Drop a little iodine on the metal, wait, wipe off after the reagent has reacted. If the surface has not changed its color, then the gold is of excellent quality.
- Ordinary table vinegar. Pour the vinegar solution into a clean, dry bowl, place the product there for thirty minutes and wait. If a metal color changed, then you have a fake.
- In the pharmacy you need to buy a lapis pencil. The decoration, whether it be a ring or a chain, is slightly moistened with water and applied lapis to a small area, if there is no reaction, this is a high-quality metal, and if there is any chemical reaction, then this product is of poor quality.
- As an assistant, you can take a large magnet. With it, you will determine if there is under the gold plating metal base.
- You can use unfired ceramic tiles. You just need to draw a decoration on the surface, if a trace of black or gray remains, then this is a fake. Remember, metal always leaves behind golden footprint.
Be sure to remember the fact that all these tips can harm your jewelry!
Folk authentication methods
There are also older, time-tested methods authenticity precious metals:
- Test of strength. Everyone knows about the old “tooth” metal check. But today no one bites him, but scratches with something sharp, which allows you to make sure that there are no impurities. If a black layer is visible under the top layer, then it is of poor quality. Naturally, you need to scratch in the place where it will not be noticeable.
- Oddly enough, but black bread can also help in determining the quality. This requires bread pulp. We soak it in water to the state of plasticine, carefully stick around the golden product with the resulting mass and let it dry. After complete drying, we break it down and look at the bread - if there are no traces left, then the metal good quality, and if there are traces of oxidation, then - no.
- For those who have good hearing, the sound recognition method is suitable. Everything is very simple: you need to throw a golden object from a small height onto a flat, hard surface. A genuine product will make a sound similar to the chime of crystal glasses.
- It takes two same lines on a quality, proven product, and one that should be tested. If the lines are the same in appearance, then the gold is good.
Determination of the sample at home
Gold is a valuable metal. Due to the fact that it is soft and malleable, impurities are added to it, and then jewelry is already made. The gold itself, which is contained in the finished piece of jewelry, is measured by the breakdown. It is worth remembering that if you need to determine the sample as accurately as possible, then it is best to seek help from state inspectorates or use the services buying up gold, where authenticity is determined by analysis.
At home, in order to determine the sample, you need to have a number of special materials on hand: aqua regia, chlorine water, assay needles and nitric acid.
To calculate the sample by the drop method, you immediately need to clean the surface of the product with a file and apply the reagent. It should be removed immediately within twenty seconds, and viewed to surface changes.
You can also determine the sample using an electronic detector that determines the electrical and chemical reactions of the metal. The advantages of this method are accuracy and time. It checks metal incredibly fast, in just five seconds. The price of such a device is not cosmically huge, and you can buy it at any jewelry workshop.
When buying expensive gold jewelry, you should consider your decision, if possible, consult a specialist. It is necessary to weigh the pros and cons before buying, buy gold only in official and reliable salons. And do not hesitate to ask for certificates and documents confirming the quality of the product.
You should never take gold from hands or from suspicious sellers. If, nevertheless, there are any doubts about the quality of the purchased item, you can always check it at home, it is not difficult. Remember, haste can cost you a large amount and, of course, nerves: no one is safe from fraud and deceit.
Attention, only TODAY!
Every year the number of jewelry stores increases, and the extraction of the precious metal does not keep pace with the exorbitant needs of mankind. Gold has long been a trap for buyers, because with modern technology it is becoming easier for scammers to fake it. To check the authenticity of the precious metal, you can contact the Assay Office or a familiar jeweler. Only professional specialists can 100% distinguish a genuine product from a fake. However, there are easier ways to make sure you are not being scammed. Today we will tell you how to check gold for authenticity at home, so as not to buy a “pig in a poke” for a lot of money.
Gold, its chemical and physical properties
Real pure gold is a very soft metal with a rich yellow color. It should be understood that even the highest quality gold jewelry cannot consist only of expensive metal, as it will quickly wear off over time. It is because of the softness of the precious metal that it has to be supplemented with special alloys and metals.
Therefore, before checking gold for authenticity at home, you need to know what type of alloy you have, the properties and signs of gold and silver.
Alloys can be red, white and yellow, and they give the name to the future gold product:
- Red gold contains 75% gold and 25% copper. In ancient Russia, red gold was used to make jewelry and as a monetary equivalent.
- Classical gold is an alloy of metals such as gold, silver and copper in equal proportions.
- White gold is based on silver, platinum and nickel (68%), while the remaining 32% is pure gold.
- Today, this alloy is in the highest demand all over the world.
Important! Recently, nickel has been excluded from the composition of the alloy due to a high allergic reaction to the skin.
How can you tell if gold is real or not?
In order to enrich themselves, entrepreneurs go to any deception. Unscrupulous manufacturers have already found an approach to inspections for the analysis of precious metals. And more often than not, not all jewelry gets into the analysis, but only a small part of it, for example, a chain link, a clasp, which are made in the best quality. Experts usually check only the top layer of the product, but what is inside remains a mystery to everyone except manufacturers.
A high-quality good jewel is an alloy, the main part of which is gold. The precious metal makes the jewelry strong and durable.
Important! Very often, gold is faked using tungsten, since the density of this metal is the same as that of gold - 19.3 g / cm3. The process of forging itself is quite simple: a tungsten blank is covered with gold. You can recognize such a fake only if you drill a hole, which will expose what is inside.
In order not to become a victim of fraud, be very careful and careful when buying. To correctly determine the quality of jewelry, the following recommendations will help you:
- Never buy jewelry in cheap, little-known shops and stalls.
- Always carefully inspect the goods and the metal sample, as well as the manufacturer's imprint. If the sample is missing, then this should alert you. You can check the gold standard with a magnifying glass. Look at the numbers - they should be clear and even, and the stamp should be parallel to the part on which it was applied.
- Carefully inspect the product from the wrong side. The wrong side should be made as high quality and neat as the front side. This speaks of the high skill and professionalism of the manufacturer.
If you have found or given you a gold jewelry that is no longer new, then use one of the methods we have proposed how to clean gold from someone else's energy.
Important! If possible, use the method for authenticity by sound. A ring, pendant or earrings can be dropped onto a hard, level floor. The sound of genuine gold jewelry should be clear and ringing, reminiscent of a crystal ringing. However, this method is not suitable for long and loose chains and bracelets.
How to check the authenticity of gold at home? - 7 best ways
There are a huge number of ways to check gold for authenticity. Such experiments are quite simple to use. To conduct research, you will need folk improvised means. With their help, you will make sure of the words “All that glitters is not gold” or refute it and calm down about the quality of your product.
Iodine test
For the experiment you will need:
- Cotton stick.
- Napkin or clean cloth.
Proceed as follows to check the authenticity of gold at home:
- Wipe the product with a clean cloth to remove any dirt.
- Apply a drop of iodine to a clean surface with a cotton swab.
- Wait 3-6 minutes and evaluate the result. If the color of the metal has not changed, then you have real gold in your hands, and if the place of application of the product has darkened, then this is a fake.
- Gently wipe off the iodine with a tissue or soft cloth. And if suddenly you overdo it a little, and iodine remains on the jewelry, then don’t be discouraged - we have prepared several ways how to clean gold from iodine.
Important! You can also check the authenticity of the metal with vinegar. Pour the product into a vessel and dip the decoration into a container with vinegar. Real gold will not darken, but fake gold will change its color.
Magnet check
All precious metals are not magnetic, therefore real gold will not react to a magnet in any way. Bring a powerful magnet (you can search) to the jewelry and, if there is a lot of iron in the product, it will stick to the magnet. In this case, there are two options: a very low sample product or a fake.
Important! It should be noted that this method is not very accurate, because if the product is made of materials such as aluminum or copper, then these metals will not be attracted either. In this case, pay attention to the weight of the jewelry: copper and tin are very light metals, which means that a product made from such alloys will be much lighter than similar gold items.
Checking the authenticity of gold with a lapis pencil
You can buy a lapis pencil at any pharmacy - it is designed to stop bleeding. With it, you can also check the gold for authenticity.
Use the pencil to experiment like this:
- Wet the item with water.
- Draw a strip with a pencil on the surface of the decoration.
- Wipe the decoration with cotton.
- Look at the result of the reaction: if there are no changes, the gold is genuine, if after erasing the strip there is a trace, then you have a fake in your hands.
Gold jewelry contact method
For this method, you need a genuine product - it can be a golden family ring or old coins.
In the case of antique jewelry that has been lying in a secluded place for many years, waiting in the wings, you will probably find useful information on how to clean gold from blackness at home.
Important! Ideally, the products (original and experimental) should be of the same sample.
Do the following experiment with jewelry:
- With an antique original, draw a line on a hard surface.
- Make a similar movement with the product in which you doubt.
Important! The line prints must match completely, if the result is different and the line prints do not match, then you do not have real gold.
Sun reaction method
Conduct the experiment in sunny and clear weather. If possible, go outside or on a balcony to catch direct sunlight.
Carefully inspect the decoration in the shade, and then take it out into the sun, direct the rays at it. Genuine gold in the shade and in the sun should remain the same color and brilliance. A fake in the shade will fade significantly, lose its respectable appearance.
Archimedes method
This method is effective for bulky, heavy products, such as gold bars. The product must be lowered into the water and the volume of displaced water determined.
Using formulas known since grade 7, you can determine whether gold is real or not. Of course, the experiment requires additional measuring instruments and knowledge of physics and chemistry.
Important! You can make everything simpler: if a gold jewelry sinks in water, then it is made of noble metal, and if it floats, then, alas, it is a fake.
Checking fresh bread
This is a rather interesting method used by our ancestors to check the authenticity of gold at home:
- Take a crumb of fresh brown bread, put the jewelry under investigation in the middle.
- Leave a piece of bread until it dries out.
- Break the bread, take out the product.
- If nothing happened to the crumb, then the gold is real, because fakes usually oxidize.
How to check the purity of gold?
Unfortunately, checking a sample of gold is a very long, difficult, trembling and practically impossible task at home. Usually this is done by jewelers who have special tools and touches of sample standards.
We will introduce you to two ways to check the purity of gold.
Method number 1. Use of needles
Jewelers take needles made from different samples of gold, put a micro-scratch on the product with them - usually from the inside. Next, nitric acid is poured into the scratch.
Comparing the color of the scratch and the needle, experts conclude that the sample of the product matches.
Method number 2. Using touchstone
This is the oldest way. The stone is resistant to reagents, does not contain non-ferrous metals. The surface of the touchstone is not porous, but uniform, usually black.
For the experiment, a product is carried out over the stone. The trace left is compared with the tone of the strokes of the standard of the known sample.
There are a lot of ways to verify the authenticity of gold, but you should not always trust them, since a fake can be of high quality. If you need complete confidence in the quality of jewelry, then contact the professionals who determine the truth of the yellow metal with the help of modern equipment.
Read this article:
In the modern world, gold still remains a value, as it was many years ago. Therefore, it is not surprising that there are many fakes for gold. In order not to get into an unpleasant situation when a fake is sold to you instead of a precious metal, you need to be able to check the authenticity of gold. This can be done even at home with the help of improvised means. For those who like to purchase gold items, it would be useful to learn how to test gold with iodine.
Iodine test procedure
Surely you have this drug at home. In any case, you can buy it at a pharmacy, iodine is freely available. In medicine, it acts as an antiseptic, but in jewelry, iodine plays the role of an indicator of authenticity. Only gold can be tested with iodine; this procedure is useless with other metals.
IodineIf authentication in this way is interesting to you, then buy the drug and get ready to carry out some simple manipulations, during which you will find out whether it is gold or not:
- Take a piece of gold. It does not matter how long ago it was made and how long it was cleaned. Most often, samples 585 and 583 are checked for authenticity, since the appearance of such jewelry can have a reddish tint and people doubt the authenticity of the jewelry. The shade appears due to the large amount of ligature in the alloy.
- Next, you need to lightly sand the product on its inside. It is enough to slightly remove the top layer to get a reaction with iodine in the future. This can be done with any abrasive, it is best to rub the product with sandpaper.
- Using a cotton swab, drop iodine on gold or simply apply the substance to the jewelry in the rubbed area. The reaction does not depend on the size of this place, so try to make it as small and inconspicuous as possible. If you apply more iodine to the item, the reaction will not become more pronounced, and then you will have to wash the jewelry from iodine.
- Watch the reaction of the product. If a dark spot appears on it, this means that the product is genuine, made of precious metal, the gold test was successful. But if the reaction did not happen, then you have copper, bronze or brass in your hands. The origin of the chemical reaction is explained by the fact that gold reacts with halogens, which is iodine.
Putting a drop of iodine on the gold ring In addition to iodine, at home, you can check the authenticity of gold using the following substances:
- vinegar;
- lapis pencil;
- magnet.
Many people know how to determine gold with these substances, therefore, in the absence of iodine, it is easy to find an alternative in the form of other verification methods.
How to clean the product from iodine stains?
Some more questions arise later, after checking for authenticity. Of particular interest is the question of how to clean gold from iodine? The fact is that iodine leaves traces on the product in the form of dark spots. The size of the spot depends on the amount of iodine applied during the test. But getting rid of them is not difficult, but you will definitely be sure that you are holding real gold in your hands, and not other alloys.
The stain from iodine itself disappears over time, especially if it is small, but sometimes it needs to be erased faster. To do this, there are several methods that allow you to remove stains on gold and clean the product as a whole:
- Weak solutions with powder or soap will not help, as the stain is quite resistant to them.
- Use hyposulfite as a cleaner. This substance, which is used when developing photographs with the old method, is also called a fixer. How to prepare the solution: 1 tablespoon of fixer in a glass of warm water. Keep the product in solution for half an hour, after which you need to rinse it under water and dry it.
- A solution with ammonia can also get rid of the problem. But keep in mind that the method may not always work, and besides, the smell of ammonia will disappear within three days. Therefore, this technique will not help resolve the issue of how to purify gold from iodine in a short time.
- The oldest cleaning method is to mix 80 grams of lime with 70 grams of soda and 20 grams of salt. This powder is diluted in 1 liter of warm water, the decoration should be kept in the solution for about an hour and a half.
Checking gold with iodine is only suitable if the product is made of a solid metal alloy. If the jewelry is gilded, then the test will also be positive if you do not completely erase the gilding layer. Or you can simply damage the product, after which you will have to order a second gilding procedure from the jeweler. Therefore, before checking, look at the product tag or do not take risks, but simply take the ring to the master.
It is best to carry out the cleaning procedure at the jeweler. There you can also conduct the verification procedure. Of course, home methods are cheaper, but they are more time-consuming and unreliable.
If you want to confirm the authenticity of gold in a product, you should contact a jewelry workshop and ask to determine the type of metal and even the alloy sample. This is resolved in a few minutes. Previously, cuts and cuts were made on the wrong side of the product. But now the devices determine all indicators without interfering with the integrity of the product. This is done by determining the density of the metal and chemical reactions. After completing the procedure, you will receive a document confirming the presence or absence of gold in the product.
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Jewelry made of precious metals will never cease to be in demand. Gold earrings or a ring are not just a win-win gift option, but also a very profitable investment, jewelry is always valuable.
Due to the high demand for jewelry, the number of fakes in this market is high.
You can buy a fake both when buying gold items from your hands and in jewelry stores, so you need to be able to check the authenticity of products at home.
Gold is a yellow precious metal with a characteristic luster. In its pure form, it is quite soft, so for the manufacture of jewelry it is mixed with other metals:
The most common additives are copper and silver, they make products durable and resistant to mechanical damage.
Gold content
Depending on the percentage of gold with impurities, there are several samples that differ in physical characteristics and cost:
- 999 is pure gold. Jewelry is not made from it.
- 750 - gold, in which the fourth part is impurities. Only exclusive jewelry is made from such metal.
- 585 test is the most common, it is this test that almost all jewelry in today's jewelry stores has.
- 375 - low quality gold. Products made from it are inexpensive, their appearance also differs from the classic ones.
gold alloy
Depending on the combination of impurities in the alloy, gold can have different shades:
- Chervonnoe.
Gold of the highest quality, the amount of impurities in it should not exceed 10%. It has a reddish tint that intensifies when heated. Products from it are made massive to compensate for softness.
- White gold.
Leader in the jewelry market. It is distinguished by increased strength, a white shade is given to the metal by adding platinum, palladium and silver to it.
Obtained by mixing it in equal proportions with copper. Due to the low cost of the admixture, it was used to make cutlery and church utensils in Russia.
- Pink gold.
Today it is considered a classic. It is obtained by adding silver and copper in the same amount.
- Yellow gold.
It has 2 shades: lemon and reddish. Both are obtained by adding copper and silver to the alloy. Lemon hue is obtained if silver predominates, copper gives a golden-orange color.
- Green gold.
It is rare due to its fragility, it is mainly used to create decorative elements on the product. Silver gives an unusual shade to the precious metal, rarely changing the color with a small percentage of cadmium or copper.
- The blue tint to gold is given by steel and silver.
- Black gold.
Modern innovation, actively used by designers. This color can be obtained in different ways: laser treatment, the addition of chromium or cobalt, the application of a special coating.
Producing country
Gold jewelry has some features that depend on the country of production:
It is highly valued because it contains a small percentage of impurities, in these countries it is difficult to find products below 750 samples. The shade of oriental gold is rich yellow.
- Turkish gold.
It is inexpensive, on the contrary, due to the high content of impurities, in particular nickel. Such products can cause allergies in people with high sensitivity.
- European gold.
Maybe 585 and 750 samples. Products are distinguished by extravagant or delicate combinations of several shades, mainly pink, white or lemon. Red gold is a rarity in Europe.
How gold is counterfeited
Jewelry is in great demand all over the world, which is constantly used by lovers of easy money. It can be very difficult even for a professional to understand whether a fake is in hand or an original.
Fraudsters use different methods of fake: visual similarity and similarity of physical characteristics.
For the manufacture of false gold products are most often used:
- copper billet, covered with gold;
- products completely made of pyrite - a metal that looks very similar to gold;
- tungsten coated with a thin layer of gold.
The latter option is difficult to recognize even for a professional without analysis. Tungsten and gold have the same density, scammers simply spray gold onto the blank. There is only one way to determine a fake: to cut or drill a product.
How to check the authenticity of gold at home
The need to check whether a piece of jewelry is real can arise for everyone, because the purchase of jewelry even in a company store and the presence of a sample on it is not a guarantee of authenticity. What can we say about products purchased at a seductive price in some oriental shop?
There are several verification methods based on the physical and chemical properties of gold and other constituents of the precious alloy.
Perhaps the most ancient can be called a “tooth test”.
Probably everyone has seen in films how gold coins were checked. The criterion for authenticity was its softness - if there was an imprint on the coin, then it was made of pure gold. Today, this method is hopelessly outdated, since it is almost impossible to find a product without impurities. In addition, the method itself does not look aesthetically pleasing.
Before proceeding with the assessment of authenticity, you should carefully examine the product. It should have a uniform color and shine over the entire surface, even minor abrasions are a sign of gilding. If the jewelry does not have a sample print and the logo of the jewelry house, you should not even think about purchasing it - this is a fake.
Iodine
One of the easiest and most reliable ways to check gold is to use an affordable antiseptic that is in every home.
Algorithm:
- rub the inside of the product with a coarse cloth or fine-grained sandpaper;
- Apply some iodine with a cotton swab.
A genuine gold item should darken at the point of contact with iodine, while base metals will not change in any way. To remove this stain, you need to apply a little ordinary toothpaste on it, leave for 10 minutes, rinse under running water and rub with a soft cloth.
Magnet
All precious metals, including gold, do not react to a magnet brought to them. However, copper and aluminum, which are often used for forging, have the same properties. If the product is made of iron, it will be attracted to a magnet.
To recognize a fake made of copper (aluminum) will help the discrepancy between the mass of the jewelry and its size, since gold is heavier than these metals.
Acid (reagent)
Vinegar essence is capable of exposing scammers - it is enough to place jewelry in it for only half a minute. A quality product will not react in any way to immersion in acid, but ordinary metals will begin to darken and oxidize.
The method has one drawback: if the product is below 750 samples, its color will also change slightly.
Instead of vinegar, other acids can be used, such as nitric acid, radiator fluid, and aqua regia. The last substance has nothing to do with alcoholic beverages. It consists of one part nitric acid and three (four) parts hydrochloric acid. In such a mixture, any objects are dissolved, except for gold items.
To check the jewelry, just drop acid on it and monitor the reaction. A quality product will not change in any way, but a stain will appear on a fake.
Concentrated acids must be used with great care: if they come into contact with the skin, they leave deep chemical burns.
Lapis pencil
Silver nitrate can be used to verify the authenticity of a gold item. The name should not be intimidating, the product is sold in any pharmacy under the name "lapis pencil" and is used as an antiseptic, for cauterization and disinfection of some skin lesions.
All metals in contact with silver nitrate change their color, gold should retain its hue and luster.
However, as with vinegar, low-carat precious metal products darken.
Archimedes method
Another way to verify the authenticity of gold is to repeat the experience of Archimedes.
The product is lowered into a vessel with a liquid and it is determined how much the volume of water will increase. Further, by means of mathematical calculations, it is calculated how much liquid should be displaced by an item of gold of a given mass, using the density of the metal (for aurum, this is 19.3 g/cm3).
This method is suitable for examining large jewelry due to the risk of error when using small numbers. Due to the complexity of the calculations, this method is not popular with ordinary people.
Video instruction, the main ways to check gold for authenticity at home.
Folk verification methods
Gold jewelry appeared in ancient times, and even then they began to be faked. Our ancestors did not have access to acids, a magnet and other devices, so they used simpler and safer methods:
- Comparison of the appearance of the product in the sun and in the shade.
Gold jewelry shines equally in different lighting conditions.
- Immersion in water.
Jewelry made of gold sinks faster than similar jewelry made of base metals.
- By sound.
It has been noticed that if you throw a gold item on a hard surface from a small height, you will hear a sound similar to the clink of crystal glasses. A base metal product will make a hollow sound. The disadvantage is that the method can only be used by people with an ear for music.
- Trial by fire.
A product made of high-quality gold does not react to heating with an open flame. Imitation, even of high quality, deforms when exposed to fire, the coating changes shade, cracks or simply leaves.
- Bread.
Decoration is placed in the crumb of fresh bread, tightly rolled up and left for several days. If, after drying, a dark coating appears inside such a fur coat, the product is a fake. Gold will not change the color of the bread.
You can determine what the jewelry is made of, oddly enough, by smell. If you hold a fake in your hands for several minutes and rub it, a metallic aroma will remain on your fingers. Gold will emit absolutely no odor.
semi-professional ways
The above methods are easy to use, but not accurate enough due to the subjective interpretation of the results.
There is a method that requires the use of specific items and substances, which allows you to determine not only the authenticity of the product, but also its sample.
This will require a touchstone, a reagent and a set of needles.
The touchstone is black chert. Its distinguishing feature is that it does not enter into chemical reactions with any substance.
Check algorithm:
- decoration draw a line on the stone;
- make a line next to a needle of gold, the alleged sample;
- applying a reagent (nitric acid) to them.
Upon contact with the reagent, the trace of gold changes color, if the shades match, the product is really of the declared sample. If the trace of the product is darker than the trace of the needle, the sample of the decoration is lower than declared.
A special chemical composition, gold chloride (tetrachloroauric acid), will help determine the sample of gold.
It is applied to the product under test and the change in surface color is observed:
- product 585-999 does not change shade;
- jewelry 583 samples slightly brightens;
- on a product of 500 samples, a spot of a light brown tint is formed;
- 375 gold takes on a brown tint.
Chlorine gold will also help to identify a fake, when a reagent is applied to such a product, it turns black.
Features of checking different products at home
There are many ways to independently check gold jewelry, but there are no universal ones among them.
When checking earrings or rings, almost all methods can be used, except for immersion in reagents, in the presence of stones.
For bracelets and chains, the method for determining sound quality is not suitable. Due to the peculiarities of the form, it cannot be "crystal".
Fraudsters, when faking jewelry, make a clasp out of real gold (sometimes it is stamped with a hallmark on it), and the main part is made from a lower quality material. For this reason, it is necessary to test this area.
Watches are made, as a rule, from 375 gold, but not for the sake of economy, but for reasons of practicality - such a metal is stronger. This must be taken into account when conducting tests, because low-grade gold differs from classical gold in density, weight and reaction to chemical compositions.
When checking gold coins, it is necessary to know the ratio of gold to other metals in the composition. At home, such experiments are usually not carried out.
Professional verification
Evaluation of the authenticity of gold items at home does not give a reliable result. You can find out if the product is real, a valid sample, and even the percentage of impurities by contacting:
- to the assay office;
- in a jewelry workshop;
- to an independent expert.
Professionals in their field can determine all the characteristics literally by eye and touch, but they use other methods:
- application of special reagents;
- vial stone;
- electronic testers;
- analytical scales.
How to check jewelry before buying in a store
Purchasing jewelry is not a cheap pleasure, precious metals are steadily growing in price. Expertise data show that more than half of gold items, at best, are made of low-grade metal, and at worst, they are completely fake.
To protect yourself from unpleasant surprises in the future, when buying gold jewelry, you should choose jewelry stores with a proven track record and avoid the secondary market.
Several criteria will help assess the authenticity of the product in the store:
- Appearance.
A high-quality product must be made carefully: an even shape, without flaws and deformations, no dents, chips on the outside and inside. Discreet color with a characteristic brilliance, rich shades or matte highlights are signs of a low standard.
- Clear proof imprint and manufacturer's logo on the invisible side.
The product must have a price tag indicating the weight and sample, the corresponding information on the jewelry itself.
When buying, you can compare the jewelry with any existing gold product, the quality of which leaves no doubt.
If you decide to save money and buy a gold product in a pawnshop, you should rely on a visual assessment and comparative analysis. You can also use a magnet, it is unlikely that the owners will allow you to try other methods.
Fashion for jewelry is constantly changing, but gold items are always relevant. In order for such a jewel to become a family heirloom, and not a reminder of a bitter experience, you need to thoroughly approach the choice, study all the characteristics of the metal, and avoid buying it from hand and in small shops.
As you know, what glitters is not always gold. Like any value, the yellow metal has fakes - fake gold. Its market at the moment all over the world is growing more and more and fakes are becoming more and more skillful. Therefore, the question of how to check gold in any of its forms is very relevant. Yellow metal and jewelry made from it are so superbly counterfeited that it is very difficult to distinguish a real piece of jewelry from a fake, especially for a simple consumer. Quite often, for example, if you need to sell gold to a pawnshop, the question arises: how to check gold and do it quickly without leaving home.
The United States has a standard that if a product contains less than 10 carats of pure precious metal, it is considered fake. If you are worried about how to check if it is genuine, use the most reliable way - contact a specialist - a certified jeweler. If you are thinking about checking the authenticity of a precious metal jewelry yourself, you can use the tips in this article or watch a video from the Internet that can tell you how to check gold.
visual test
How to check, using this method, the authenticity of gold? It is enough just to carefully look at the object from it. First of all, consider the special markings that indicate the authenticity of gold. The decoration must bear the government stamp indicating the fineness or carat weight.
In cases where you do not know how to see a very small sample, you can use a magnifying glass in order to simplify the task and check whether the gold is real. An antique item may have a barely visible mark. Unfortunately, fakes can also be branded and only an experienced jeweler can distinguish the authenticity of a thing in this case.
Test on a gold ring.
The sample must be on all parts of the product, otherwise it may turn out that it has a part of a fake precious metal. Doubt about the authenticity of the yellow metal can be caused by the absence of a sample stamp, or its imprint can be uneven, with crooked numbers. Since stamping requirements at manufacturing plants are not very strict, the print may not be completely accurate. But its presence is mandatory.
It is worth paying attention to the noticeable lack of color in some places. The product must be checked for discoloration, especially around the edges where it comes into contact with other surfaces.
If another metal appears in a gold product that has worn out in order, most likely it is jewelry cut from a precious metal.
White gold, which is now popular, is similar in appearance to silver, however, if you look closely, there are significant differences. How to check its authenticity? First of all, pay attention to the color. It has a warmer hue than silver, which has a cooler hue.
Deciphering the designations on the stamp.
Gold and silver have different densities, silver is a softer metal. It leaves a mark on paper if you run a product from it over it, but white gold does not.
Having done a visual test, further research on how to test gold may be unnecessary.
Sound research
Another popular way to check if gold is real is to identify it by its sound. The ring makes a crystal chime when dropped on a smooth and hard surface. .
Experts consider this method extremely doubtful, since a person with at least an ear for music can use it in order to distinguish the ringing of falling genuine yellow metal.
Metal strength study
There is another option, how to check whether real gold is in a piece of jewelry - to scratch its surface. In a fake, under a coating of precious metal, there may be absolutely non-precious metal.
bite test
This method can often be seen in movies, especially westerns.
Bite carefully on the precious metal. After that, you need to check the surface for traces of teeth. It is believed that if the gold is true, the bite will be visible and the more pronounced the mark from the teeth, the higher the mass of pure precious metal the alloy contains. But in fact, this authentication method is not suitable for all products. In this case, you can simply damage your teeth. You also need to consider that some metals, such as lead, are softer than the yellow metal, and it will also leave a bite. A huge disadvantage of this method is that it is not always appropriate to use it - for example, under the gaze of a seller in a jewelry store.
Using a magnet
This method is very simple, but requires some preparation. A suitable magnet must be purchased. The magnet does not attract gold, so if the product sticks to it, it is definitely a fake. But now jewelry is made that contains magnet-passive components, and they are not attracted to a magnet, although they may not contain gold.
Chemical method
Many people want to know how to check the authenticity of gold by dropping iodine on its surface and judge the authenticity of the precious metal by the shade of the stain. So, the dark color of the spot indicates the truth of the product, milky - that you have a fake in front of you. Vinegar is also one of the components of the chemical test. How to check if gold is real with vinegar? It is necessary to briefly place the product in vinegar and if it becomes darker, this means that the alloy does not contain aurum. You can use a lapis pencil. To do this, first, the decoration must be moistened with water, then draw a line on it. The trace left on the metal speaks of the falsity of gold.
Gold has a chemical inertness, so you can use gold chloride in the experiment. Its application to the surface of a product made of true gold will not give any reaction. The fake alloy will sizzle and mutate.
Using touchstone
The oldest way to test gold is to use a touchstone.
This stone is very resistant to reagents, does not contain non-ferrous metal compounds. Its surface is not porous, homogeneous, usually black.
Touchstone tool.
For the test you need to do the following:
- Firstly, rub the stone with almond oil and wipe dry with filter paper;
- Secondly, on the surface of the stone, draw a small (1.5 cm) line with the product being tested.
The third step is drawing strokes with special needles with the sample number. The final step is the use of nitric acid previously applied across the strokes. As soon as the alloy oxidizes from it, and the line darkens, you can check the gold for authenticity.
The shade of the line from the product is darker than the color of the assay needle, indicating that the sample is lower than declared on the surface of the jewelry.
So, there are enough ways to determine authenticity of gold, but you should not always trust them, as a high-quality fake can come across. Therefore, if you need complete confidence in the quality of the product, it is better to consult a professional who will determine the truth of the yellow metal using modern equipment.
