How to Authenticate Gold Jewelry
- 1). Look for the marks of authentication. Authentic gold pieces are marked by a number such as 10, 14, 18 or 24 followed by the letter "k" to identify what grade of gold the piece has been made from. Gold alloys or overlays will not usually have such a mark unless the jewelry maker is trying to scam you. There are jewelry pieces that are made from sterling silver but then are overlaid with thin layers of gold. Gold jewelry is seldom made from 24k gold because 24k gold is very soft and will scratch easily. It can be difficult to tell with an untrained eye if the jewelry pieces are solid all the way through or just overlaid with gold. Generally, pieces that are very heavy have a sterling silver base. Lighter-weight pieces may be real gold but may not be solid. Oftentimes they are hollow, which give the illusion of a bigger piece, but the gram weight speaks for itself.
- 2). Use a gold test kit. Generally, the price will give it away--but not always. Jewelry pieces that are not solid but are overlaid are generally lower priced, but not always. Some run just as much if not more than solid gold pieces depending on the piece. There are gold test kits available in a variety of locations that will reveal the purity of the surface of the gold piece. The pens in the gold test kits usually do not cause damage to real gold jewelry. If they do cause damage, that is a dead giveaway that the jewelry is fake.
- 3). Buy from reputable sources. One surefire way to be sure that you are purchasing an authentic piece of gold jewelry is to buy it from a reputable source such as a well-known jeweler. He has a trained eye and can verify if the piece is real or fake even if any identifiable markings have been removed. If you can't pass up a good deal on jewelry for sale from places like eBay or Craigslist, be sure to get an appraisal so that you know your jewelry is real.
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