How To Check If The Gold Jewelry Is Real - The Ultimate Guide
Can you check if the gold jewelry you want to buy or have received as a gift is really made of gold? The answer is yes. And here is the ultimate guide to do so!
Gold jewelry is, as we all know, a woman's best friend. Whether the gold jewels were received as a gift or bought personally, every woman should know how to recognize genuine gold jewelry from fake ones.
Of course, whether it's gold, diamond, silver, or platinum jewelry, buying them from specialist shops comes with a guarantee of quality. But for jewelry whose provenance is unknown, women need to pay attention to certain specific details to check if the gold is real.
Therefore, the following are some steps to take to personally check the veracity of gold jewelry.
The Ultimate Guide For Checking Gold Jewelry
1. Check The Hallmark Of The Jewelry
Depending on its purity, gold can be 9 karats, 10 karats, 12 karats, 14 karats, 18 karats, 20 karats, 22 karats, or even 24 karats (this being the purest of them all). For each of these types, there are specific international hallmarks.
Gold markings start at 375 for 9-carat gold and go up to 999 for 24-carat gold, with the majority of gold jewelry on the market being 14-carat (585) and 18-carat (750).
Therefore, any genuine gold jewelry should be inscribed with such a hallmark. However, some vintage or antique jewelry may lack these inscriptions as they may have faded with the passage of time.
But, take into consideration that even some fake jewelry may imitate this marking, so this step is not sufficient.
2. Gold Can Be Checked Using Porcelain Objects
Gold can be checked to see if it is real or not by using porcelain objects that are not shiny. A piece of rough pottery is passed over with gold jewelry, and depending on the color of the mark it leaves on the pottery it can be determined whether the jewelry is gold or not.
In the case of quality gold jewelry, the trace must be golden in color, whereas if it is reddish or black, the material from which the jewelry is made is worthless.
3. Checking The Gold Jewelry With A Magnet
Gold is one of the metals that cannot be attracted to the magnet. Therefore, for checking such jewelry, the magnet can be a useful tool.
However, the result could be influenced if the jewelry has other accessories, such as clips or bows, which are made of other materials.
4. Nitric Acid Does Not React To Gold Jewelry
Nitric acid is generally used in the chemical industry and in the health sector, but it can also be used to find out whether a piece of jewelry is really made of gold or only alloys that imitate this precious metal.
Depending on the chemical reaction it has in contact with the jewelry, it can also be used to determine the metal from which the jewelry is made:
- if it is greenish in color, it means that the material is a common one;
- if it is milky, then the jewelry is made of gold-blown silver;
- if the chemical reaction is missing, the material is really gold.
5. The Glass Of Water Test
Put the gold jewelry you want to test in a glass or cup of water. If the "gold" floats, there is no doubt about the fact that it's fake. Real gold will sink right to the bottom because it's a heavy metal.
These are some methods that allow you to check for yourself if the gold jewelry is real or fake.
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Gold jewelry is, as we all know, a woman's best friend. Whether the gold jewels were received as a gift or bought personally, every woman should know how to recognize genuine gold jewelry from fake ones.
Of course, whether it's gold, diamond, silver, or platinum jewelry, buying them from specialist shops comes with a guarantee of quality. But for jewelry whose provenance is unknown, women need to pay attention to certain specific details to check if the gold is real.
Therefore, the following are some steps to take to personally check the veracity of gold jewelry.
The Ultimate Guide For Checking Gold Jewelry
1. Check The Hallmark Of The Jewelry
Depending on its purity, gold can be 9 karats, 10 karats, 12 karats, 14 karats, 18 karats, 20 karats, 22 karats, or even 24 karats (this being the purest of them all). For each of these types, there are specific international hallmarks.
Gold markings start at 375 for 9-carat gold and go up to 999 for 24-carat gold, with the majority of gold jewelry on the market being 14-carat (585) and 18-carat (750).
Therefore, any genuine gold jewelry should be inscribed with such a hallmark. However, some vintage or antique jewelry may lack these inscriptions as they may have faded with the passage of time.
But, take into consideration that even some fake jewelry may imitate this marking, so this step is not sufficient.
2. Gold Can Be Checked Using Porcelain Objects
Gold can be checked to see if it is real or not by using porcelain objects that are not shiny. A piece of rough pottery is passed over with gold jewelry, and depending on the color of the mark it leaves on the pottery it can be determined whether the jewelry is gold or not.
In the case of quality gold jewelry, the trace must be golden in color, whereas if it is reddish or black, the material from which the jewelry is made is worthless.
3. Checking The Gold Jewelry With A Magnet
Gold is one of the metals that cannot be attracted to the magnet. Therefore, for checking such jewelry, the magnet can be a useful tool.
However, the result could be influenced if the jewelry has other accessories, such as clips or bows, which are made of other materials.
4. Nitric Acid Does Not React To Gold Jewelry
Nitric acid is generally used in the chemical industry and in the health sector, but it can also be used to find out whether a piece of jewelry is really made of gold or only alloys that imitate this precious metal.
Depending on the chemical reaction it has in contact with the jewelry, it can also be used to determine the metal from which the jewelry is made:
- if it is greenish in color, it means that the material is a common one;
- if it is milky, then the jewelry is made of gold-blown silver;
- if the chemical reaction is missing, the material is really gold.
5. The Glass Of Water Test
Put the gold jewelry you want to test in a glass or cup of water. If the "gold" floats, there is no doubt about the fact that it's fake. Real gold will sink right to the bottom because it's a heavy metal.
These are some methods that allow you to check for yourself if the gold jewelry is real or fake.
