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How to find out if my jewelry is real gold, etc?

Rawkfist

Full Member
Joined
Jan 1, 2015
Messages
114
Location
Millville, New Jersey
Will jewelry stores test my gold items? if so, do they charge a fee? Also,
will pawn stores test it? And if so, will they charge me a fee? I have several rings, chains etc that I have no idea if it is gold or not.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
Call them and ask them. They will simply tell you yay or nay. : )

If the jewelry item doesn't have a karat marking such as 10K or 14K, most likely it is not gold. One quick test is to get a good magnet and dangle the ring on a string or necklace next to the magnet. If the jewelry item has ferrous metal in it, it will swing over to the magnet. There are some crapola jewelry items that don't have ferrous metal in them however. So it is not always a given. Like I say though, most gold items are marked as such. Most silver items are also marked sterling or 925.
 
Will jewelry stores test my gold items? if so, do they charge a fee? Also,
will pawn stores test it? And if so, will they charge me a fee? I have several rings, chains etc that I have no idea if it is gold or not.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/6-Gold-Tes...h=item214544764a:g:2qwAAOxy~iJQ9vUI:rk:2:pf:0

Lots of acid kits like this one on Ebay cheap. Easy to use, just rub the piece on the stone and put a steak of the acid on it. If you put a streak of 14k acid on it and it stays then you know its atleast 14k, if you put the 18k acid on and the mark vanishes it's less than 18k and going to be 14k gold. I have a Minelab Pro-Alloy gold machine that has a pen you just touch to the item and it tells you if its gold and what karat. If you want to send it all to me I will test it and let you know. :lol:
 
I have a gold tester also. I bought it just for the sake of convenience. Most real gold jewelry will be marked 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, or 24K...or GF (gold filled), or GP (gold plated).
 
Them cash for good places would be able to tell you. Find a reputable one so they'll be honest with you.
 
Them cash for good places would be able to tell you. Find a reputable one so they'll be honest with you.

Those street corner "We Buy Gold" Might not fit Joee's description. Be careful doing business with them.

I go to a local jeweler if I have a piece that I am not sure about. I found one ring that looked like it should be gold but no hallmark. I had her test it electronically and she said it was 14K. Said if it was made in the US that it was well over a hundred years old as all precious metal jewelry made in the US since 1906 has been required to have a hallmark. OH Yes the diamonds were also real.
 
Many pawn shops and jewelry stores will test for free, ya just gotta ask.
I had a jewelry store near me that did that and then usually tried to give me a lowball offer which I always refused.
Test kits are cheap and the best option...if you get a complete gold testing kit online or wherever, with acids from 10I to 22k the 18k acid can pull double duty an accurate test for silver.

Also always remember lots of stuff out there that is marked 925 that just isnt...
Lots of gold out there with karat marks that aren't gold...
And most importantly not all gold will have marks.

This is a small ring I found that has no mark, not because it isn't gold but because it is so old any recognizable mark that was there has worn away.
This is heirloom jewelry.
Notice the natural pearl, they haven't been a popular choice for jewelry for about 100 years.
Most veterans will recognize the deep buttery yellow look of high karat gold...but newbies might not.
I didn't have a chance to take it to have it tested and I got lazy so I never knew what this thing really was until I finally got a test kit...years later.
Tests out great at 22k but it is so soft I am pretty sure this is 24k.

Get a test kit, cheap, convenient and you will always be sure.
 

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I go to a local jewelry store. I have a buddy that works there. Best part is they won’t lie because they aren’t allowed to buy lol.


Nox 600
Best find to date - 15g platinum ring and 1876 love token
 
Pawn Shops will usually test them, and then make an offer. You can tell them you want to see what other shops will offer and take them and leave. That's a short term solution tho. You should invest in an acid testing kit. Amazon sells them for less than 15 bucks or so. I bought one once I started metal detecting and its been an invaluable possession since then!
 
What if the ring is plated gold?


If its Plated you would be able to tell by filing a little spot and dripping some 10k acid on it. Thats what any shop or store is going to do anyway. If it changes colors its plated. Usually green.
 
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