How to check gold for authenticity

Forging gold jewelry learned a very long time. This noble metal at all times had high demand and price. This means that cases of fraudulent manipulation were not uncommon. Over time, this procedure has been increasingly improved, and by now there is a serious risk of acquiring a poor-quality product. Many people do not even think that they can be deceived. Therefore, wondering how to check gold, or whether there are any excess impurities in it, begin already after a trip to the jewelry store. I must say that it is very difficult to determine the authenticity only by the form of the product, even if it is practically impossible.

Fortunately, now there are many specialized salons (sometimes examination is carried out in some jewelry stores), where you can contact the expert. This person has special instruments for measuring the density of metal. After all, it is known that for tampering, tungsten is used most often, having the same density with gold. Only a specialist will be able to give an accurate conclusion with complete certainty. But our ancestors somehow managed themselves and quite successfully. What was their "expertise"? "Indeed, there is not one way to check gold at home, but the most popular ones will be discussed below.

How to check gold with a magnet

This option is suitable in the event that there is a suspicion that the decoration is covered only with a thin layer of gilding, and inside the deceivers have placed another metal. Real gold, like any noble metal, never reacts to a magnet. If you bring it to the product you want to check, then the latter should not be attracted. If this happens, it means that in your adornment there are impurities of other substances. Here it is important to remember that some non-noble metals, such as aluminum or copper, do not respond to attraction. This means that verification can fail. In this case, you need to weigh the product in your hand, especially if you have something to compare: the real gold will be much heavier.

Check with iodine and vinegar

This method is also quite simple and does not require much effort. For sure everyone in the home medicine cabinet will have at least one small bottle of iodine. A drop of this remedy will suffice for the inspection. A product made of genuine gold will not react if iodine hits it. On a fake, as a result of this chemical action, a dark spot quickly forms (it is enough to wait five minutes, and then to wipe the drop with a cotton disc). The second option suggests placing the product in vinegar. Unseemly gold will darken, the real will remain unchanged. But there is a nuance here too. Gold-plated jewelry will also react to iodine and vinegar as real.

How to check gold with a pencil

This pencil can be purchased in almost any pharmacy. Usually it is used for medical purposes - to stop blood. But also for home examination it will perfectly serve its role. First, the decoration needs to be moistened with water, then draw a small stroke over its surface with this pencil and wipe it with a soft cloth or cotton pad. On the counterfeit product will remain visible trail.

In the end, you can compare two products. Most likely, you have another gold ornament, the authenticity of which has long been verified or is beyond doubt. It can be a family ring or a pendant purchased in a proven jewelery salon. Suitable for any product. For verification, it is necessary to carry out two similar strips on some rigid object. One - your checked decoration, and the second - the one whose authenticity was called into question. Gold with the same sample leaves approximately the same trace. You can still throw up each of the ornaments and compare after that the sound of their fall.

Of course, none of the above methods should be decisive in determining the authenticity of your gold. Experienced fraudsters are able to create fakes of really high quality. They take into account all described methods of home examination. Perhaps, when you buy, you will even be offered to try one of them. Such decorations, as a rule, pass all the tests successfully, except for one: examination by a specialist. Therefore, it will be best to ask for help from a professional expert.