Our Expert Agrees: Suspicious marks and discolorations around the edges of the item are often telltale signs that the gold is fake. However, if the item is not 24k gold, which is considered pure gold, it may tarnish over time as the base metals are exposed to oxygen.
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.
Fill a cup or bowl with water and carefully drop your gold piece into it. If the gold is real, it will sink to the bottom of the cup. If it's fake, it will float to the top or hover in the middle of the cup.
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.
Some types of gold, such as gold-plated items and gold that has been alloyed with other metals, may be attracted to magnets. This is because these types of gold have a higher concentration of electrons, which makes them more susceptible to magnetic attraction.
Goldmeter - real gold detector on the App Store.
Our Expert Agrees: Suspicious marks and discolorations around the edges of the item are often telltale signs that the gold is fake. However, if the item is not 24k gold, which is considered pure gold, it may tarnish over time as the base metals are exposed to oxygen.
Color and shininess – genuine gold has a beautiful soft yellow color and is not very shiny. If your gold piece is too shiny, too yellow, or has another color tone(reddish), then it's not pure gold.
What does it tell you if those "pure gold" earrings are attracted to a magnet? 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.
Pure gold on its own cannot stick to a magnet. However, if you have an alloy of gold, then it could stick to a magnet. An example of a gold alloy that may stick to a magnet is gold with over 20% of its atoms replaced by iron. In very cold temperatures this alloy of gold may magnetize all on its own.
Hallmarks are imprinted numbers on most authentic jewelry items to showcase their karat percentage. You can expect to see a marking of 24K-10K written somewhere inside of a ring or on the side of a bracelet. These markings may also be written as “750” for 18K gold.
Gold is not a magnetic metal, so if they pull towards the magnet, the beads are fake. However, if they don't react to the magnet, it doesn't necessarily mean they are real, as non-magnetic metals are used in counterfeit pieces as well.
Neodymium magnets are very strong and can help to test the authenticity of gold and silver bars, coins, bullion, or jewelry.
While brass is not bright yellow, it's more dull than gold. However, gold is much shinier causing its golden color. Impurities can cause the shiny metallic luster that is characteristic of gold to fade. The purity of the gold determines the shine of ornaments.
One of the simplest tests that can be conducted to determine if your gold is real is to drop it in a bowl of water. Gold is a heavy metal, so if the object has a high purity level, it should sink to the bottom with ease. If it floats, it's probably fake.
Stone (Hand Test) :
When soft metals like gold are drawn across it, they leave a visible line. The color of the line varies with the purity of gold. By observing the color on the line, an experienced jeweler can tell the purity of gold.
Look for Marks
These are also known as hallmarks, or stamps that specifically identify the content or manufacturer of a piece. Hallmarks will usually be found on less noticeable areas like the inside of a ring, inside a hollow charm on a necklace, or underneath the clasp of a bracelet.