Gold is a symbol of wealth and power. It is considered very worthy if it’s authentic. In today’s era, one must know to check the authenticity of gold. You may buy ab old necklace from someone and suspect whether it is real gold or fake. It can be gold plated or electroplated whose worth is nothing as compared to the real gold. So you must check the old gold you own for its authenticity. Wondering how? Here we have some simple tests for you. You can easily perform these tests to determine whether your necklace is real gold or not.
So let’s start!
Method 1: Check The Necklace for Hallmark
Hallmarks are usually stamped on original gold jewelry pieces to indicate their Karat weight. You can find this hallmark stamp on the clasp of the necklace.
For American gold, the Hallmark will be letters followed by the letter K. This number will indicate the proportion of real gold in a necklace. For 24K hallmark, the necklace will be 100% gold.
In the European system, the Hallmark on gold jewelry is usually in decimals i.e., 0.450 symbolizes that 45% of gold is real, 1.000 means that the gold is 100% real.
In case you don’t find any hallmark, you can’t straight away consider your gold fake. Maybe the hallmark was worn out if it’s too old. So this method is not 100% workable when you check whether your necklace is real gold or not.
Method 2: Skin Test Using Liquid Foundation
This test is very unique and reliable. Apply liquid foundation to your skin. Then apply powder. Now take your gold necklace and rub it against the skin where you have applied the foundation. If the rubbing process leaves a black streak on your skin, then your necklace is real gold.
Gold and skin discoloration are two different things as gold is non-reactive. However, when you apply makeup and rub gold against the skin, the rule changes, and rubbing leaves the black streaks on your skin.
Method 3: Heaviness Test
Take a jug and fill it with water. Drop your necklace in it. If the necklace is made of real gold, it will sink as gold is a heavy metal. If it floats, then it means your necklace is only gold-plated and not real gold.
Method 4: Magnet Test
Pure gold will never be attracted by the magnet. So you can use a magnet test to check the authenticity of your necklace. If it gets attracted by the magnet, it means either your necklace is fake gold, or it is made with a lesser proportion of gold.
Method 5: Scratch Test on Ceramic Plate
Tale a ceramic plat to perform the scratch test. Rub the necklace edge on this plate. If it leaves a golden scratch or trail on the plate, then your necklace is real gold. On the other hand, if it leaves the black scratches, then your necklace is made of a metal other than gold.
Method 5: Color Test Using Vinegar
This test is super simple as it requires only a few drops of vinegar that are available in almost every home. Apply some vinegar drops to the inconspicuous part of the necklace. The real gold will never react and no discoloration will be observed. if you observe a color change, it means you have fake gold.
Method 6: Nitric Acid Test
Take a black stone and rub your gold necklace against it. It will leave a mark on the stone. Now take nitric acid and apply it to the mark. If the mark remains as it is, then the first requirement is fulfilled.
Next, apply the aqua regia to the mark, which is a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid in a percentage proportion of 75:25. Gold dissolves in aqua regia, so if the necklace is real gold, the mark will disappear.
Conclusion
All these methods are appropriate to give you an idea about your gold’s authenticity. However, these tests can never help you reach a 100% confident conclusion. For this, you should contact a jeweler. Jewelers use several methods along with their experience to ensure that the gold is real.
