How to Check the Gold Purity at Home?

Gold is not only a fashion ornament but also it is among the best investment options. If you ever have the requirements of funds, you can sell and expect a good return from this yellow metal since its resale value is very good. The best thing is that the gold rate in UAE is low when compared to other countries.

But before you purchase this precious metal, you should always check the gold purity and quality. You should find out whether the gold that you are buying is pure gold or it is just some random metal with gold plating.

Thankfully, there are several methods for checking the gold purity from the comfort of your home. In this article, we will discuss those methods so that you can check whether the yellow metal you own is real or fake.

Easy & Simple Tests to Check the Gold Purity at Home

Here are some of the simple tests that you can perform at home in order to identify whether the gold coin or gold jewelry that you possess is real or not:

1. Nitric Acid Test

This is one of the popular ways of checking the gold purity at home. All you are required to do is scrape a small part of your gold ornament with a nail filer (make sure you scrape the part that remains hidden whenever you wear that gold jewelry). After that, take some nitric acid in a dropper and then drop some droplets on that part of the gold ornament. If the color of that ornament doesn’t change, it is probably pure gold. However, if its color change and you notice a tinge of green on that item, then that ornament is not pure because nitric acid does not react with pure gold. But it significantly reacts with other alloys such as zinc, copper, sterling silver, and much more.

2. Magnet Test

Another easy way to check the gold purity at home is Magnet Test. In actual, gold is not the magnetic metal so if your gold item is attached to a magnet then it simply means that it contains no yellow metal and is mostly iron, nickel, or an amalgamation of pot metals.

3. The Visual Test

You can check the gold purity by checking the hallmark or some other purity marks on gold jewelry or ornament. Well, the hallmark is usually placed on the clasp of a bracelet or chain or might be inside the ring’s inner band. The gold purity is expressed in carats such as 24k, 22k, 18K, 14K, or 10K. The higher the carat weight of the gold ornament, the most authentic it is.

However, sometimes you might not able to see the hallmark test clearly due to normal wear and tear, in such scenarios; you can also utilize the magnifying glass to see the hallmark or other authenticity marks. Besides, you can also identify the purity of gold by looking for signs of discoloration on your gold ornament. If you wear real gold then its color will never fade. But if you wear the fake one, then you will notice the discoloration over a period of time. You should be careful about this so always buy gold from authenticate jewelers shops.  

4. Float Test

Gold is a dense and heavy metal. Henceforth, one of the best ways of determining the gold purity is by checking its density or heaviness. All you need to take a bucket of full water and then drop your gold ornament in it, if it is made of pure gold then it will sink in. But, if the gold jewelry floats, then it is not pure. In addition to this, pure gold doesn’t rust when it comes in contact with water but fake gold may rust after coming in contact with water.

5. The Ceramic Plate Test

This is yet another best way to identify the gold purity at home. All you are required to perform this test is an unglazed ceramic plate. And then, take your gold jewelry & drag it along the plate’s surface. As you drag that gold item, if, in case, you notice a black streak on that place, it means that your jewelry is not made of pure gold. However, if there are no marks on the plate surface, then it is pure.

In a Nutshell

So, you can conduct any of these aforementioned tests to check the gold purity at home. However, the best way to check the authenticity of gold is by taking it to a certified jeweler or authorized metal consultant as experts can identify the purity of gold in an error-proof manner.