How To Distinguish Real Gold From Its Pretenders?

It is an old saying that, “all that glitters are not gold”. Although it has many deeper meaning attached to it, but, its words indicate a very true fact about gold. There are many things and metals in this world that resemble gold in appearance while in actuality they are not similar to the gold in any respect. Whether it is bought from a local store or an online jewelry website, one must check the gold for its purity and authenticity with the help of a few useful tips given below. Some tests could only be performed under specific environment while some can be done on the spot while in the store.

Besides the fake metal that the seller might try to sell, one must also keep an open eye for gold filled, gold plated or solid gold jewelry. Thus, at first one must understand the difference between the three varieties of gold in order to buy the right kind of jewelry. The simplest way to find that out is by taking the gold to a jeweler and get its purity verified.

Besides jeweler’s verification, one can test for the gold’s purity using some of the mechanical equipments as well. One method is by using Electronic Gold Tester. The gold testing device can be easily purchased from online resources. A gold tester might come a little expensive but it would surely prove to be worth its deal. To perform the test, a clip from the device is put on the metal which is then dipped into acid. The tester then indicates the amount of gold present in the piece of jewelry. This test mostly gives out accurate results; however, the accuracy also depends upon the quality of the equipment.

Another method that can be used for testing the quality of gold could be by using a gold testing stone. In this process, gold is rubbed on the stone, which thus leaves its traces on it. Thereafter, a gold testing needle, which comes along with the testing equipment, is rubbed on the gold traces. The needle is then inserted into the appropriate acid. Pure gold would soon dissolve in the acid while the impurity would remain as it is.

Another useful test is known as the Acid Test. This test must be performed very carefully using only the prescribed acids, as some acids could react with gold and turn harmful for it. Acid test can be performed using the pre-arranged kit available in the market. One must read the instructions with attention and follow the process with utter precision.