How To Tell If Gold Is Real

Do you know how to tell if gold is real? If you don't know, then how can you tell if the gold you are buying is genuine? There are a few things you need to check for on the gold that you have bought and the gold that you intend to buy in the future. Follow the steps below to tell if gold is real the next time you buy anything gold related.

      Things you will need:

•        Gold testing brick
•        Gold testing solution
•        Metal file
•        Small magnet
•        Jewelry loop

1. Do a gold scratch test. This form of testing gold is standard in the industry. Buy gold testing solution along with a gold testing brick. You can get these materials online, and if you buy both together, you should be able to purchase them for under $20. Once you have the materials to test the gold, take the gold and scratch it safely against the testing brick. Now get the gold testing solution and place a tiny drop of acid directly onto the area you scratched. If you can still see the scratch underneath, the drop the gold is real, as long as you are dealing with small gold pieces that are not heavily dense. If the scratch markings left by the gold on the testing brick disappears, the gold is fake. This is because fake metal can't handle the strength of the gold acid.
2. File the gold. If you have a big bulky piece of gold jewelry, you have to file it.  This is because there are so many layers below the surface, and this can fool a normal gold scratch testing. Take a small file and file a tiny dent in an area of the jewelry that is insignificant to the piece. Take some of that gold testing solution and place a small dab onto the area that you filed. If that area starts to bubble up or turn green, you have fake gold. The fake metal can't handle the chemical reaction, so it goes nuts.
3. Check for markings on gold. If gold is real and is made in the United States, it should have markings on it stating that it is 10 karat, 14 karat, 18 karat or 24 karat. You might need a loop to see these markings, since they are usually very tiny. You should also look for names and initials on the jewelry that indicate a reputable company made it.
4. Use a magnet. Gold is not attracted to magnets. This is one way to gather evidence to see if gold is real or not, but it is just one little clue. Don't base your entire evaluation on this fact. You should still use an array of conjunctive techniques to reach to a decision on whether a piece of gold is real.

Reference:

Argonne National Laboratory: Test for Gold