Among the most costly metals to have ever been discovered, gold is thought to be one of them. The glaring flaw with gold is that it is childishly easy to fake. Dishonest gold merchants have ruined people's lives by selling them counterfeit gold bars or coins, so to speak. All the while, it is ruefully simple to present copper or brass jewelry as gold, but just in case, if you happen to wear gold rings or necklaces or anything else with this jewelry, the burglar has the right to walk right up to you and steal all of your valuables.
Several small tests can help determine whether or not your gold is real, especially if you're considering buying some gold or presently have some gold but are unsure about its authenticity. No one gold test can ever tell you for certain if your gold is real but using a combination of a few types will give you an idea.
The following blog post will detail a very simple at-home test for gold. There are more than seven methods you can use to test gold on your own.
1. Vinegar Testing
Vinegar testing is a fast way to check for basic gold authenticity. This category of testing would be much more extensive and if your piece is not pure gold jewelry, it will leave no damage. All you need here is the jewelry in question and white vinegar. You can tell that a piece is pure gold if you put it on a table or your palm and pour white vinegar directly onto the metal. If the color of the jewelry metal changes, it is not pure gold.
Alternatively, white vinegar can be poured into a glass or cup and gold can be soaked there for 5 to 8 minutes, followed by rinsing with water. If the color of the gold is slightly changed, then the gold is not pure, whereas if the shine remains, then the metal is still precious.
2. Testing by Lighter
Slightly test your gold under fire. This is one of the simplest tests. Genuine gold becomes brighter with flame, while it will never burn. If the gold smoke turns dark, it can mean only one thing: it is not real gold; in fact, it is a cheap counterfeit.
Real gold, on the other hand, will undergo no melting or change of color when subjected to intense heat. Gold melts rather quickly to take on various shapes, taking on a beautiful yellow-gold color and shine. Other metals turn dark under fire- that is copper, iron, and brass. Gold plating would melt off when heated, unmasking the darker metal underneath.
For this test, a butane lighter must be used since a common lighter cannot be trusted to give the kind of stable high-intensity flame that you need. Fill it with gas before using it for the test.
First, the gold should be heated for around one minute. The flame should be hot enough to melt the metal. However, for larger pieces of gold, such as gold bars, a longer duration in the furnace would probably be needed.
Keep anything flammable away from the gold. Never forget: Gold is very hot; please use tongs or pliers when holding the gold jewelry.
3. Makeup Test
You can also do a gold home test with a liquid foundation. The results would not be as dependable as scientific tests; however, it will tell you whether or not the gold you own is real. To perform the liquid foundation test, take some of that foundation on your fingers, apply it to your skin, and allow it to dry. When the base is dry, take the gold and rub it over the newly textured surface.
4. Float Test
Let the gold piece sink gently into a bowl or cup of water. The real gold sinks the base of the cup due to its weight. If fake, it will either float or suspend in the center of the cup. Because of its density, gold will sink quickly to the bottom of whatever water holds it.
Fake gold, on the other hand, being commonly made of lighter metals, would sink much slower or not sink at all. Some fakes will use metals that are as dense as gold and hence sink when immersed in water. This test can be utilized alongside the other tests to receive a more specific answer from this test regarding your gold item.
5. Magnet Test
You may put a magnet beside your gold coin. If your gold sticks to the magnet, then likely, it's fake. Gold is not magnetic, hence it will not stick to a magnet. So, this easy test is a quick way to check for genuine gold jewelry.
Though not entirely reliable, since some base metals in common gold alloys are magnetic. For best results, use a neodymium magnet, as anything weaker may yield unreliable results.
6. Acid Test
This is a complicated means of testing the purity of gold and should only be attempted by those who are sufficiently confident in chemistry. For this experiment, both nitric and nitrohydrochloric acid will be required. The nitric acid will dissolve all the base metals other than gold present in your piece, whereas the nitrohydrochloric acid will dissolve the gold itself.
Find something very dark, like a piece of black stone, to do the test. It can be used to sort the rub against your gold jewelry. Pour some nitric acid on the mark. This will dissolve everything but gold, hence it must remove the mark.
Over time, using a small drop of nitrohydrochloric should erase the mark for good. If the mark fades when treated with this acid and not nitric, then this is likely due to the gold content of your jewelry.
Final thoughts
Checking the purity of the gold at home is convenient and aids in the purchase of fake or impure gold. While the processes of magnet test, float test, and hallmark verification allow quick judgments about the quality of gold, these are not always accurate. Upon questionable results, it's wise to seek professional testing by a certified jeweler. By combining these home tests, you will go a long way toward concluding whether the gold is genuine or not.