There are situations when it is necessary to determine whether the object is gold. For example, this question may occur if the thing was acquired in a pawnshop or other dubious place. Sometimes people find chains and other jewelry on the street. In such cases, it is also interesting whether the value of the detected jewelry is great. There are many ways to check metal on authenticity, some of them can be used at home. Consider in detail it is those options that are suitable for an independent mini-expertise.
How to distinguish gold from gilding?
It is important to understand that gold and gold-plated products are not the same. The first is completely consisting of a noble metal. The second only have the top layer of gold. Its thickness can be different, but, regardless of this, the main part of such products is made of the other, cheaper material.
To understand the first or second option in front of you, you should not rely on a visual inspection. Even the analysis carried out by the help of sunlight will be useless. A more accurate result will be able to use an acute object (for example, it can be a needle or a saw). Slightly pause the metal at an invisible place.
If scratches remained, it means that the thing has only a small spraying. If no noticeable damage remains, you have noble metal.
Another easy way to determine the authenticity of the jewelry is to search for a sample. On decorations with gilding, it does not put it. To detect a cherished number, you should take a magnifying glass. On gold, the sample number and weight of the product in carats are usually written. There are other numbers. For example, it can be the marking of the manufacturer's factory.
Depending on which product in front of you, the sample should be sampled in a specific place:
- Earring or bracelet - on a clasp or arms (if English Castle);
- Ring - on the inside;
- Clock - on the inside of the lid.
A couple of words should be said about the meaning of the number on the sample. Higher test - 999. This is the purest gold. True, today it is almost impossible to meet.
Good options: 958, 916, 750. Numbers 585 and 375 suggest that in the metal there are many extraneous impurities. However, this should not be embarrassed. Do not put the goal to purchase a product with a number starting to 9. Pure metal is too soft, so this decoration can be deformed when used. But the sample 583 is considered very good. Many products of Soviet times have exactly such a number on the surface.
If there is no sample, it is a fake. The exceptions are decorations made by individual order. But such rarely can be seen in the pawnshop. Usually these are values that are considered familymen and are inherited.
Methods for determining
Exterior signs
It is not easy to distinguish gold from brass, copper or other metal. There are many gold shades, so it can look different. Today, you can find jewelry from white, yellow, red gold. But if a sunny day was issued, you can still try to visually determine the authenticity of the subject.
Initially, you need to hold it in the shade and carefully consider. Then the product must be taken out in the sun and look again to its features.
Real gold and gold-plated things look equally with different lighting. Other metals can change the degree of shine and even a shade.
Another way to recognize the authenticity of gold is the sound. Throw the decoration on the table or other surface. Ideally, you must hear an exquisite ringing that resembles a crystal. However, this method does not allow one hundred percent confidence. For a more accurate result, it is better to resort to other verification options.
And, of course, it is worth calling logic to help. If the sample is pricked badly, the metal has an uneven shade, roughness, it speaks of low product quality. Most likely, it is either an alloy with a small content of gold, or ordinary jewelry.
Iodine
This antiseptic has at home practically everyone and it can be safely used to distinguish metals. To check, you will need a cotton wand and something sharp. Many use a needle, but an ordinary knife is also suitable. At an invisible place (for example, on the inside of the ring) you need to slightly scratch the subject. Then it should be dipped with a cotton wand in iodine and slightly spend it according to the resulting scratch.
If the substance is glad and began to evaporate, then before you fake. If the dark color of the fluid has been preserved, and evaporation does not occur, the subject is genuine.
In this case, it is worth it to wipe the blurred area immediately to remove the stain. Otherwise, it may remain forever.
Vinegar
Some check whether the present is gold, with the help of vinegar. The substance is poured into a transparent container. Then the object is lowered into the liquid and wait a couple of minutes. Fake things under the influence of vinegar are quickly darker. The noble metal does not lose the purity of the shade and shine.
Lyapis pencil
This device can be found in the pharmacy, it is inexpensive. As part of a pencil there is silver nitrate. This is the secret of this method. The product requires checking, you need to wet. Then it should be done on it with a pencil. After that, you need to rinse the subject again.
If the metal remained on the metal, then you either feed, or a very low quality gold. On the noble metal of high sample you will not see anything.
Acid and reagents
This method is quite dangerous and requires great care, although it will probably find out how valuable is the subject. For example, Jewelry buyers are used in the examination of acid and silicon slate. Losing a product about stone, dripped on it with a chemical. On the present gold product remains a trace from the stone even after the reaction with acid. With fake metal it will evaporate.
If there is no special stone, you can do without it. Take a metal container and place the bottom item to check. Carefully drop on it with nitric acid. If you see the appearance of a green shade on the surface, know that the product is not gold. If a lactum spot appears, it will say that the item is made of a noble metal, but has many impurities in the composition. If the decoration does not change its tone under the influence of acid, it means that you are high quality gold.
Magnet
Real golden things are not magnetic. Only products with a small layer of spraying made of heavy metals are attracted.
Having a small home magnet, you can easily check out what your decoration is made.
"To the tooth"
This method is quite primitive. They used in past centuries when the metal was actively used in trade. Today, you can also bite the subject and check whether traces from teeth will remain on it.
However, experts do not advise rely on the result. First, only the purest gold differs softness. And today, even products with good samples have additional components. Secondly, on softness, the noble metal is similar to lead. Therefore, they can be confused.
Ceramics
Check, the present is gold, it is possible using a conventional ceramic plate. The main thing is that there is no glazed coating on it. You can use tiles. Take a metal object and spend it on ceramics. Press should be small, but tangible.
If the formed band has a black color, the decoration is fake. If the trace has a golden shade, it means that the upper part of the subject is precisely made of gold.
When using this method, it is important to remember that it does not allow you to check that is inside the product. It is possible that gold is only a spraying. Therefore, if you want to get a more accurate result, complete the study by other options.
Hydrostatic method
This method is not too simple. It involves determining the weight of the product in different conditions and implementing certain calculations on this basis. Invented the Greek Mathematics method Archimed. The advantage is that it is not necessary to disturb the integrity of the product (scratching it, exposed to chemicals).
However, there is a disadvantage. This option for determining the authenticity of gold is suitable for items without stones and other extraneous decor elements. It will not be possible to do without special jewelry scales.
The remaining components of the experiment are in the house for everyone. We will need only a transparent glass and thread. So, at the beginning, the product is weighed. "Dry" weight in grams is written. Then distilled water is poured into the glass (you need to fill the container at least than half).
After that, the glass is placed on the scales, the test product is carefully lowered in it. If this is a ring, you can use thread. So it turns out to avoid the collision of the item with the walls and the bottom, which is important for the purity of the experiment. "Wet" weight is also fixed. After that, the first indicator is divided into the second. Next, the density level is determined by the special table and, accordingly, the quality of the metal.
Tips for specialists
In order not to suffer at home, checking the purchase of authenticity, save yourself from problems and purchase decorations in proven jewelry stores. Avoid pawnshops and small suspicious shops. The fact is that unscrupulous sellers sometimes collect decorations from different parts. For example, on the closure of the earrings can be a sample, as it is really golden. The rest of the product can be made of cheaper metals.
When buying, check the trial and documents for the decoration. Do not believe if you are convinced that some foreign manufacturers do not brand jewelry products from precious metals.
To determine whether gold is offered to you, you can also at a price. Too cheap it can not be, even if the store holds an action.
About how to check gold at home, see the next video.