With gold prices climbing to all time highs , it’s critical to make sure that the jewelry you are considering purchasing is made of real gold. And this task can be even more complicated when inspecting white gold jewelry. Taking your gold jewelry to a reputable jeweler is the most convenient way to ensure your gold is legit. Luckily, there are a few ways of checking yourself that the jewelry is solid gold.
The first way of checking is by using acid. When a jeweler tests gold, they use very specific acids of certain strength, and the stronger the acid is, the better it’s able to dissolve away at the higher karat grades of gold. Since you aren’t able to measure something that precise, you can merely use nitric acid. First make a small scratch on the jewelry with a file in an area won’t be too visible. Then using a dropper , apply a couple drops of nitric acid. If the jewelry is simply plated, the base metal underneath will change color or bubble as it’s dissolved by the acid. If it’s made of gold, there will be no chemical reaction . For gold chains, it’s often easier to test on the clasp at the end of the chain.
The second approach is by visual and weight inspection. Simply hold it in your hand and feel it’s weight. If it feels heavy, there’s a good chance it’s gold. Silver alloys weigh approximately 70% that of gold, so if it’s gold plated silver, it will be a noticeable difference. 14 karat gold and tungsten do have the same density and weight feel, however tungsten is a darker grey metal .
The last method is to check the jewelry to see if it is stamped and hallmarked. Gold Jewelry is required by law to be stamped either in it’s purity form, or it’s karat grade. Common karat grades are 10K, 14K, 18K, etc. Purity is a 3-digit number calculated by the karat divided by 24, since pure gold is 24 karat gold . And then you just multiply by 100. So 14K is 14 divided by 24 times 100, which is 583 (or sometimes written as 585). Likewise , 18 karat gold is 750.
Tips: Be careful when buying from Craigslist . If you decide to buy something from a stranger, ask them to meet you at a jewelry store so the jeweler can inspect the item in question. Also look for a second stamp on the jewelry next to the karat grade. This is from the actual producerof the jewelry, also called a hallmark. Nicer pieces of jewelry tend to have the manufacturers logo which would allow you to trace back the origin of the jewelry. Therefore you can feel more confident you’re purchasing an item that was stamped correctly .
Be sure to visit our website to learn more about how to clean your gold jewelry.
