It is one of the most precious metals in the world. Gold becomes a good investment for many people; however, you must be very careful not to be fooled by the different markets that try to replicate it. What happens in most cases is that people do not know if it is real gold, a gold plating, a gold alloy or simply not. Leisure gives you some homemade tricks that you must take into account in order to recognize its purity.
If you are dealing with precious metals, it is good to recognize the term Law of Weight Ratio. It should be noted that 24-karat gold is considered pure. However, you should keep in mind that any pure metal always contains a small amount of impurities. In conclusion, it is considered pure gold when it has at least 999 thousandths.
How to recognize the real gold of a jewel?
TEST VISUAL
This is a thorough analysis that allows you to check if the piece is gold. It is important to be clear that all authentic gold pieces have a mark that indicates its purity or the carats it has. In the case of not having it, it will possibly indicate that the piece is false. Although it can also mean that it has been erased over time.
COLOR
Real gold has a uniform color. In this way, the jewelry that is not gold will show areas of wear in which another metal that is not gold appears.
BITE THE GOLD
One of the most effective ways to check if a piece is real gold is to bite into it a bit. If it is real gold, biting lightly into the piece will cause an indentation, since it is a relatively soft metal. It is important to clarify that this test is not infallible, because there are jewels that receive a superficial gold bath in which we can make the indentation.
UNIFORM COLOR
The color of real gold is uniform. What does a fake piece look like? In jewelry that is not gold, you will see areas of wear in which another metal that is not gold appears. Real gold, even when worn, has no other color: it only looks gold.
Some tests you can take to recognize authentic gold
DENSITY TEST
This test only serves to know the density of the piece and its carats. The first thing to do is weigh the piece of gold, then fill a millimeter container with water up to the zero mark and submerge the piece of gold. At this point it is essential to pay attention to the water level that is marked when the piece is submerged. The most common densities of gold
- 10 karat gold has a density of 11.57 gr/ml.
- The 14-carat 13.97 gr/ml.
- The 18-carat 15.58 gr/ml.
- The 24-carat 19.32 gr/ml.
MAGNET TEST
All you need is an unglazed ceramic plate and rub the piece on it. If golden lines or marks appear when doing so, the jewel is real gold and if, on the contrary, they are black stripes, the gold is not real.
NITRIC ACID TEST
This is one of the most effective methods, but at the same time the most delicate and dangerous due to the use of nitric acid, since it can cause serious burns if it comes into contact with the skin. How to do the test?
You must put the piece on a stainless steel plate and pour a few drops of nitric acid on the gold jewel and you must observe if the following reactions occur:
- If the jewel turns dark green, the piece is gold plated and made of another metal.
- If it turns white, it is silver plated with gold.
- If it doesn’t change color, the piece is real gold.
