Realize Real Gold - tips

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Steps
Advice
Warning
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According to Vietnamese standards, fake gold is gold below 10 Karats / Carats. If you are wondering if the gold jewelry you own is real gold, the most reliable way to find out is to take it to the gold shop for a check. If you want to check it out for yourself, here is a list of methods you can take to determine whether your jewelry is made of real or fake gold.

Steps

Method 1 of 6: Eye Examination Method

The first thing you need to do to check if the gold product you own is real gold by looking at it. Look for a specific indication that it is real gold.

Check out the number engraved in gold. The number engraved on the gold will indicate the age of the gold (1-999 or 1-999) or the karat age unit of the gold (10K, 14K, 18K, 22K or 24K). Using a magnifying glass will help you to see more easily.
- Wear and tear can obscure this figure.
- Fake gold also often has this number engraved and looks quite reliable; you should proceed with further testing.
Check for discoloration. You should check for discoloration in areas that are prone to friction (usually at the edges).
- If your gold looks faded or shows other metallic material underneath the gold layer, your gold product is just gold plated.
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Method 2 of 6: Biting Test

Any of us have seen a movie in which a gold seeker bites a piece of gold to check. We've also seen Olympic athletes bite out their "gold" medal when they receive it. What is the purpose of this action is another story.

Bite into the gold with moderate force.
Check for traces on gold. In theory, real gold will reveal an imprint of your teeth; the deeper the trace, the higher the purity of the gold.
- In fact, this is not the recommended test, as it can damage your teeth. In addition, lead is softer than gold, and lead products are plated with gold that will make you mistakenly believe it is real gold when you bite it.
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Method 3 of 6: Magnet Test Method

This is the easy test method, but it cannot help you accurately and clearly identify real gold. Weak magnets like fridge magnets won't do you any good, but stronger magnets can be found at hardware stores or in popular items such as wallet pins. women's toys, baby toys, or even old hard drives that are not being used are strong enough for this test.

Place a magnet above the gold. Gold is not a magnetic metal, so if it is pulled upwards or stuck to a magnet, it is fake gold. However, just because it doesn't react with a magnet doesn't mean it's real gold, since fake gold also doesn't use magnetic metals. advertisement

Method 4 of 6: Test Method by Weight

Metals heavier than gold are rare. The weight of pure 24k gold is about 19.3 g / ml, which is higher than most other metals. Checking the weight of your gold products can help you determine if they are real gold. This is the rudimentary rule of thumb, the heavier the weight, the more pure gold is. Make sure you do this on gold products without gems or any other decoration. Refer to the warning section below this article to learn more about this test method.

Scales to measure your weight of gold. A jeweler can usually help you with this for free if you don't have a scale at home. You will need to weigh in grams.
Fill a jar with water.
- It is better if the bottle has the outer milliliter mark, as this will make it easier to see.
- You can use as much water as you like as long as you don't fill the mouth of the bottle with water, as the water will overflow when you put the gold in the jar.
- You also need to remember to make a note of the exact amount of water before and after soaking.
Put the gold in the jar. Note the new water level and calculate the difference in milliliters between the two numbers.
Use the following formula to calculate the density of gold: Density = added weight / volume. A result close to 19g / ml is an indication that it is real gold, or a material with a similar density as gold. The following is a concrete example:
- Gold weighs 38 g and it increases the water by 2 milliliters. Using the formula of /, your result will be 19 g / ml, which is exactly the same as the density of gold.
- Keep in mind that different purity will give different g / ml ratios:
- Gold 14K - 12.9 to 14.6 g / ml
- 18K yellow yellow - 15.2 to 15.9 g / ml
- 18K white gold - 14.7 to 16.9 g / ml
- Gold 22K - 17.7 to 17.8 g / ml
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Method 5 of 6: Ceramic Test Method

This is an easy way to tell if your gold is fake gold. Remember that this remedy can scratch your objects.

Find an unglazed ceramic plate. If you don't have this item on hand, you can find some glazed ceramic products at the supermarket.
Rub gold on the surface of the ceramic. If a black streak appears it means it's fake gold, while a yellow trail is a sign of real gold. advertisement

Method 6 of 6: Nitric Acid Test Method

This is where the term "acid test" comes from, and it's also a great way to test gold. However, because of the difficulty in finding acid, and for your safety, it is better to have a jeweler perform this test on your behalf.

Place the gold in a small stainless steel container.
Place a drop of nitric acid on gold and watch the reaction take place.
- The reaction in green indicates that your gold object could be metal or gold plated. The yellow reaction indicates your item is a gold-plated brass.
- The milky white reaction shows that your item is gold plated.
- If there isn't any reaction, it means it's real gold.
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Advice

24kt gold or 24K gold means that in all 24 parts of gold is pure gold without any other metal. This is considered 99.9% pure gold. 22K gold means jewelry that contains 22 parts gold and 2 other metal parts. This is considered 91.3% pure gold. 18K gold means that the product has 18 parts gold and 6 other parts of metal. This is equal to 75% purity. Gold purity drops from this level with about 4.2% per karat.
In gold products less than 24K, other alloys make the gold harder and give the gold its color. We can say that 24K gold is the softest and 10K is the hardest, because 10K contains up to 41.6% gold and the rest is other metal that is harder than gold. The colors of other metals enhance the beauty of jewelry, such as white gold, yellow yellow, red gold, etc.
Any product with the word GF means gold coating technology, and actually they are coated with a layer of gold. Classified by the number that precedes the karat number. For example ... 1/20 14k GF is 1 part 14K gold coated with 19 other metal parts. That means 5% is 14K gold and 95% is other metals.
24K gold is pure gold but is often too soft to be used for jewelry or coins. For this reason, other metals will be added to the product to increase the hardness and this is the result of the difference in weight.
The numbers engraved on European gold are slightly different and are an indication of the purity of the gold. Numbers engraved in gold usually have three digits, as follows:
- 10K gold engraved with the number 417: gold purity is 41.7%
- 14K gold engraved with the number 585: purity of gold is 58.5%
- 18K gold engraved with the number 750: purity of gold is 75%
- 22K gold engraved with the number 917: gold purity is 91.7%
- 24K gold engraved with the number 999: gold purity is 99.9%
In Portugal, gold usually has a purity of 80%, or about 19.2K, and comes in three colors:
- Yellow - Consists of 80% pure gold, 13% silver and 7% copper.
- Red - Consists of 80% pure gold, 3% silver and 17% copper.
- Gray or white - Consists of 80% pure gold, a blend of palladium and other metals; mainly nickel.

Warning

The test methods in this article may not be able to distinguish monolithic gold and tungsten coated with real gold.
Warnings for Methods of Weight Inspection: Weight-checking is not the most accurate way to identify real gold, unless you know exactly what other material your gold product contains, and know the properties that are important to it. its amount.
Warnings for Methods of Weight Inspection: Due to the need for computational accuracy when performing this test, unless you have a jar containing milliliters available and a precise balance, this method will be inaccurate.
Warning for Nitric Acid Test Methods: Nitric acid is highly corrosive. You should be careful if using it to check gold. The gold itself will not be damaged, as it cannot dissolve in nitric acid, however, the non-gold part can be damaged during this acid test.
Warnings for Methods of Weight Inspection: Many solid-looking jewelery are actually hollow. If the air is trapped inside, it WILL void the weight test, as the gold becomes lighter, while the volume of water remains constant, resulting in a lower density. This test can only be used for solid objects, or objects that can completely remove the internal air while immersed in water. A small air bubble left inside the jewelry can give inaccurate results.