Isn't there a way to tell if gold is real or fake? Its been so long since I have had to worry about this but a friend of mine got a necklace that her boyfriend swears is real and I just don't think it is. It seems like I remember that you could rub it against your face and if it made a mark it was fake or vice versa. Does anyone know any test similar to that or one that will work?
I know we could take it to a jewler but I was thinking of something a little more private than calling her boyfriend a liar....lol
2006-11-07 04:10:51 · 5 answers · asked by amyclay350 3 in Beauty & Style ➔ Fashion & Accessories
The lack of a hallmark (10k, 14k, 18k etc.) is not indicative of whether your piece is gold or not. In the United States it is against the FTC's regulations for the jeweler to hallmark a piece of jewelry unless it is accompanied by a maker's mark. So, when I first began making jewelry and did not have a trademark of my own, I did not hallmark my jewelry. Now that I have a maker's mark, I hallmark my jewelry with the appropriate metal hallmark and my maker's mark.
A jeweler cannot just look at a piece and tell you for certain whether it is gold or not; the jeweler will do a test to determine it.
To be scientfically accurate a sample of the metal in question must be assayed in a testing laboratory, but the following two tests have been used for many years and often are sufficiently accurate for a craftsperson or the owner of the metal in question.
To answer "Is It Gold?":
With a small file, make a scratch in an inconspicuous spot. While wearing rubber gloves, use a wooden, glass or plastic stick to apply a drop of nitric acid to the filed spot. Observe the reaction. When done, rinse everything well in running water.
If there is no reaction, it's gold.
If there's a bright green reaction, it's base metal.
If there's green in the scratch, it's a gold layer over base metal (goldplate).
If there's a milky reaction in the scratch, it's a gold layer over silver.
To answer "What Karat Is It?"
Determining karat requires a testing kit containing nitric acid, aqua regia, samples of known karat, and a touchstone of slate or ceramic.
The gold object to be tested is rubbed on the stone ("touched") to leave a streak. A parallel line is made with one of the test pieces of known karat. Both marks are flooded with acid and the reaction are observed. When the sample colors at the same rate as the test streak, a match has been made. Nitric acid is used for low karat golds; aqua regia is needed for higher karats.
Please note: these tests are for your information only. They are not accurate enough to rely upon when representing a piece for sale. Most jewelers have testing kits to use when determining if something is gold or not and its approximate karat. It is probably easiest to take the item to a jeweler than to set up the testing kits yourself.
2006-11-10 12:59:27 · answer #1 · answered by shabocon 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Real gold should have a stamp on it somewhere, generally near the clasp that says 14k or 18k. It could also say 10k. Of course that only proves the clasp is gold. There is an acid test in which a chemical can be put on the metal. If it is gold, nothing will happen, if it isn't, there will be a color change. A jewelry store generally has or sells this product.
2006-11-07 04:14:47 · answer #2 · answered by brucenjacobs 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Rub it against your teeth... if its fake then it will peel off... and if it smells diff.. usually gold doesn't smell...
2006-11-07 04:43:12 · answer #3 · answered by maria * 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
put a lighter to it burn it for a few seconds, real gold WILL NOT BURN , if it turns black from being burnt, the gold is fake
2006-11-07 04:13:09 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
lol try biting it see if it bends.
2006-11-07 04:13:07 · answer #5 · answered by mohamed b 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋