Vinegar is incredibly corrosive. So, if your gold jewelry is made of a different metal or alloy, the vinegar will cause it to tarnish. Gold is a non-reactive metal, so it will not react to vinegar.
A: When you clean jewelry with vinegar, you can submerge your gold jewelry in the vinegar solution for up to 20 minutes, but it's best not to go beyond that point. It is important to note that vinegar is an acid and can react with certain metals, causing discoloration or even damage to the metal.
If your gold piece turns black or green when the vinegar is on it, or if it starts to smoke or fizzle at all when the vinegar touches it, it is most likely not real gold. If your gold piece does not change colors and does not fizzle or react to the vinegar in any way, it is probably real.
You can also fill a cup or glass with white vinegar, and drop your gold in it, let it soak for 5-8 minutes, take it out and rinse with water. If the metal has changed its color even slightly, then the gold is not pure but if it keeps shining, then the gold is pure.
One of the most foolproof methods for testing your gold jewelry is the ceramic scratch test. For this method, get an unglazed ceramic plate or piece of tiles and scrape a piece of gold across the surface. Real gold will leave a gold-colored marking, which other metals will just leave a black streak.
Finally, we suggest both for silver and gold plated items, not to use abrasive substances such as lemon, vinegar, salt, parmesan, cola, because they tend to corrode the surfaces.
Apply a few drops of white vinegar to your gold jewelry. Real gold will not change color, but vinegar can cause fake gold items to react and change color.
Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a bowl. Soak your jewelry in this solution for 15 to 20 minutes. Clean the soaked jewelry thoroughly with an old toothbrush. Rinse it with cool water and pat dry with a clean cloth.
Vinegar is an acidic liquid form of acetic acid, which reacts with the metal on the gold plated item. This process causes the gold plated item to corrode and the plating to break down, leaving the base metal exposed. The gold plating will eventually turn into a light gray or dull gold color with a mottled appearance.
*Beware, baking soda is abrasive, which is why it's great for cleaning metal, but that abrasive quality can scratch gemstones and precious metals. So, it is best to only use this cleaning method on all metal pieces.
Submerging in Vinegar
Vinegar is another popular at-home solution for cleaning. But like lemon juice, vinegar is very acidic and will cause damage to your soft stones and plated jewelry. Soaking your jewelry in a bowl of vinegar will remove the jewelry's shine and finish.
Acid test.
An acid test can reveal the karat of solid gold jewelry, but it can also show whether jewelry is solid gold or gold-plated. With an acid test, a small sample of the jewelry is removed and exposed to acid to induce a color change. The resulting colors indicate which type of metal the jewelry is made of.
What to do: Hold the magnet up to the gold. 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.
Cleaning your gold and gemstone jewelry couldn't be easier with white vinegar. Simply drop the jewelry into a jar of vinegar and let sit for 10 to15 minutes, agitating occasionally. Remove and scrub with a soft-bristled toothbrush, if necessary.
The Float Test
Place your gold piece into the water. If it's genuine gold, then it will immediately sink to the bottom of the cup. Pure gold is heavy due to its high density – 19.32 g/ ml. If your gold item floats or hovers above the cup's bottom – it's fake or plated gold.
Dish Detergent & Warm Water
The best homemade jewelry cleaning solution is a mixture of a few drops of Dawn dish detergent in warm, not hot, water. Let the piece sit in the solution for a few minutes, longer if it's very dirty, then gently scrub with a new, baby-size, soft toothbrush.
While your jewelry soaks, make a paste with flour, salt, and half a cup of white vinegar. Brush this paste into your jewelry with a toothbrush. Rinse it all off with water. Toothpaste: Scrub toothpaste gently into your gold jewelry and rinse it off with lukewarm water.
White vinegar rapidly dissolves most metals, but gold resists corrosion from acid and vinegar. Vinegar won't break down or affect gold if it's soaked for 15 minutes or less.
This test works because toothpaste contains a small number of abrasive particles. When you rub the toothpaste onto the gold, these particles work to remove a thin layer of the metal. The toothpaste will not affect real gold, but impure gold will change color.
Cleaning the knives with vinegar can damage the finish on knives and leave the edge pitted, warns Jim Nanni, head of appliance testing for CR. Other common metals in the kitchen that you should keep away from vinegar include aluminum and copper.
No. Gold is a stable metal and does not react with oxygen, so vinegar will not hurt it.
Gently drop your gold item into the water. Real gold is a heavy metal and will not float, so if your gold item floats you know it is not real gold. Also, if you notice rust or tarnishing on the item after being in water, this is also a sign it is not real gold since gold doesn't rust or tarnish.