Jewelry is a huge part of everyone’s life and an excellent means to save money, and what’s better than investing in gold? It is symbolic of great status, wealth and immorality, or even royalty. No other element can match the value it holds; it adds value to even insignificant materials; that is why one should know how to tell if the gold is real or not. What if it’s a cheap knockoff?
This blog piece has detailed identification marks that would tell if the jewelry is real gold or not.
Identification Hallmarks
Hallmarks are engraved on gold which will tell that they are real since there are none on the fake ones. It is basically a small stamp that indicates the gold’s karat weight.
It varies according to the place, and in the U.S., the hallmark number is actually a fraction of 24. This means 12 karats; i.e., half the jewelry is gold, and full pure gold is always 24karat. Half purity does not mean it is not real.
However, if you cannot find a hallmark on your jewel piece, this means that it does not have real gold. Still, there are other possibilities as well, such as hallmark erasing over time due to skin to skin contact.
Nitric Acid Test
To know if your jewel is real gold or not, find a space on your necklace or choose the inside area if it is a ring to make a small scratch; make a deep mark through the topmost layer of gold.
Next, meticulously drop some nitric acid to test the gold’s realness. Observe whether the mark turns green or milky. If it is real gold, then there should be no reaction.
Magnet
Is gold magnetic in nature? No, it is not. We can use this attribute to our advantage. Since real gold is not magnetic, it will have no effect if put near a strong magnet. Get one from a hardware store so that there is no chance of doubt after the experiment.
Water Test
Grab a half-full trench of water to fully cover your gold piece. Next, slowly immerse it into the water.
You can tell if the piece is real gold or not by looking at its reaction. Gold is a heavy metal that doesn’t float; therefore, if your item is floating, it is not real.
Moreover, if you find rust on the item after some time after it has been under water, this can also mean it is not real gold because it doesn’t tarnish.
Item Density
Gold has a density measuring 19.3 grams per milliliter (g/mL) approx. The value of your item should be close to this figure; the closer, the better. A scale is at your disposal to take out the measurement of the density. Measure yours in grams.
Conclusion
These tests are an easy way to test whether the gold is real or not. We at Pearlings make sure that the jewelry pieces made are of good quality and not faux. Visit our website or drop by our outlet; we will be more than happy to help.