Check whether gold is at home. Tips for testing gold with iodine

Before buying a precious metal, and often after it, people think about how to define gold or not. The market is increasingly making you think about this, because gold mining has decreased significantly, and store shelves are filled with new goods at the same pace.

New shops selling gold appear daily, but not all sellers strive for honest earnings. Cases of buying products that have only a small part of gold are becoming more frequent. Fraudsters are finding new methods to bypass inspection services. But how is the sample determined in such cases. Often only a small part of the product is provided for inspection - it can be a link or chain lock, made at a high level of quality, but the rest of the product may leave much to be desired. When checking, only the top layer of the product will be evaluated, and the rest of the composition remains known only to the manufacturer.

Gold is a fairly soft metal that is prone to rapid abrasion, so a quality piece of jewelry is usually represented by an alloy based on a noble chemical element. A high-quality alloy, made in accordance with the technology, will have high strength and durability without losing a pleasant golden sheen.

Before buying gold, you need to check for authenticity

In order not to fall for the tricks of scammers, you need to be more careful until the moment the money is transferred to the seller. It is enough to know two simple rules:

In an effort to save money, you should not purchase gold items in unknown stores. High-quality jewelry is sold only by specialized salons that specialize in the sale of gold and have a good reputation. Of course, prices in such stores will be higher, but the client will always have the opportunity to see a certificate confirming the quality.
Before you buy, you need to study the purchased product well. Well, if the sample together with the manufacturer's imprint are visible to the naked eye - this is a sign of a quality product. The inner parts of the decoration must be neat, without strong defects, which will indicate the skill of the manufacturer.

Determining the Authenticity of Gold

There are a number of fairly simple techniques to identify the authenticity of gold. You can carry out the check yourself, using only improvised means. All tests are based on the chemical-physical properties of the noble metal and do not require any special training to perform them.

The tricks described below will help distinguish a rough fake from a high-quality noble metal. But if the fake was carried out by an experienced fraudster and has some special impurities, then it is better to entrust the verification to an experienced master jeweler. In such a situation, only a professional is able to give a correct assessment of the product.

Determination of the quality of jewelry in an apartment can be carried out by one of the following methods:

sound authentication;
verification of strength characteristics;
reaction to contact with iodine or vinegar;
the impact of a lapis pencil;
reaction to the magnet;
interaction with a high-quality gold product;
response to sunlight.

Each of the methods is good in its own way and is used in certain cases.

Sound check

Many people use this method.

To complete the test, it is enough to pick up a gold jewelry and throw it on a very hard, flat surface. High-quality gold will produce a clear, sonorous sound, similar to crystal.

Experts trust this technique, but note that it is not suitable for everyone. To use this method, you need to have a good ear for music. Also, the disadvantages include the inability to check products such as chains and bracelets with many links. Such jewels will not make the necessary sound.

An ancient way to check gold for authenticity

Strength test

If there is no sample on the jewelry, and its material is in doubt, then you should use the reliable, so-called antiquated method of verification.

In the old days, people checked the authenticity of a gold coin “by the tooth”. If, after checking, the coin acquired a bite mark or a scratch, then it was real.

This is explained by the softness of gold, known from the school curriculum. If a fake was in the hands, then the inspector could even lose a tooth due to the hardness of the fake.

Of course, this cannot be done in a jewelry store, but you can check already purchased products in this way. Just do not bite them - it is fraught with damage to the teeth. It is enough to use some kind of sharp object, scratching the product from the back. A fake under a scratch will turn dark or even black, while real gold will retain its hue. Before conducting the experiment, it is necessary to choose a place where the scratch will not be visible, so as not to spoil the appearance of the jewelry.

Iodo-acetic experiments

Iodine is often used when testing gold at home, as it is one of the most reliable methods. In addition, iodine is easily purchased at any of the pharmacies.

To conduct the test, one drop is enough, which is placed on the back of the jewelry for 3 minutes. After the time has elapsed, iodine is carefully removed with a soft material from the surface. Real gold will not react, so the surface of the metal will remain unchanged.

With a poor-quality product, iodine will react, leaving a stain from light to very dark shades. If there was no iodine in the medicine cabinet, then a similar experiment can be carried out using vinegar. The decoration or part of it is placed in vinegar for a certain period of time. If there is a darkening of the metal, then the jewelry is fake.

There is also a third method of verification using chemistry. You will need chlorine gold. It is applied to the surface of the tested product. Real gold will not react, and the fake will begin to hiss or darken.

You can check the authenticity of gold with the help of a lapis pencil

Lapis pencil

Checking gold can be done using a lapis pencil. It is purchased at a pharmacy. Usually such a pencil is used to stop bleeding.

To check the gold jewelry, the pencil is wetted with water. Then they draw a small line or dot. The result should appear immediately. Real gold will not oxidize, unlike a fake.

Magnet influence

Now rarely come across scammers who apply a thin gold plating on top of other metals. In the past, this method of deception was popular, so home collections may still contain such jewelry. Before you check the product, you need to find a magnet in the house.

Fake magnets, and real gold will not react.

This method is not effective if aluminum, copper or bronze served as the basis for the fake. These metals do not react to a magnet, and therefore do not allow you to reliably verify the authenticity of the jewelry.

Interaction with other gold

In every house you can find gold items that have a good reputation. Such a jewel could be passed down through generations or is of great value without questioning its quality. Such an original will allow you to check any other piece of gold. The best effect can be achieved if both jewels are made of metal with the same breakdown.

With the help of decorations, it is necessary to draw two stripes on a hard object with the same effort. But how do you know real gold? The trace from the same metals practically does not differ, therefore, by comparing the two features, we can draw the appropriate conclusions.

In the sun and in the shade, true gold does not lose its luster

Reaction to the sun

This is another simple method for determining gold. To check, you need to choose a sunny day. It is better to test on the street for a good hit of straight lines. sun rays on the product.

The controversial decoration must first be considered in the shade, and then taken out under the rays of the sun. Gloss and color should not differ in both cases. A fake jewel in the shade fades significantly and loses its presentable appearance, which appears in the sun.

As you know, what glitters is not always gold. Like any value, the yellow metal has fakes - fake gold. Its market in this moment all over the world is growing more and more and fakes are becoming more and more skillful. Therefore, the question of how to check gold in any of its forms is very relevant. Yellow metal and jewelry made from it are so superbly counterfeited that it is very difficult to distinguish a real piece of jewelry from a fake, especially for a simple consumer. Quite often, for example, if you need to sell gold to a pawnshop, the question arises: how to check gold and do it quickly without leaving home.

The United States has a standard that if a product contains less than 10 carats of pure precious metal, it is considered fake. If you are worried about how to check if it is genuine, use the most reliable way - contact a specialist - a certified jeweler. If you are thinking about checking the authenticity of a precious metal jewelry yourself, you can use the tips in this article or watch a video from the Internet that can tell you how to check gold.

visual test

How to check, using this method, the authenticity of gold? It is enough just to carefully look at the object from it. First of all, consider the special markings that indicate the authenticity of gold. The decoration must bear the government stamp indicating the fineness or carat weight.

In cases where you do not know how to see a very small sample, you can use a magnifying glass in order to simplify the task and check whether the gold is real. An antique item may have a barely visible mark. Unfortunately, fakes can also be branded and only an experienced jeweler can distinguish the authenticity of a thing in this case.

Test on a gold ring.

The sample must be on all parts of the product, otherwise it may turn out that it has a part of a fake precious metal. Doubt about the authenticity of the yellow metal can be caused by the absence of a sample stamp, or its imprint can be uneven, with crooked numbers. Since stamping requirements at manufacturing plants are not very strict, the print may not be completely accurate. But its presence is mandatory.

It is worth paying attention to the noticeable lack of color in some places. The product must be checked for discoloration, especially around the edges where it comes into contact with other surfaces.

If another metal appears in a gold product that has worn out in order, most likely it is jewelry cut from a precious metal.

Popular now white gold in its own way appearance similar to silver, however, if you look closely, there are significant differences. How to check its authenticity? First of all, pay attention to the color. It has a warmer hue than silver, which has a cooler hue.

Deciphering the designations on the stamp.

Gold and silver have different densities, silver is a softer metal. It leaves a mark on paper if you run a product from it over it, but white gold does not.

Having done a visual test, further research on how to test gold may be unnecessary.

Sound research

Another popular way to check if gold is real is to identify it by its sound. The ring makes a crystal chime when dropped on a smooth and hard surface. .

Experts consider this method extremely doubtful, since a person with at least an ear for music can use it in order to distinguish the ringing of falling genuine yellow metal.

Metal strength study

There is another option, how to check whether real gold is in a piece of jewelry - to scratch its surface. In a fake, under a coating of precious metal, there may be absolutely non-precious metal.

bite test

This method can often be seen in movies, especially westerns.

Bite carefully on the precious metal. After that, you need to check the surface for traces of teeth. It is believed that if the gold is true, the bite will be visible and the more pronounced the mark from the teeth, the higher the mass of pure precious metal the alloy contains. But in fact, this authentication method is not suitable for all products. In this case, you can simply damage your teeth. You also need to consider that some metals, such as lead, are softer than the yellow metal, and it will also leave a bite. A huge disadvantage of this method is that it is not always appropriate to use it - for example, under the gaze of a seller in a jewelry store.

Using a magnet

This method is very simple, but requires some preparation. A suitable magnet must be purchased. The magnet does not attract gold, so if the product sticks to it, it is definitely a fake. But now jewelry is made that contains magnet-passive components, and they are not attracted to a magnet, although they may not contain gold.

Chemical method

Many people want to know how to check the authenticity of gold by dropping iodine on its surface and judge the authenticity of the precious metal by the shade of the stain. So here it is dark color spots indicate the truth of the product, milky - that you have a fake in front of you. Vinegar is also one of the components of the chemical test. How to check if gold is real with vinegar? It is necessary to briefly place the product in vinegar and if it becomes darker, this means that the alloy does not contain aurum. You can use a lapis pencil. To do this, first, the decoration must be moistened with water, then draw a line on it. The trace left on the metal speaks of the falsity of gold.

Gold has a chemical inertness, so you can use gold chloride in the experiment. Its application to the surface of a product made of true gold will not give any reaction. The fake alloy will sizzle and mutate.

Using touchstone

The oldest way to test gold is to use a touchstone.

This stone is very resistant to reagents, does not contain non-ferrous metal compounds. Its surface is not porous, homogeneous, usually black.

Touchstone tool.

For the test you need to do the following:

Firstly, rub the stone with almond oil and wipe dry with filter paper;
Secondly, on the surface of the stone, draw a small (1.5 cm) line with the product being tested.

The third step is drawing strokes with special needles with the sample number. The final step is the use of nitric acid previously applied across the strokes. As soon as the alloy oxidizes from it, and the line darkens, you can check the gold for authenticity.

The shade of the line from the product is darker than the color of the assay needle, which indicates that the sample is lower than that declared on the surface of the jewelry.

So, there are enough ways to determine authenticity of gold, but you should not always trust them, as a high-quality fake can come across. Therefore, if you need complete confidence in the quality of the product, it is better to consult a professional who will determine the truth of the yellow metal using modern equipment.

Everyone at least once wanted to check the gold at home for authenticity. Given that the demand for expensive items is increasing, gold has long been a trap for buyers. Fraudsters counterfeit precious metals, giving them everything necessary qualities or properties.

To check the authenticity of gold, you need to contact the Assay Office, its services are quite affordable. You can also contact a familiar jeweler or professional expert. Probably, only experts can answer 100% about the authenticity of the product.

Much more often, gold is counterfeited using a metal called tungsten. This is due to the fact that it is similar in density to gold (19.3 g / cm 3). The forgery process is as follows: the disc is covered with gold and everything is ready. You can recognize a fake only by drilling a hole that will show what is inside.

It should be noted that aluminum and copper do not lend themselves to a magnet, and in turn can be involved in deception. In this case, pay attention to the weight of the product. Copper and tin are both light metals, which means that they will be much lighter than a similar item made of gold.

How to test gold for authenticity with vinegar

These methods will help you check gold at home. All verification methods can only pass a high-quality fake. Professional jewelers will help you to fully verify the authenticity of the jewelry.

Buying gold is always an event, because it is customary to celebrate many of our memorable milestones in life with such gifts. Marriage symbol - wedding rings. A strip of metal wraps around the fingers of the lovers as a sign of the infinity and harmony of their union. A couple's anniversary is a necklace or earrings for the wife. The birth and coming of age of a daughter is a pair of earrings with a pebble or a bracelet. Baptism - a gold chain with a cross. Throughout our lives, we accumulate jewelry, looking at which we can tell a lot about our life. They can also pass on to our children and grandchildren as family ones, or help out a family in an era of financial crisis or misfortune for someone close. All of these situations are true only when genuine metal is stored in our box. Many do not know how to check gold for authenticity, focusing only on the reputation of the jewelry house, the advice of friends and the aesthetic component, but this is quite feasible on your own.

Whether you have real gold and what level of its quality you can find out in two cases - before buying or during a home check. If you are going to buy a particular product, you must find out its composition, weight, year of manufacture. Modern products are easier to classify, they have all the necessary markings, and their composition complies with modern standards. Old gold may be marked with old markings, and the markings may also be specially erased. To know how to determine the authenticity of gold, you need to familiarize yourself with the main features of a real precious metal.

Baselines of Authenticity

Determining the characteristics of a gold jewelry is quite simple, because it is marked. It can be a test in numerical value or carats. The designation is carried out on the inside of the rings, on the fasteners of the chains, on back side earrings, on the back of the pendant. If you have poor eyesight, you can take a magnifying glass to study such small details. You should consider the state stamp, which will consist of several elements - the state code. inspection of assay supervision, assay certificate sign, in the form of an emblem, metal test. On the territory of the Russian Federation, it is the trial, and not the carat, notation system that is widespread. So, if you see these designations, most likely, they can be trusted. Sometimes attackers also forge the brand, so just in case, you need to conduct a visual inspection of the product itself.

Real gold can be of various shades, this does not mean that it is fake, perhaps you have a piece of jewelry made of a rare alloy - white, pink, green gold. These species have a characteristic ebb.

Sometimes only gold plating is applied to jewelry. It provides reliable protection the base metal, which cannot boast the same resistance to the external environment as gold. To understand that you have only a gilded item in your hands, carefully examine all the folds, because real gold cannot be worn or stained. This method is especially effective in relation to chains.

Home experiments

If you got the item from your grandmother, a friend, or simply found it in a dresser drawer, you'd better try to determine its authenticity at home to know if it makes sense to go to a jeweler or a pawnshop. There are many options on how to check gold for authenticity without special training, you can apply several, then the result will be more accurate.

An old and revealing trick is a bite test. You are clamping the flat part jewelry teeth, press, and then see if there is a mark from the teeth on the surface. The method is controversial, since not every tooth can withstand such an onslaught, and not every alloy is so easily deformed. However, this method can be applied to investment coins, because they contain 99% pure gold, which means they are quite soft.

Checking can be quite simple if you have in your hands not just low-quality gold, but a very cheap fake with gold content. In this case, you will need a real strong magnet that you need to bring to the decoration. If it is golden, it will not react and will not be attracted to the magnet.

A fairly simple way is to use a ceramic plate or tile in the experiment. It should not contain a decorative coating.

Your jewel you need to put on a plate and run along it, like along a path. If it leaves a golden trace, it is a genuine noble metal, if it is black or gray, it is a fake.

You can arrange a check with a lapis pencil, which can be purchased at a pharmacy. The product must be wetted in water, and then draw a small line on the wetted surface with this pencil. After that, take a cotton pad and wipe the place of drawing. If a trace remains on the surface, and you did not violate the rules for conducting the test, this is a fake.

Knowing how to proceed, you can check if gold is real even with the help of iodine or vinegar. From these substances, the fake will darken and deteriorate. It is worth considering some features of gold, a gray speck may appear from iodine, like a plaque, which can no longer be removed. Vinegar is harmless enough and is usually used for cleaning, but if you want to further vilify the product, even if it turns out to be a fake, you should not use vinegar immersion.

Gold concentration

You can find out not only how real gold is in front of you, but also what is the content of gold compared to impurities. To do this, you will need the exact weight of the product, which can be found using a pharmacy scale. Knowing the weight in grams, find a bottle and fill it with water. It is better if it is a container with division into milliliters, which is sold in a pharmacy or attached to household chemicals. Measure the height of the water level, which can be arbitrary, and immerse the product in the container.

Measure the distance from the original to the current water level. Further calculations are required. Look at the markings in carats, if there is only a sample designation, convert it to carats. Take the weight of gold for your item as a starting point. If it is 24 carat gold, the weight should be 19.3 g/mole, 12 carat - approximately 17.7, 18 carat - from 14.7 to 16.9. The indicator of the initial weight of your product must be divided by the change in water level (for example, by 2-3 millimeters). The result obtained must match the requirements for the sample of gold, if everything fits, you are the owner of real gold.

There are more scientific, rather laboratory methods for determining quality and authenticity. precious metals. Applying them at home is not only difficult, but also dangerous. Knowing how to identify a fake, you will never make a mistake with a purchase again and identify real gold without any problems. The listed household methods are time-tested and effective.

Distinguishing gold from a fake at home is not as difficult as it might seem from the very beginning. Everyone knows the method of checking “by the tooth”, but in fact it is of little use anywhere - after all, only pure gold is soft. And jewelry or products made of pure metal are almost impossible to find. Checking gold or not is a personal matter for everyone, but we still advise you to take a closer look at the jewelry in order to avoid unpleasant moments. Several simple methods, which we will talk about today, should be adopted - after all, you never know where new knowledge will come in handy.

How to determine gold at home

So, how to determine the real gold at home? There are several ways to determine the quality of gold and its authenticity by improvised means. We are sure that most of the items that are needed for testing are in your first aid kit or in the kitchen. Therefore, if you have long wanted to check Golden ring or a chain for authenticity, let's start experimenting.

How to test gold with iodine

Let's start with instructions on how to test gold with iodine at home. This antiseptic is in the first aid kit of any home, so you don’t have to go far. So, what does an iodine test consist of?

Checking gold with iodine

Take cotton swab, iodine and something sharp (knife, pin or needle). On the jewelry to be checked - preferably on the inside - make a small scratch or lightly scrape off the top layer of metal. Apply a little iodine to a cotton swab and wipe the scratched area.

If the iodine turned white and began to evaporate, this is a fake. The reaction of gold to iodine is completely different. When in contact with real gold, iodine remains dark and does not evaporate for a long time, and a dark spot will appear at the test site. After the experiment, wipe off the iodine as soon as possible so that the dark spot does not remain on the jewelry forever.

Checking gold with acid or special reagents

You can check the authenticity of gold jewelry with reagents at any pawnshop. Buyers use a touchstone (flint shale) to check, and then apply acid. On gold, after contact with the stone, a small amount of metal remains, which reacts with one or another acid. Under the action of acid, the fake coating will evaporate. A qualitative reaction to gold is when the trace of the stone remains in place.

Testing gold with vinegar

Another thing that is in any home is vinegar. It can also be used to test gold for authenticity.

Check gold for authenticity with vinegar

Pour the vinegar into a clear glass, then dip your jewelry into it and let it sit for a few minutes. Fakes "gold" will darken very quickly in vinegar, while real gold will retain its luster and color.

Checking with a magnet

Gold is not magnetic

The main thing you need to remember is that gold is not magnetic. At all. Only gold-plated jewelry made of steel, iron, nickel and other heavy metals is magnetized. Therefore, if your ring or earring “sticks” too much to the kitchen magnet, you have a fake.

How to check gold with a lapis pencil

A lapis pencil, which is sold in any pharmacy and costs no more than 150 rubles, will also help recognize gold. The basis of the lapis pencil is silver nitrate, which reacts with metals.

Checking gold with a lapis pencil

To check, wet the jewelry, then draw a small line with a lapis pencil and wash it off. If there is a trace left from the pencil, the gold is either not real or of very low standard. High-quality gold will not get anything from such a check.

Watch video: How to test gold at home

How to determine the purity of gold

Gold products intended for the general market are always hallmarked. This is an imprint of three numbers on the inside of the product. Samples are 375 (the lowest), 500, 583, 585, 750, 916, 958, 999 (the highest - only a gram of impurities per kilogram of metal). Use a magnifying glass to see the sample on your jewelry.

gold samples

Gold without a sample can most often be found in pawnshops (where most often it is a fake or a product of very poor quality). However, sometimes jewelry is made to order without a sample. Such gizmos are inherited in families and are very much appreciated.

It will be quite difficult to accurately determine the fineness of gold at home. To do this, you will need nitrogen chloride and assay needles, which can only be bought in specialized stores. Apply nitrogen to the surface of the product and observe the reaction. If nothing has changed within two seconds, you have 585 gold or higher. If after a few minutes the stain from the solution turned brown, then the metal is below 585 samples. And if the stain turns black, then this is a fake at all.

In order not to accidentally spoil the thing, it is better to first make sure that your jewelry is made of real gold using one of the methods proposed above, and then go to the specialists.

How to distinguish gold from other metals

You can distinguish gold from gilding using one of the methods proposed above - it is best to use the iodine test, since it is the fastest and most accurate of all.

You can distinguish gold from silver or bronze using a sample - these metals have different numbers. To visually distinguish white gold from silver, look for the most common samples on the product - for gold it is 585 or 750, and for silver 875 or 925. Samples are not placed on a bronze product.

The differences between gold and jewelry can be quite obvious - look at the size of the piece. The likelihood that massive pendants or thick bracelets will be made from real gold is small. If the size does not bother you, check the decoration with a lapis pencil or vinegar.

The difference between metals

To understand the difference between white gold and platinum, first look at the price of jewelry - gold items are usually cheaper than platinum items. In addition, platinum has a pure silver color, while even the highest quality white gold will give a little yellow.

Gold and brass are also very easy to tell apart. First of all, pay attention to the shade. The color of gold will be bright and yellow, and brass will give off brown. In addition, you can check the product with a magnet - if it is attracted, you have brass in front of you.

Remember - if a home check or eye test raises even the slightest doubt, do not experiment with reagents on your own, it is better to take the jewelry to a specialist. We hope that with our instructions you will be able to protect yourself from scammers and purchase only high-quality real gold jewelry.