How to check gold for authenticity at home?

The number of jewelry stores is increasing every year, and the extraction of precious metal does not keep pace with the exorbitant needs of mankind. Gold has long been a trap for buyers, because with modern technology, fraudsters are becoming easier to fake. To verify the authenticity of the precious metal, you can contact the Assay Chamber or a familiar jeweler. Only professional professionals can 100% distinguish a genuine product from a fake. However, there are simpler ways to make sure that you are not deceived. 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.

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Gold, its chemical and physical properties

Real pure gold is a very soft, saturated yellow metal. It should be understood that even the highest quality gold jewelry cannot consist only of expensive metal, as it will quickly erase with time. Due to the softness of the precious metal, 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,properties and signs of gold and silver. 

Alloys can have red, white and yellow color, they give the name to the future gold product:

1. Red gold contains in its composition 75% gold and 25% copper. In ancient Russia, red gold was used to make jewelry and as a cash equivalent.
2. Classic gold is an alloy of metals such as gold, silver and copper in equal proportions.
3. White gold basically has silver, platinum and nickel (68%), and the remaining 32% is pure gold.
4. Today, it is this alloy that is in high demand all over the world.

Important! Recently, nickel has been excluded from the alloy due to the high allergic reaction to the skin.   

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How to determine the present gold or not?

In order to enrich themselves, entrepreneurs go to any deception. Unscrupulous manufacturers have already taken the approach to precious metal inspection inspections. And more often than not, the whole jewelry is included in the analysis, but only a small part of it, for example, a chain link, a fastener, which are made in the best qualities. Experts usually check only the top layer of the product, but what is inside remains a mystery to everyone except manufacturers.

A good quality jewel is an alloy, the main part of which is precisely gold. Precious metal makes the jewelry strong and durable.

Rings are worn on different hands and fingers, but there are some rules. Someone observes them, and someone does not - in any case, read,how to wear women's rings on your hands. 

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 fake process itself is quite simple: a tungsten blank is coated with gold. It is possible to recognize such a fake only if you drill a hole that exposes what is inside.

In order not to become a victim of fraud, be very careful and thorough about the purchase. Correctly determine the quality of decoration, the following recommendations will help you:

1. Never buy jewelry in cheap, little-known shops and stalls.
2. Always carefully inspect the product and the sample of metal, as well as the imprint of the manufacturer. If there is no sample, then this should alert you. You can check the gold sample using a magnifier. Look at the numbers - they should be clear and even, and the mark should be parallel to the part on which it was applied.
3. Carefully inspect the product from the wrong side. The wrong side should be done as accurately and accurately as the front side. This indicates the high craftsmanship and professionalism of the manufacturer.

If you find or donated a new gold jewelry, then use one of the methods we have proposed,how to clean gold from someone else's energy. 

Important! If possible, use a sound authenticity method. The ring, pendant or earrings can be thrown onto a hard, level floor. The sound of genuine gold jewelry should be clear and ringing, reminiscent of crystal ringing. However, this method is not suitable for long and loose chains and bracelets.

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How to verify the authenticity of gold at home? - 7 best ways

There are many ways to verify gold for authenticity. Such experiments are quite simple to use. For research you will need folk improvised means. With their help, you can make sure in the words “Not All That Glitters Gold” or refute it and calm down about the quality of your product.

Iodine test

For the experiment you will need:

• Iodine.
• Cotton swab.
• Napkin or clean cloth.

Proceed as follows to verify gold for authenticity at home:

1. Wipe the product with a clean cloth to remove dirt.
2. Put a drop of iodine on a clean surface of the decoration with a cotton swab.
3. 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.
4. Wipe the iodine gently with a tissue or soft cloth. And if suddenly you overdo it a bit, and iodine remains on the decoration, then do not be discouraged - we have prepared several ways,how to clean gold from iodine.

Important! You can verify the authenticity of the metal and vinegar. Pour the product into a vessel and dip the decoration in a container of vinegar. Real gold will not darken, and fake - will change its color.

Magnet check

All precious metals are not magnetic, therefore - real gold will not react in any way to a magnet. Bring a powerful magnet (you can search) to the decoration and, if the product has a lot of iron, then it will stick to the magnet. In this case, there are two options: a product of a very low sample or a fake.

Important! It should be noted that this method is not very accurate, since 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.

Gold authentication with a pencil

You can buy a lapis pencil at any pharmacy - it is designed to stop bleeding. With its help it is possible to check gold for authenticity.

Use the pencil for the experiment as follows:

1. Wet the product with water.
2. Draw a strip of pencil on the surface of the decoration.
3. Wipe the decoration with cotton.
4. 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 gold family ring or old coins.

In the case of antique jewelry, which for many years lay in a secluded place waiting for its time, information will probably be useful to you,how to clean gold from black at home. 

Important! Ideally, products (original and experimental) should be one sample.

Do the following experiment with jewelry:

1. An antique script draw a line on a hard surface.
2. Make a similar movement with the product you doubt.

Important! The fingerprints of the lines should match exactly, if the result is different, and the fingerprints of the lines do not match, then you do not have real gold.

Sun reaction method

Experiment in sunny and clear weather. If possible, go out into the street or 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 bulk, heavy products, such as gold bullion. The product must be immersed in water and the volume of displaced water determined.

By formulas known since the 7th grade, it is possible to determine whether gold is real or not. Of course, an experiment requires additional measuring instruments and knowledge in physics and chemistry.

Important! You can make everything simpler: if a gold jewelry drowns in water, then it is made of noble metal, and if it floats, then, alas, a fake.

Fresh bread check

This is a rather interesting way that was used by our ancestors to check gold for authenticity at home:

1. Take a crumb of fresh black bread, put the studied jewelry in the middle.
2. Leave a piece of bread until it dries.
3. Break the bread, pull out the product.
4. If nothing happened with the crumb, then the gold is real, because fakes are usually oxidized.

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How to check a sample of gold?

Unfortunately, verification of a gold sample is a very long, complicated, quivering and practically impossible exercise at home. Typically, jewelers who have special tools and touches of sample standards do this.

And also we have prepared for you interesting material on what it meansring on the middle finger of the left hand. 

We will introduce you to two methods for checking a gold sample.

Method number 1. Using needles

Jewelers take needles made from different samples of gold, they apply a micro-scratch to the product - usually from the inside. Next, nitric acid is poured into the scratch.

Comparing the color of the scratches and needles, experts conclude that the product sample is consistent.

Method number 2. Use of assay stone

This is the oldest way. The stone is resistant to reagents, does not include non-ferrous metals. The surface of the assay stone is not porous, but uniform, usually black.

For the experiment, spend the stone product. The trace left is compared with the tone of the strokes of the standard of a known sample.

There are many 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 the decoration, then contact the professionals who determine the truth of the yellow metal using modern equipment.

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If you decide to buy an expensive gold jewelry, then select a jewelry in salons, time-tested and quality manufacturers. Happy shopping and real products!