Many of us own items – from jewellery to coins and medallions – that could be solid gold. But we don’t know.
In this article, we explain how to tell if your jewellery is gold plated or solid, and how gold pieces can be used to secure quick, easy loans.
Ways to distinguish between gold plate and solid gold
There are two types of tests – non-destructive and destructive – that can determine if your gold jewellery is solid or plated.
Non-destructive methods don’t damage your precious pieces. Destructive tests involve cutting it or taking a sample from the item. These must be carried out by a professional.
Look for stamps
The easiest, non-destructive way to test if jewellery is solid gold is to look for a stamp, hallmark or marking. If it’s solid gold, you should find a small engraving that denotes the karats of the piece, and maybe the maker’s mark.
Look on the inside of rings, and on clasps of bracelets, brooches and necklaces, for a marking. Common stamps or markings that denote solid gold include a number followed by a K (karats), such as 14K, 18K or 24K.
If a piece is plated, there could be a mark denoting gold plate, such as:
- GP – gold plated
- GF – gold filled
- GE or GEP – gold electroplated
- HGE or HGP – heavy gold electroplate
- RGP – rolled gold plate.
In most countries, jewellers are legally required to stamp solid gold jewellery. However, if your piece is more than 100 years old, it may be solid gold but without a mark. Also, there’s the risk that the marking is forged on fake gold.
Test for magnetism
Generally, solid gold rings are not magnetic. If your jewellery is attracted to a strong magnet, it’s unlikely to be solid gold.
However, this method is not fool proof. It should be used in conjunction with other tests.
Perform a water experiment
For gold jewellery without stones or embellishments, a water displacement experiment can determine the gold content.
Look here to find out how to perform the test. You’ll need a scale, water and a cylinder.
If the non-destructive tests are inclusive, the following destructive tests can be done by a professional. Only use these methods as a last resort because they will damage your jewellery.
Acid test
This very destructive test is usually used by dealers, resellers or someone wanting to melt down gold jewellery.
A jeweller removes a piece of metal and drops it in acid. When the metal dissolves, colour changes determine the metal content of the jewellery.
Scratch test
A jeweller makes a cut in the piece. The metal is probably solid gold if the metal doesn’t change throughout the cut. A gold-plated item will have a demarcation line where the gold stops and another metal starts.
About the purity of gold
Gold’s purity is measured in karats. The higher the karats, the purer the gold and the more delicate it is. The standard valid purity numbers are 8K, 9K, 10K, 14K, 18K, 20K, 22K and 24K.
The more karats in a piece of gold jewellery, the more expensive it will be.
Gold is very soft and delicate in its pure form. For this reason, pure gold is mixed with other metals to harden it and create different hues. A combination of metals is called an alloy.
Gold is commonly mixed with certain metals to strengthen it and change its colour:
- yellow gold with zinc and copper
- white gold with palladium, manganese or nickel
- rose gold with copper.
How to identify real vs. fake gold
If a piece of jewellery contains less than 10 karats or 41.7% of gold it is considered fake.
These tests are not fool proof – and they can damage fake or gold-plated items of jewellery – but they can give you a good idea if your gold is fake.
Toothpaste: rub a small amount of white toothpaste on your gold jewellery for about 30 seconds. A black spot will form. If it washes off and leaves the piece shiny, your jewellery is probably gold.
Bleach: drop the jewellery (with no gemstones or embellishments) into a cup of bleach. There should be no reaction if it’s solid gold. Bubbles or a change in colour of the bleach suggest fake gold.
Lemon: place a few drops of acidic lemon juice on the piece. Rub with a white cloth. If black marks are left, the piece is fake.
Vinegar: place your item in a small container of white vinegar. Leave for eight minutes and rinse. If there is even a slight change in the colour of the metal, it’s not real gold.
Using gold jewellery to secure funds
Now you know how to tell if your jewellery is gold plated or solid.
Gold jewellery is a good investment, and it can be used to secure funds. However, selling your precious gold jewellery – losing it forever – is not the only way to unlock its value.
Rather than selling gold jewellery in South Africa, use it to secure a short-term loan with LoanAgainst. There is no laborious paper work and you don’t need to be employed to secure a loan against gold jewellery.
We offer flexible repayment terms, competitive interest rates and the option to extend loan periods if payments are up to date. Call us on 064 976 7106 for more information or simply complete and submit our online loan application.
