How to check whether a ring is gold or not?

checking gold by jeweler The demand for jewelry made from gold continues to grow steadily every year. Due to the impressive cost of products made from this metal, they are often counterfeited, and the likelihood of acquiring poor quality is quite high. Many people often encounter situations throughout their lives when they need to know the quality of an accessory.

How to easily and quickly check a gold ring at home?

You can independently find out the quality of such a product by lightly filing it with a file. If a darker layer is visible under the shiny light layer, it is a fake.

checking gold rings

People with sensitive ears can try to determine the authenticity of jewelry by sound. It is recommended to throw the accessory onto a hard glass surface and listen carefully to the sound. Real gold sounds clear and clear (the sound resembles crystal). The fakes make a clanging sound. It is advisable to compare the sound of a new product with an existing one, the quality of which cannot be doubted.

7 Methods for Testing Gold

There are several simple and repeatedly proven methods by which you can determine the quality of jewelry. For this purpose, you can use one of the options below.

Using a magnet

To check jewelry in this way, you need to bring a strong magnet to it. If the jewelry contains a significant amount of iron impurities, it will be attracted to the magnet. But this method cannot be called reliable.

checking gold with a magnet

If the jewelry does not stick to the magnet, this does not mean that it is 100% gold. Fraudsters often use aluminum, bronze and copper, which are not magnetic, when making counterfeits.

For softness

One of the main properties of this metal is softness. You can scratch the accessory from the inside with pressure using a pin or other sharp object. A mark will remain on the noble metal. In some cases, it may be slightly bitten by the teeth. This way the softness of the product will be better felt and a dent from the bite will appear on it.

testing gold for softness on the tooth

Reference! Pure gold is a very soft metal, not particularly resistant to wear and external influences, so jewelry is usually made from an equally beautiful, but much more durable alloy.

Visual analysis

Upon careful inspection of the joints of the jewelry, the color of the metal in these areas will differ slightly (will be brighter). This is explained by the fact that jewelry is soldered with gold solder, which has a higher standard, because it melts more easily. This sign indicates that the metal is real.

By smell

checking a gold ring by a jeweler
To determine the quality of an accessory, you can smell it. If the smell of metal is clearly felt, it is a fake. High-quality gold products have no odor, unlike, for example, silver, which has a characteristic metallic odor.

Hallmark

checking gold jewelry shades of gold
It is always necessary to carefully consider the mark. Gold jewelry must be affixed with a corresponding stamp indicating the manufacturer and purity in digital terms.

checking a gold ring where is the hallmark

In accordance with generally accepted requirements the sample is stamped in such places:

  • on rings – inside the jewelry (on rings with a stone or with figured additions, the sample is usually placed in the middle);
  • on stud earrings – on a clasp or directly on the leg;
  • on earrings with English lock – on the outer or inner side of the arch;
  • on bracelets and chains – mainly with a clasp;
  • on the clock – directly from the inside of the dial itself (if both the dial and the strap are made of gold, the hallmark is placed inside the clasp).

gold testing, product marking

Reference! The higher the purity, the more gold the product contains.

Best 2 ways

In all the variety of methods for determining the quality of gold, the two options below are considered to be the best.

Vinegar and iodine

Testing with vinegar is one of the most common and fastest methods. To do this, the product must be immersed in a container with vinegar for a short time (5 minutes). If the jewelry darkens as a result, this is a sign of a fake.

testing gold rings with iodineIodine is considered to be the best marker. When a drop of iodine is applied to real gold, a chemical reaction occurs between them and a stain is formed. Apart from gold, no metal reacts with iodine. Sometimes to check it is necessary to thoroughly wipe the surface of a product made of such metal.

Remove the stain resulting from such a check You can use a solution of sodium hyposulfite (sold in pharmacies) or with the help of “Schwepps” and “Coca-Cola” drinks. To do this, the product must be immersed in a container with one of these drinks for 30 minutes.

Important! It is not recommended to check jewelry of 585 standard and lower with iodine. After this, they will have to be polished or stains removed using ammonia.

checking gold rings of different samples

lapis pencil

This is an antiseptic drug based on silver nitrate, the main function of which is to stop bleeding. This the drug does not react directly with gold. Instead, it activates a reaction with other metals.

To check the authenticity using such a pencil, you need to make a notch in an inconspicuous place and draw a strip with a lapis pencil previously soaked in water. No traces remain on real gold after such manipulations. If after erasing the strip the mark is noticeable, we can conclude that it is a fake.

checking a gold ring with a lapis pencil

Advice! To obtain the most reliable result when checking the authenticity of a product in this way, you need to spend at least 5 minutes on the process. Different metals react at different times.

Professional authentication method

You can verify the authenticity of such metal using the DeMon-Yu device. This multi-purpose electrochemical detector, used for testing products made of precious metals and alloys. The measurement results are displayed on the device display directly in sample units.

checking gold prof. device

Due to their high measurement accuracy, such devices are often used in pawnshops and banks.

All of the above methods will help you independently check the quality of a precious product at home. But a high-quality fake can pass similar methods.Therefore, to fully ensure the proper quality, it is recommended to turn to professionals.

Reviews and comments
N Natalia:

If gold is white, can it also be tested with iodine? the pendant was made of yellow metal..over time the color was partially erased..white metal appeared

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