Gold is a precious metal that has had a high value at all times. Jewelry made from it has always been at a great price. For the same reason, even in ancient times there were craftsmen who made jewelry that looked like gold. At the same time, jewelers have developed special methods that explain how to check the authenticity of gold at home.
Features of metal
The distinctive properties of gold are softness and plasticity. That is why it is used for making jewelry of any complexity. It is perfect for a monolithic signet ring and for a thin, weightless chain. Another feature of gold is its inertness with respect to many chemical elements. These properties further increase its value.
To create various items, jewelers use a special alloy containing foreign metals. Because gold in its purest form is too soft and after the completion of all workcan deform quickly. Such a combination with other metals is called a "ligature". As an impurity, copper, palladium, silver, aluminum, pyrite, lead and other elements are most often used. This is done so that the metal acquires additional strength and becomes more wear-resistant.
Gold samples
Men and women who purchase gold jewelry should carefully examine the special stamp, which indicates the sample number. According to the standard adopted back in Soviet times, the following types of samples are distinguished:
1. 375 - the content of the noble metal is not more than 38%. Everything else is an alloy of silver, pyrite and copper. This is the cheapest option, which has a yellowish-red tint. If the products lie without use for a long time, then an oxide film is formed from ferrous sulfate, a cloudy coating appears.
2. 500 is a very rare sample, having 51 percent of the precious metal. It is distinguished by high strength, due to the presence of silver. Items marked 500 are now rare.
3. 585 - contains 59% gold and 41% palladium, copper, nickel and silver in different proportions. Such an alloy is distinguished by good wear resistance - even after long-term operation, darkening does not occur. More than 90% of jewelry on the modern Russian market is made from 585 samples.
4. 750 - 75.5% gold was used in its manufacture. In addition to silver and copper, it also contains nickel. The peculiarity of this alloy is the ability to make many different shades that range from yellowish redto bright green. When buying fashionable jewelry made from the material of this sample, you will need information on how to check white gold at home. This effect is achieved by adding more or less of one of the metal components. Keep in mind that things made from this composition are currently only made in Asian countries.
5. 958 - 96.3 percent of the precious metal was used. Only 3.7% copper is added to it. The alloy is very soft and the production cost is too high, so it is not suitable for luxury items and jewelry.
6. 999 is the rarest of the existing ones. Now this sample can be found only in the form of gold bars or sand, which are mined in the mines. Jewelers abandoned it a long time ago, as all items made of pure gold are short-lived and heavy.
If you know the samples by numbers and study their characteristics, colors and properties, then it will be much easier to identify a fake in a store.
Methods for detecting fakes
Now you can find many different ways to test gold at home. Anyone can repeat them, even those who are ignorant of jewelry. They explain in detail how to test gold at home. To do this, you need the simplest set of tools and reagents that are in any first aid kit. In addition, experts recommend relying on your instinct and hearing so as not to make a mistake when buying an expensive item. The easiest way to determine gold at homeare:
- visual inspection;
- Archimedes method;
- magnet check;
- lapis pencil;
- using iodine or vinegar;
- testing with ceramics.
Either of these methods gives only a partial idea of whether the jewelry is real or fake. In fact, the most accurate data can only be obtained from a qualified specialist in a jewelry workshop, giving the item for examination. Now there is a special device that performs instant testing and determines the proportional presence of a particular metal, but it costs too much for a simple buyer. Therefore, it is better to study the different ways to check before buying.
Visual inspection
Checking gold at home is easy with a simple inspection - if a piece of precious metal is made in Russia, then it must be marked with a factory stamp that has a clear outline. On items such as voluminous rings and earrings, it can be easily seen with the naked eye. If you want to buy a chain or a thin bracelet, then you need to bring a good magnifying glass with you.
You can also ask the seller for a jewelry passport, where all the information about this product is written, including the percentage of impurities. An experienced buyer often visually distinguishes real gold jewelry from a fake. Some advise to try products on the tooth, but they simply will not allow you to pull off such a trick in an expensive salon.
Archimedes Method
Even in the school physics course, children are told the story of Archimedes, who invented the method of weighing things by placing them in water. In this way, density can also be calculated by counting the volume of water that is displaced. For calculations, you will need an electronic kitchen scale, a glass of water. The experiment is carried out according to the following scheme:
- Gold items are weighed.
- Record this figure.
- Put the glass on the scales and press zero.
- The decoration is hung on a thread and lowered into the water so that it does not touch the edges and bottom of the glass. This must be done to calculate the displacement of the item.
- The resulting numbers are also written opposite the weight.
- To calculate density, divide weight by displacement.
The indicator is checked against a special table. If it varies from 12 to 19, then the thing is made of gold. The lowest specific gravity will be for products made from an alloy with pyrite, lead, aluminum, copper. If the number is greater than 20, then the alloy contains a metal such as platinum.
The disadvantage of this method is that it is not suitable for jewelry that has voids. Also, it will not be possible to check bracelets and chains using the Archimedes method.
Magnet check
Gold is a metal that is not attracted to a magnet, just like aluminum and lead. But the iron, which is sometimes contained in a fake, will definitely be magnetized. Therefore, if a piece of jewelry is attracted by a magnet, then this is for surefake. The advantage of the method over others is ease of use. The disadvantage is that there may be too little impurity metal, so fake jewelry is not always attracted.
Ceramic to determine authenticity
According to experts who know how to test gold at home, using this technique it is easy to distinguish gold from pyrite, which is often added to give a similar golden hue. For the test, unglazed white ceramics are required. If you run a real gold jewelry over a ceramic object, then there should not be any trace. Pyrite leaves a gray streak. You need to experiment very carefully, because a genuine gold piece may be damaged due to the hard coating of ceramics.
Using iodine or vinegar
Wound treatment can be found in every home. Therefore, it is used to determine the authenticity of gold at home most often. Before checking gold with iodine at home, you need to take a cotton swab smeared with a reagent, apply it to the jewel and wipe it with a napkin. The dark spot left on the jewelry confirms that the product is made of high-quality gold. If most of the alloy contains silver, copper or brass, then there will be no darkening.
How to test gold at home with vinegar? If you choose this method, then the opposite effect will occur. Any foreign alloy that is contained ina precious metal product in large quantities will cause clouding, but the gold jewelry will remain clean and shiny.
Lapis pencil
This item is often used in medical facilities to perform antiseptic treatment or stop bleeding, so it is sold in any pharmacy. The experiment is very simple - the gold jewelry should first be wetted, and then drawn over the wet surface with a pencil. If after that a dark mark remains, then it is a fake.
Tips for buyers
Now you can buy gold jewelry in any shopping center. Buyers simply run up their eyes from the abundance of assortment. Due to the increased demand for this product, the number of fakes has significantly increased, so you should know some recommendations so that you do not have to look for the answer to the question of how to check real gold at home.
- Gold must be bought in specialized stores that have a certificate of quality and a passport for products. In small shops that do not care about their reputation, such documents will not be provided.
- Before buying the product should be carefully inspected. Not only the front, but also the wrong side should be neat. It is there that a special manufacturer's stamp is placed, which contains information about the sample.
- If you bring a piece of jewelry that you know is authentic, you can compare it with a new piece by color.
From the verification methods described earlier, in the store you can applymagnet, visual inspection or lapis pencil. Another old-fashioned way to verify the authenticity is to lightly toss a gold piece of jewelry and listen to how it rings on a glass or metal surface. A fake often makes a dull and unpleasant sound, while gold sounds loud and melodious. In any case, the buyer can purchase a precious item, perform a home inspection and, if a fake is found, return the product to the store.
