How to Know The Gold You Are Buying Is Real?

Gold might have a stamp with a specific purity mark but keep in mind that it is not always a certification of its real gold content. Some gold items of low quality have a higher fineness marking. Moreover, gold fraud can be in several forms such as colored paint, inaccurate karat, less weight-age, etc. In addition to this, few of the gold items can also be gold plated, gold filled & heavy gold electroplate. Hence, there are many fake dealers are in the market who sell impure gold.

So, how would you check if the gold you are going purchase is pure or not? Keeping this dilemma in mind, here we have mentioned some important information that will certainly help you to identify impure gold jewelry, ornaments, and coins. But before checking and testing the purity of gold, let’s know about its key properties.

Properties of Real Gold

First and foremost, we will talk about the chemical properties of this precious metal. The chemical symbol of yellow metal is “Au”. Moreover, gold is a precious metal because it is:

• Non-magnetic: What do you think pure gold is magnetic or non-magnetic? Well, pure gold is always non-magnetic.
• Electrical conductive & high thermal: It is corrosion resistant. Therefore it makes the yellow metal imperative in electronics.
• Resistant to oxidation: Gold does not rust or tarnish.
• Ductile: Gold can easily be drawn into thin or narrow wires that deposit onto circuits such as transistors, orthodontic appliances, etc.
• Sectile: It is a soft metal. In order to combat its weakness, the gold must alloy with some other metals such as copper, silver, platinum or nickel.
• Gets dissolved only through Nitro-Hydrochloric Acid: A combo of 75 percent nitric acid & 25 percent hydrochloric acid that has an orange-yellow color.

Here’s how you can check the Purity of Gold:

1.      Nitric Acid Test

This is certainly one of the best ways to check the purity of the yellow metal. Well, you are required to make just a minute scratch on the gold and after that pour a few drops of nitric acid on it. Please note that if the gold item is real then there won’t be any reaction when you leave the drop of nitric acid on it. But, if it gives reaction if the metal is made in copper, zinc, or silver. Thus, if in case there is a reaction of green color that means that gold item is impure and it does involve other metals.

Well, do not forget to take some necessary precautions before doing the test such as wearing hand gloves and goggles on your eyes.

2.      Water & Magnet Testing

Always note that pure gold is heavy. Thus, drop that gold item in a jug of water, if it sinks in the water then it is a pure one. Any gold item or jewelry that floats on the water then it is a sign that it is a fake one.

However, you can also utilize a magnet to check the purity of gold. Pure gold will never attract towards a magnet. Usually, any metal will attract & stick to a magnet when it is placed in front of it but real gold will not stick to it since it is non-magnetic.

However, keep in mind that if the gold attracts to the magnet then it does not necessarily mean that it is not real. There is a possibility that the amount of gold is not substantial.

3.      Visit a Well-known Jeweler

If you have purchased gold from a non-reputed or a small retail shop who doesn’t have a proper method of selling gold. Then you can take that gold item to a well-known jewelry shop since they have the proper sources to check the purity of gold. However, you may require to pay a little charge to the well-known jeweler for checking the yellow metal’s purity.

4.      Hallmark Stamp

There is one thing that you always need to keep in mind that pure gold has a hallmark stamp. And all the reputed and authentic gold stores stamp the gold jewelry and ornaments with the purity scale. To check the purity of gold, you need to place it under a magnifying glass and then look for the hallmark stamp.

5.      Purity of Yellow Metal

Gold’s purity is denoted in karats (K), with 24K yellow metal being 99.9 percent real and 22K gold being 92 percent pure. Every karat of yellow metal equals to 4.2 percent real gold that simply means that 18 & 14k gold consists of only 75 percent and 58.33 percent pure gold, respectively.

Also, note that the 24K gold is not suitable to make gold jewelry since it is soft. That is the main reasons why jewelers utilize either 22K, 18K or 14K for making gold jewelry by mixing some other metals in it. So, before you purchase any gold ornaments or jewelry, make sure this specific criteria is fulfilled and you check the purity and weight of gold.

The Bottom Line

Investing in gold is a very important decision since the gold rate in UAE is quite high and you invest your hard-earned money in gold. Make sure you purchase pure gold so that the money that you are investing in gold is worth it. And if in case you have any sort of doubt on the authenticity of gold then you can follow the aforementioned information in order to identify the purity of gold. However, it is also advisable to purchase gold from well-known jewelers because it reduces the amount of risk as it comes with a guarantee.