For its low oxidation ability, gold is classified as a noble metal. Hence its value. At the same time, gold is a soft metal, so products made from pure material are very fragile. To increase the resistance of jewelry to gold, silver and copper are usually added. In some countries, this may include zinc, nickel, palladium and cob alt. These metals increase the strength of the product, but they should be in small doses, because it is gold that provides the product with resistance to corrosion.
Why brand gold
To show the proportion of gold in the product, a brand is put on it, which is also called a breakdown. In countries with the metric system, the fineness is expressed as grams of precious metal per kilogram of alloy. For example, a 585 sample means that there are 585 grams of gold in a kilogram of this alloy. In other words, this item is 58.5% precious metal.
In countries with a non-metric system, carats are used to indicate the ratio of precious and other metals in a product. In some countries it is allowedmetric as well as carat. At the same time, only gold is measured in carats, metric samples are used for other precious metals.
If you do not know how to check the authenticity of gold at home, first of all, carefully inspect it for external damage and the presence of official signs.
If you find a mark in carats, you should know that:
- 9 carats equals 375 fineness.
- 12 carat - 500 fine.
- 14 carat - 585 fine.
- 18 carat - 750 fine.
- 21 ct - 875 fine.
- 22 carats - 917 fine.
- 23 carats - 958 fine.
- 24 carats - 999 fine, and denotes a noble metal in its purest form.
Gold item should not show obvious signs of corrosion. If there are any, this means that there is no gold in the composition of the product or its specific gravity is below 30%.
How to test gold with iodine
If during the examination of the product you did not find its samples, then find out whether it is gold or not, iodine will help you. Since iodine is one of the few substances that still react with gold, it is the best way to determine its authenticity.
To detect the presence of gold in an alloy, you need to put a little iodine on it. After a minute, iodine can be washed. There should be a stain on the product. If it is not there, it is not made of gold. If the product turned out to be genuine, its sample can be determined by a jeweler or using special equipment. This service is likelywill not be free.
How to test gold with iodine so as not to damage the product? You need to act with extreme caution. It is best to apply iodine from the wrong side. The speck that appears should be immediately wiped off with a Coca-Cola drink or toothpaste.
If there is no iodine in the house, ordinary vinegar will do for testing. Dip the product in a container of vinegar, and if the product has darkened, it is not gold in front of you.
Checking gold with a magnet
Gold does not have the property of magnetism, like the metals that are usually included in the alloy of jewelry. Therefore, this method is not so much to determine the presence of gold, but its absence. You need to take a magnet and bring it closer to the product. If the product sticks to the magnet, it is definitely fake. The method is good if they are trying to frankly cheat on you. Indeed, with the growth of modern technology, it is possible to fake jewelry even at home.
Checking with a lapis pencil
How to check gold at home using silver nitrate or, simply put, a lapis pencil? This pencil is the result of a reaction between silver and nitric acid. It is an excellent reagent and is widely used in medicine for sterilizing wounds. We will need it for the experiment with gold. Since silver nitrate is easily soluble in water, the product should be wetted to speed up the reaction. Then draw on it with a lapis pencil. On a gold product there should not be anytraces.
Checking gold for a tooth
How to check gold if there are no improvised means? You have probably seen in movies how pirates who find gold try it on their teeth. The same is done by Olympic champions when they are presented with gold medals, which has become a tradition rather than a real test. In fact, this method, ancient as the world, is still valid today. Since gold is a very soft metal, after a bite, not even a pure metal, a trace should remain on it. And the deeper it is, the more gold is in the product, and, accordingly, the higher its standard.
Determination of authenticity by density
Gold is a very heavy metal. Its density is 19.32 g/cm3, second only to six other equally rare metals. Therefore, this quality is often used to determine the authenticity of gold. So for example:
- 14 carats (583 fineness) corresponds to the density of the product 12.9 - 14.6 g/cm3
- 18 carats (750 fineness) corresponds to the density of the product 15.2 - 15.9 g/cm3
- 22 carats (916 fine) corresponds to the density of the product 17.7 - 17.8 g/cm3
- 24 carats (999 fine) corresponds to the density of the item 19.32 g/cm3
First, weigh your product. If you don't have a special scale, you can get it done at a pawnshop. Unlike the definition of a sample, jewelers provide this service free of charge.
Then take a test tube, preferably withgraduated scale, and fill it with water. The amount of water doesn't matter. The main thing is that it covers the product. Dip the jewelry into the test tube and see how much the water has risen on the scale. This way you will know the volume of the product.
Dividing the weight of a product by its volume gives you its density.
For example, let's take gold 585. How to check? After weighing, we found out that the product weighs 27 g. Having lowered the product into water, we saw that the water rose by 2 ml. So, the volume of the product is 2 cm3. Dividing the weight of 27 g by the volume of 2 cm3, we obtain a density of 13.5 g/cm3, which corresponds to 14 carats.
How to test gold with ceramics
And if you don’t feel like biting dubious products, and besides, there is no necessary equipment in the house? How to check gold at home in this case? The answer is simple - with the help of ceramic dishes. Take a plate, preferably white, and you won't mind ruining it. Put the product in it and rub it a little. If a black mark remains on the plate, then the product is not made of gold, but if the trace is yellow, then most likely the product is genuine.
Knowing how to check gold, you can not only protect yourself from scammers, but also easily and quickly determine the value of the found jewelry.
