Gold is a precious metal that has been highly valued at all times. Jewelry made from it was always at a great price. For the same reason, even in antiquity there were craftsmen who made jewelry that looked like gold. At the same time, jewelers have developed special methods that explain how to verify the authenticity of gold at home.
Metal features
The distinctive properties of gold are softness and ductility. That is why it is used for the manufacture of 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 different objects, jewelers use a special alloy containing foreign metals. Because pure gold is too soft and can quickly deform after completion of all work. Such a compound 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 study the special stigma on which the sample number is indicated. 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 with a yellowish red tint. If the products lie for a long time without use, then an oxide film of iron sulfate is formed, a cloudy coating appears.
2.500 is a very rare sample having 51 percent precious metal. It is distinguished by high strength due to the presence of silver. Products with the 500 mark are now rare.
3. 585 - contains 59% gold and 41% palladium, copper, nickel and silver in various proportions. Such an alloy is distinguished by good wear resistance - even after prolonged use, there is no darkening. More than 90% of jewelry in the modern Russian market is made from 585 samples.
4. 750 - 75.5% of gold was used in its manufacture. In addition to silver and copper, it also contains nickel. A feature of this alloy is the ability to make many different shades, which range from yellowish red to bright green. When buying fashionable jewelry from the material of this test, you will need information on how to check white gold at home. This effect is achieved by adding more or less one of the metal components. It should be borne in mind that things made from this composition are currently performed only 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 cost is too high, so it is not suitable for the manufacture of luxury goods and jewelry.
6. 999 - the rarest of the existing ones. Now this test can be found only in the form of gold bars or sand, which is mined in the mines. Jewelers have refused it for a long time, since all items made of pure gold are short-lived and have a lot of weight.
If you know the samples by numbers and study their characteristics, colors and properties, then identifying a fake in the store will be much easier.
Methods for determining fake
Now you can find many different ways to check gold at home. They can be repeated by any person, even ignorant of jewelry. They explain in detail how to test a gold sample at home. To do this, you need the simplest set of devices and reagents that are in any medicine cabinet. In addition, experts recommend relying on their instincts and ears so as not to make a mistake when buying an expensive item. The simplest methods for determining gold at home are:
- visual inspection;
- Archimedes method;
- magnet check;
- lapis pencil;
- use of iodine or vinegar;
- check with ceramics.
Any 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, having given the subject for examination. Now there is a special device that performs instant testing and determines the proportional availability of a metal, but it costs too much for a simple buyer. Therefore, it is better to learn different verification methods before buying.
Visual inspection
It is not difficult to check gold at home with a simple inspection - if a product made of precious metal is made in Russia, then it must be prefixed with a clear mark. On items such as voluminous rings and earrings, it can easily be seen with the naked eye. If you want to buy a chain or a thin bracelet, then you need to bring along a good magnifying glass.
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 a real gold jewelry from a fake. Some advise you to try the products on the tooth, but they simply will not allow you to do such a trick in an expensive salon.
Archimedes Method
Even in the school physics course, children are told a story about Archimedes, who invented a method of weighing things by putting them in water. In this way, density can also be calculated by calculating the volume of water that is displaced. For the 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.
- This indicator is recorded.
- Put the glass on the scales and click on zeroing.
- The jewelry is hung on a string and dipped in water so that it does not touch the edges and bottom of the glass. This must be done to calculate the displacement of the subject.
- The resulting numbers are also written opposite the weight.
- To calculate the density, the weight should be divided by the unit of displacement.
The indicator is checked according to a special table. If it will vary 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, and copper. If the figure is more than 20, then the alloy contains a metal such as platinum.
The disadvantage of this method is that it is not suitable for jewelry in which there are voids. Also, you can’t check the bracelets and chains using the Archimedes method.
Magnet check
Gold refers to metals that are not attracted to the magnet, just like aluminum and lead. But the iron, which is sometimes contained in a fake, is sure to be magnetized. Therefore, if the jewelry was attracted by a magnet, then it is definitely a fake. The advantages of the method over others are ease of use. The disadvantage is that there may be too little impurity metal, so fake jewelry is not always attracted.
Authentic Ceramics
According to experts who know how to check 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 you will need unglazed white ceramics. If you hold a real gold ornament on a ceramic object, then there should be no trace. Pyrite leaves a gray strip. It is necessary to conduct the experiment very carefully, because a genuine gold product can be damaged due to the hard coating of ceramics.
Use of iodine or vinegar
There is a remedy for treating wounds in any 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 a jewel and wipe it with a napkin. The dark spot left on the jewelry confirms that the item is made of high-grade gold. If most of the alloy contains silver, copper or brass, then there will be no browning.
How to check gold at home with vinegar? If you choose this method, then the opposite effect will occur. Any foreign alloy, which is contained in a precious metal product in large quantities, will lead to clouding, but the gold jewelry will remain clean and shiny.
Lapis pencil
This item is often used in medical institutions in order to perform antiseptic treatment or stop the blood, so it is sold in any pharmacy. The experiment is carried out very simply - the gold jewelry should first be wetted and then drawn on a damp surface with a pencil. If after that a dark trace remains, then this is a fake.
Buyer Tips
Now you can buy gold jewelry in any shopping center. Buyers just run their eyes from the abundance of the assortment. Due to the increased demand for this product, the number of fakes has increased significantly, so you should know some recommendations so that you do not have to look for an answer to the question of how to check real gold at home.
- Gold needs to 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. Neat to be not only the front, but also the wrong side. It is there that the manufacturer’s special stamp is placed, which contains information about the sample.
- If you bring along a piece of jewelry that you are sure of authenticity, you can compare it with a new product in color.
Of the verification methods described earlier, in the store you can use a magnet, visual inspection or a lapis pencil. Another old-fashioned way to verify authenticity is to lightly toss a gold jewelry and listen to how it rings on a glass or metal surface. A fake often makes a dull and unpleasant sound, and gold sounds loud and melodic. In any case, the buyer can purchase a precious product, check at home and, if a fake is discovered, return the product to the store.