Experienced investors and professional jewellery buyers know how to authenticate gold class and determine if gold jewellery is real or not. Figuring the gold class is important when buying or selling jewellery. Unlike other precious metals, gold has a unique chemical and property makeup that can influence what it’s worth on the market. While knowing the spot price of gold is a component of buying and selling jewellery, it’s not the only factor in determining what something is worth.
There are seven tests used to determine what the gold class is of a piece of jewellery. These tests can determine if you have a piece of pure gold or 24 ct on your hands, 18 ct, 14 ct, 9 ct, or something else. What are those seven tests gold buyers use to authenticate gold class?
The magnifying glass test
Hallmark test
Skin test
Float test
Magnet test
Acid test
Makeup test
Real gold is worth money, and it’s easy to sell for quick cash on hand. But there’s a lot of counterfeit gold out there, too. Below, we’ll cover the most popular tests gold buyers use.
With a magnifying glass, gold buyers look for the following signs:
Discolouration: Gold is chemically inert and won’t react to its environment with discolouration. Gold-plated or fake gold items will be discoloured.
Shine and colour: Real gold has a soft yellow shade, and it is not very shiny at all. Gold that is too shiny, reddish in tone or brassy yellow is probably fake.
Purity hallmark: Real gold jewellery will usually have a carat engraving on it. But even counterfeit pieces will display a purity hallmark, requiring further testing.
After passing the magnifying test, gold buyers will often conduct another test to determine the carat of the gold jewellery piece.
This is an easy way to determine gold authenticity. Real gold is a non-ferrous material and will not attract magnets. A fake piece of gold jewellery or different alloy will be instantly attracted to a high-strength magnet. A piece of gold that may slightly move toward a magnet but not stick to it is probably gold-plated. If a magnet attracts a “gold” piece, then gold buyers will skip doing any other tests at this point.
But if a piece does not attract a magnet, it could still be something other than gold. Silver is also a non-ferrous material that won’t attract a magnet. Real gold jewellery may also have clasps that are made out of a magnetic material.
Acid tests are popular and accurate. But gold buyers will only use an acid test if the item was identified as non-ferrous during a magnet test. Gold acid testing kits are divided into different parts for determining if a piece is 10 ct, 18 ct, 22 ct, or higher.
At Gold Buyers Melbourne, we know exactly how to test your pieces for authenticity without damaging the jewellery's aesthetic value. With an accurate determination of your jewellery's purity, we’ll give you a fair and competitive price right then and there. Get cash the same day when you head on into Gold Buyers Melbourne and sell your gold, silver, or diamond jewellery.
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