Surely many have asked themselves the question: how to determine the authenticity of gold? The explanation for this is the number of jewelry stores, which is growing every day. Gold mining is not comparable to the number of such salons, since today it is moving very slowly. This raises questions: were they deceived when purchasing a gold item, or were they slipped a counterfeit?

Why is it worth checking gold for authenticity?

In order to enrich themselves, people can resort to any deception. Now there are many unscrupulous manufacturers who have an approach to inspections for the analysis of precious metals. Very often, it is not the whole precious metal that gets analyzed by the inspectorate, but only a part of it. This could be an earring clasp or a chain link that are made with high quality. Very often, analysis services only check the top layer of the precious metal, and only one manufacturer knows what is inside. Such low-quality goods end up in showrooms, and then in our hands. Therefore, you have to worry about buying jewelry and checking its authenticity. There are countless cases of deception.

The following recommendations, which you can easily apply at home, will help you determine whether it is gold or not:

• visual assessment;
• identifying genuine metal by sound;
• chemical determination;
• method of determination with a magnet or lapis pencil;
• determination by Archimedes' method;
• a method for determining reaction to the sun;
• method of contacting gold jewelry.

Let's consider each of the options.

Methods for determining gold at home

How to identify gold at home by visual assessment and sound? The easiest way or method to identify real gold from fake gold at home is a visual assessment. It is worth carefully examining the gold product and trying to examine the sample.

Any gold jewelry is tested at manufacturing factories. If the sample is missing, then this should alert you. Carefully examine the decoration from the reverse side. The back side must be of the same professional quality as the front side. You can also try to scratch the jewelry, testing its strength. It is only advisable to scratch where the scratch will be least visible. If the product is fake, then under the layer of gold you can see base metal.

Many people rely on the old method of identifying gold by sound. To do this, take your product (ring, pendant, earrings) and throw it on a hard and perfectly flat floor. The sound of a genuine gold product resembles crystal ringing. It will be clean and ringing. But, according to experts, a person must have good hearing abilities for this. This determination method is not suitable for long and loose bracelets and chains.

How to recognize gold by chemical determination?

For this quality experiment you will need iodine. Try placing a drop of iodine on your jewelry and letting it react for a few minutes. Then try removing the iodine with a cotton swab. If it did not leave a trace behind, then this is an original product. If instead of the original you have a base metal in front of you, iodine will leave its mark in various colors, from light shades to black.

You can determine the authenticity using vinegar. To do this, take vinegar and pour it into a container. They put the product there and wait for a chemical reaction.

Real gold will not darken or change its color.

• Determination method with a magnet or lapis pencil

The gold product is not attracted by a magnet, the photo is fake

If a magnet is presented to a gold item, it will not be attracted to it, whereas any other metal will simply stick. You can check the precious metal with a lapis pencil, which is sold in any pharmacy. To do this, wet your gold piece with water and draw a line on it with a pencil. If your product remains clean, then it is genuine, and if it reacts, then you have a fake in your hands.

• Determination by Archimedes' method

The method is that if the decoration is placed in water, it will immediately sink. But base metals will remain floating on the water.

• Sun reaction method

This method is carried out in sunny and clear weather. You should hold the gold item and look closely at it in the shade, and then direct the sun’s rays onto it. A gold product should remain the same color and shine both in the shade and in the sun, while a fake in the shade will be darker.

• Gold Jewelry Contact Method

This method requires you to be confident in the gold jewelry your piece will be in contact with. Let it be an antique gold ring that passes from generation to generation. Draw two lines of jewelry on a hard surface. In both cases, the stripes will be the same or very similar to each other.

If you decide to buy gold jewelry, then let it be from time-tested and quality-tested manufacturers and the jewelry salon itself.

Gold is a precious metal that, due to its softness, is usually combined with other metals (prepared and used to make jewelry). The pure gold content of a gold alloy is measured. For example, a 750-karat gold alloy contains 75% pure gold, and the remaining 25% is alloy and impurities.

Despite the fact that the circulation of precious metals is strictly controlled by the state on the basis, gold products are quite often counterfeited. For example, they underestimate the content of pure gold, or replace gold with other cheaper yellow metals. Therefore, at the time of purchase, especially in unfamiliar places or from other people, it is important to know at least a few simple ways to check whether the product is gold or not. Testing methods vary in cost and complexity, depending on how accurate you need the result and the nature of the “sample” being tested.

Preliminary tests - checking for gold or fake

In nature, there are substitutes for gold with physical properties very similar to it. For example, pyrite(a golden-colored mineral with a metallic sheen, which is a compound of iron and sulfur; sulfur or iron pyrite). There are also cheaper imitations, including, for example, ordinary copper with gold plating.

To avoid overspending on advanced tests, you should try the following pre-tests first:

• Scratch the piece across the unglazed porcelain and look at the line left behind. If it is dark in color, it is most likely pyrite. If it's golden yellow, it's gold.
• Next, run the product over ordinary glass. Since gold is softer than glass, it should not leave a mark
• one of the most accessible ways is to check with an iodine solution, which is sold in any pharmacy. To do this, apply a drop of iodine to the gold item for 3-5 minutes, then wipe off with a napkin. If the color darkens, then you are dealing with gold. Neither copper nor brass, which are often used in counterfeits, react with iodine solution and the color of products made from them will not change. If you decide to try checking your jewelry this way, choose the least visible area of ​​the piece or its inner side. A stain caused by iodine will be difficult to remove.
• bring the product to the magnet. If it's attracted to a magnet, it's probably not pure gold.
• If you do not have a magnet, or the result is in doubt, use vinegar to check the authenticity of gold. Dip the product in vinegar for a while; if it darkens, it’s a fake.

None of these methods will accurately determine the purity of gold jewelry or the percentage of gold in the product, but you will at least get approximate results. You can read more about what gold can interact with in the article “”.

Testing gold for authenticity by acid/scratch

The acid/scratch test is the least expensive option compared to other tests for determining gold purity, but can still provide fairly accurate results. You can check it at home. To do this, you need to buy an acid testing kit from a professional chemical laboratory or a jewelry store. The test is carried out in series using golden needles with increasing gold content (fineness). Almost any acid can be used to determine the authenticity of gold - sulfuric, nitric, and so on.

Apply a micro scratch to the product and drop a little acid onto the scratch. Then compare what color will remain in that scratch (by comparing it with the needles) and make a conclusion about the likely metal sample.

You can also use the so-called “touch stone”, which has a matte polished surface. Lightly “scratch” your item being tested on the touchstone. To do this, first select the least visible area of ​​the jewelry, then press and rub the gold fragment on the stone several times. Do the same with the sample from the testing kit. You can select 2-3 test samples that you think are closest in gold content to the product being tested. “Draw” each of them on the stone as close as possible to the scratch mark left by the product being tested. Then compare the trace left with the tone of the strokes of the standard of the well-known sample (that is, with the traces of the samples for testing).

Testing gold and determining the sample using special instruments

More advanced methods of determining the purity of gold in a product involve the use of instruments that give more accurate results. The most common are electronic testers, which exist in a variety of forms - both for individuals and for professional laboratories. Electronic testers use drops of liquid to scan a sample and generate a digital indication of purity.

More expensive is the X-ray method, used only in laboratory conditions. It is used to analyze wavelength dispersion, which determines not only the gold purity (content), but also the complete composition of the gold alloy.

Assay analysis

Fire assay is commonly used to determine the purity of larger gold samples. It is rarely used for testing coins or jewelry due to its "destructive" nature. The fact is that a fragment of the sample has to be melted and separated from the sample. The separated portion of the sample is then heated to extremely high temperatures and fused with lead and silver, which act as agents that separate and collect the pure gold at the end of the process. The resulting product is then weighed to determine the purity of the original sample.

I think that sooner or later a treasure hunter will need to check gold for authenticity at home, where there are no special reagents and instruments. Naturally, jewelers can not only determine the authenticity, but also find out the sample of the precious metal. Gold is rarely given to us, but if a treasure hunter finds it, it will be a very significant find! And if the item looks like gold or you have doubts when buying jewelry or jewelry secondhand, or even coins, then this article will be useful!

Method 1, “Magnetic”

The simplest fakes are made from the cheapest metals, such as steel. Or the alloy contains a high percentage of ferromagnetic metal impurities. We take a magnet, preferably a more powerful one, and apply it to the product being tested. If it sticks, bad luck. For example, a gold ring may just be iron, simply coated with a thin layer of gold. This method will allow you to distinguish crude fakes from originals or more cunning fakes.

Method 2, “Iodine”

To check the authenticity of a gold item using the following method, you can take iodine. To do this, rub part of the product on a cloth and apply a drop of iodine to it and wait for a while. Now you can wash off or wipe off the iodine solution. If there is a dark spot where the drop used to be, then this is a fake! If there is absolutely nothing - the original noble metal.

Method 3, “Vinegar”

Also a chemical method of determining a metal using a reaction. But this time it is not iodine that will react with our gold product, but vinegar. You should take a small jar, pour a solution of acetic acid into it and place gold in it. If it has darkened over time, then it is not gold, and if it has not changed color, it also shines with a noble yellow color - the original!

Method 4, “Lapis”

To test gold using this method, you need to go to the pharmacy and buy a lapis pencil there. Usually, it is used for wounds, sort of to stop bleeding. But we will test the gold for them! We wet our gold (or not) decoration, then draw a line, a daw, a dot on the wetted surface with a lapis pencil - it all depends on your imagination :) Next, wipe this art with a cloth or cotton wool. If there is a trace left, it is a fake. Everything is clean - congratulations, original!

Method 5, “Comparative”

If suddenly you happen to have at home exactly the same gold item (exactly made of gold, you are 100% aware of this) as the one you are researching, then you are lucky. We just look for small scales and compare the mass of these two objects. If it is the same or almost the same, then naturally it is a genuine gold product. But if the difference is big, it’s a fake.

Method 6, “Let's leave the house”

If you don’t sit at home or don’t have simple medical reagents, then go to a jewelry store or workshop. There they will tell you with 100% certainty whether the gold you brought them is real or fake. If necessary, they will determine the sample and even buy this item from you! Naturally, the authentication service will cost a little money, but it will be more than covered after the sale of this precious metal.

Hope. all your gold will be real! Good luck to all!

A sign of the times is the emergence of more and more jewelry stores, their number is steadily growing, and the quality of the jewelry products offered is increasingly being questioned. But they are made quite skillfully. Even specialists cannot always guarantee.

In addition, only a small specific segment of the jewelry is subject to inspection. Having superficially checked the product (no more is required from him), the expert confirms its authenticity and the fake, containing a minimum of pure metal, is sent for sale to the store.

Nobody wants to become a victim of deception and give money for fake jewelry. Then it makes sense to learn how to identify pure gold from counterfeit yourself. First of all, you need to know something about gold itself and its characteristics. Additionally, here you will receive some tips on how to distinguish gold from gilding.

Rare earth precious metal yellow in color. Does not oxidize and does not lose its properties over time. Due to its plasticity and softness, it can be easily processed using both cold and melting methods. Its softness does not allow it to be used as jewelry in its pure form.

To make jewelry, harder metals are added to give it hardness, such as silver or copper. All so-called gold jewelry are alloys.

Any jeweler is well aware of the ratio of gold in the alloy. Some of them, especially unburdened by conscience, use this knowledge for their own selfish purposes. But there are some rules that can help determine whether the gold you are being offered is real or a cheap fake.

Buy gold only in reputable jewelry stores operated by jewelry factories, but not in boutiques and small stalls. The cost will, of course, be more expensive, but there will be less risk of buying a fake.

A real ingot must be marked with data about the sample. A careful study of the tag will tell you about the manufacturer, the price per gram and for the entire jewelry as a whole, weight, sample. There must be an OTK stamp. The sample indicates the content of pure gold in the jewelry.

The most popular are 585 and 750. This means that they contain 58.5% and 75% pure gold, respectively. When the sample is found, you should carefully examine the clasp of the bracelet or earring. If there are scratches on them, then you should not take this product.

The reason here is the following. In bracelets, chains and earrings, the sample is placed on the clasps. And suppliers only send locks for inspection and, after inspection, calmly place them on gold-plated fakes.

Finally, you should find the logo or imprint of the manufacturing company on the reverse side of the jewelry. The method described now relates to the visual assessment of gold.

But this is also not an indicator of reliability, since in Turkey, for example, they can give you any test before your eyes. Yes, and not only there. A fuzzy, blurry sample is the first sign of a fake; such gold should not be taken. The second detail that you should pay attention to is the inside of the product, which should be perfectly mirror-like, without any irregularities or roughness.

Now about how to recognize a fake from pure metal.

have long been known ways to determine real gold:

1. To the sound. You need to throw the product onto any perfectly smooth, hard surface. For example, a table. Pure, crystal ringing will testify to pure gold. However, this method is not suitable for chains and bracelets.
2. "On the tooth". This method has been around as long as gold. It was also used by our ancestors, who literally tested the authenticity of real metal. A fake is always solid. If you scratch it, then under the top layer of gold there will be a dark-colored alloy.
3. Vinegar test. When placed in vinegar or treated with vinegar (drop it on the jewelry), real gold will remain unchanged. The fake will darken in two minutes.
4. Iodine test. Drop onto the surface of the product. Real gold will not react to this in any way. The fake will have a light to black stain.
5. Pencil to stop bleeding (lapis pencil). Moisten the surface a little and apply a line. The gold will not react, and the fake will instantly oxidize and darken.
6. Solar way. The simplest authentication method. Examine the jewelry in the shade and immediately take it out into the sunlight and examine it again. Real gold will shine equally in the shade and in the sun. The fake looks dull and faded in the shade, but shines in the sun.
7. Gold plating is quickly determined by silver nitrate(can be bought at the pharmacy). The surface of the product, previously moistened with water, must be wiped with a cotton wool moistened with silver nitrate. The gold will not react and the gold-plated surface will darken.

Now you know how to distinguish gold from gilding or fake. The described methods are quite enough to be able to independently determine the authenticity of your gold jewelry.

Due to doubts about the honesty of some manufacturers, the question arises of how to test gold at home, how to at least approximately evaluate the fake in front of us or a truly precious metal.

Those who conscientiously studied chemistry at school should know that gold is a rather soft and very ductile metal. It can easily stretch, flatten, or otherwise become deformed. At the same time, the jewelry we use must be durable, otherwise the entire work of the jeweler will be meaningless.

For this reason, and also to save money, people learned to make alloys by adding other metals, such as copper, to real gold. Fraudsters skillfully take advantage of this rule by inflating the amount of additives and making, in fact, a fake. Sometimes they even form alloys that do not contain precious metals. In order to identify whether gold is fake or not, there are certain methods.

For people with sensitive hearing

For rings and other jewelry made from a single piece of metal, there is a method for determining authenticity by sound. You need to throw the jewelry onto a hard glass surface and listen to how it sounds. If you have good hearing, you will hear a ringing, clear sound. This is how real gold rings. The fake doesn't have that sound. It is best to compare the sound of a product you have no doubt about with the sound of a product you are testing.

Determination by strength

If you are not afraid to slightly spoil the appearance of the gold product, then you can examine its strength. The oldest way is to bite gold with your teeth. Genuine metal will leave marks because it is soft, as we said. But considering that many of us have 585-grade jewelry, this method does not always work.

You can identify an obvious fake by lightly filing it with a file. If there is a darker layer under the light shiny layer, then you have clearly been deceived. Instead of a file, the decoration is scratched with any sharp object. In the old days, this was done in pawn shops, which is why you can see small scratches and cuts on some antique jewelry. Of course, there are no such scratches on new products.

You can determine the quality of a gold ring by running it forcefully across the glass. Gold should not leave marks, while other, harder metals may scratch it.

Chemical reaction

Any chemist can tell you how to test gold for authenticity using a chemical reaction. The fact is that gold is a very inert metal. In its pure form, it practically does not oxidize and does not enter into a chemical reaction with many substances.

We would like to warn those who decide to test their gold jewelry with iodine that this must be done very carefully. Iodine is one of those rare elements that reacts with gold. To check that this is not an alloy of bronze or copper, proceed as follows.

• On the inconspicuous side of the gold, make a small rub with a knife to remove the top layer, in case it is pure gold plating.
• Drop just a little iodine onto the rubbed area.
• Wait 1 minute.
• Wipe off the iodine with a cotton swab.

If there is a speck left, then this means that this is real gold. The stain left by iodine must be removed immediately by rubbing the product with toothpaste.

A more reliable way to test is with acid. A kit for determining the authenticity of gold with acid is found in jewelry stores and in stores of laboratory supplies and chemical reagents. Its essence is that the acid does not react with gold and does not change its color. If there are any impurities, the color changes slightly. A crude fake immediately becomes stained.

Sample liquids for gold of various grades are also sold. If you apply a little of this liquid to a gold item using a graphite stick, then by the reaction on the surface you will be able to determine whether it is a fake or not. There are no traces left on a quality product.

To determine whether gold jewelry is genuine or not, buy a lapis pencil at the pharmacy. Soak the gold in water and mark it with a dot or line with a pencil. After such manipulations, there should be no traces left on real gold, and other metal will turn black.

At home, the most accessible is acetic acid. By immersing the ring in vinegar, you can watch how it changes color. High-quality, real gold should not change.

Magnetic properties and immersion in water

Additionally, you can check the properties of the product using a magnet. Real gold will never be magnetic, nor will copper or brass. But if magnetic properties appear, then you are holding ordinary iron in your hands, and there is no trace of gold there.

Another way to identify a fake is to carefully lower the product into a container of water. Since gold is a very dense metal, it should sink quite quickly. An object falling smoothly and slowly raises suspicion.

Brand

Always consider the mark. Gold jewelry must be stamped with the name of the manufacturer and the gold purity. If the product is made in Russia, then before testing there must be a female profile in a kokoshnik. Although many “specialists” have learned to fake stamps, they must be checked. Some scammers are afraid to put stamps, since such counterfeiting is punishable more seriously.

We have described the most common home testing methods. If we are talking about a very expensive piece of jewelry that you need to check at all costs, then it is better to do a spectral analysis. With its help, in a few seconds the device provides accurate information about how much of which metal is contained in the product.