Pure gold is not attracted to magnetic fields, but if an enormous magnetic field is applied to gold, the gold will slightly move and then slightly repel it. However, this is only so slightly and so no, it cannot be found with magnets.
If it's real gold it will not stick to the magnet. (Fun fact: Real gold is not magnetic.) Fake gold, on the other hand, will stick to the magnet. If that necklace leaps to the magnet, your significant other has some explaining to do.
First off, if your "pure gold" is magnetic, then there is iron inside (or maybe nickel). In fact, this is one way to tell if jewelry is actually gold. If it's not attracted to a magnet then there is no iron - but it still might not be gold. Scammers have been known to coat lead, copper, and aluminum.
Gold, silver, and other metals are actually not magnetic. With that being said, certain spoof materials are, in fact, attracted to magnets.
It is possible that an 18k gold piece sticks to a magnet. 18k or 18 karat means that a specific alloy contains 75% of pure gold and 25% other metals. Since pure gold is not magnetic, gold itself will not be responsible for the magnetism, but the metal alloyed may be.
So, unless you are testing a 24 karat gold, do NOT use a magnet to test your 10k, 14k, 18k, etc. gold jewelry because some of the base metals that can be mixed with gold are magnetic so you can get a false read. So testing a gold karat by a magnet is entirely wrong and false.
Gold is not a magnetic metal, so it won't stick to magnets. That's why this test is a quick and easy way to tell if your jewelry is made of real gold. However, keep in mind that some base metals used as gold alloys can be non-magnetic, so this test isn't foolproof.
Pure gold is not attracted to magnetic fields, but if an enormous magnetic field is applied to gold, the gold will slightly move and then slightly repel it. However, this is only so slightly and so no, it cannot be found with magnets.
It can still be a low-purity solid gold alloy that contains magnetic metals. On the other hand, a piece may be gold plated, but it will not attach to a magnet because its core metal is non-magnetic.
Scratch test.
If you cut deep enough that you expose underlying metal, you can assume that it is plated. If it appears to be made of a uniform composition throughout, then it is probably solid gold.
Did you know you can quickly determine if a piece of metal jewelry is definitely not gold or silver by placing a magnet over it? If the magnet sticks to the piece, move along, it's not gold or silver. Now, you can't automatically assume it's made of precious metal if the magnet does not stick, but it might be.
Gold Purity Check By Carats
For UAE gold, the 24-carat mark carries a fineness mark of 999; a 22-carat gold is marked 916; 21-carat gold is marked 875; 18-carat – 750; 16 carat – 666; 14-carat – 583; and 12-carat – 500.
Rub your gold against a jeweler's stone.
Position a black jeweler's stone on a table. Hold your gold piece firmly in your hand. Wipe it across the stone firmly enough to leave a mark. If the mark that you've left on the stone is solid and gold in color, then the piece is pure.
Completely pure gold isn't practical to use for most purposes, since it's too soft. However, if you're curious, there are some countries that produce gold that's as close to pure as possible. The country with the purest gold in the world is Switzerland, a country known for paying attention to quality.
Pure gold (24K or 999) has a rich, nearly orange-yellow colour, however gold rarely occurs in nature in pure form. It generally grows as a crystal structure including other elements, like silver or copper.
Vinegar is very destructive, so when you apply the vinegar to a fake piece of gold, the vinegar will cause the jewelry to tarnish. Gold is a non-reactive metal, so real pieces of gold will not react to vinegar.
Neodymium magnets are very strong and can help to test the authenticity of gold and silver bars, coins, bullion, or jewelry.