For both men and women, gold necklaces are a must-have piece of jewelry that can be worn on any occasion or with any attire.
Gold is among the most expensive metals and it comes in numerous colors and forms.
If you own a gold necklace, you must learn how to check a gold necklace at home to determine whether or not the gold is pure.
If it’s not made of actual gold, it’s likely to be gold-plated, gold-dipped, or even gold-filled. You’ll normally see a mark on the gold necklace that indicates its purity, which is expressed in Karats.
Gold’s purity ranges from 10k to 24k, with the latter two being the rarest. If your gold necklace does not have a stamp, then you should have it tested.
7 Ways To Tell If A Necklace Is Real Gold
Look For Gold Plated Hallmarks
Not real gold necklace is denoted by the stamping of the initials GP, GF, or GEP on an item of jewelry. GEP denotes gold electroplate, GF denotes gold plating, while GP denotes gold plating.
In other words, the gold necklace is created of a different metal and then covered in a layer of gold. Even if the gold plating is genuine, there isn’t enough gold in the piece for it to be deemed a real gold necklace.
Test Your Gold Necklace With Nitric Acid
Try to make a little scratch on the gold necklace, such as behind a clasp.
To go through the necklace’s top layer, make an impression deep enough. Carefully put a drop or a few of nitric acid to the mark, and assess if the mark goes green or milky.
If the necklace is entirely made of gold, there’ll be no reaction.
When dealing with nitric acid, you should take all necessary precautions. Make sure the area is well-ventilated and wear goggles and gloves if you’re working with hazardous materials.
You may not use this test on a piece of necklace that is particularly valuable to you. At the very least, have a certified jeweler perform the testing for you.
Gold Density Test
At 19.3 g/mL, gold has a density that’s hard to beat. You can tell how much real gold your gold necklace contains by comparing it to this value.
You need a gram scale and a milliliter container large enough to accommodate your gold necklace with inches to expand to determine its density.
The gram weight of your gold necklace should be recorded. Then, lay the container on a level surface and fill it with half of the water it needs. In milliliters, measure the volume of the container.
To avoid water splashing out the sides of the container, carefully lower your object into the container.
It’s time to record the current water level. Next, find out how much water your necklace moved by subtracting the first estimate from the second. This tells you how much the gold necklace weighs.
Dividing the volume by its weight will give you its density. According to this formula, the density of a necklace is equal to 40 grams divided by the volume in milliliters, or 18.18 grams per milliliter.
Because gold necklace has a density of 19.3 g/mL, your necklace is likely made of real gold. Many other metals weight similarly to gold, thus this test isn’t 100% accurate.
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Ceramic Tile Test
This test includes scratching your gold necklace, but you should be able to achieve the results you need with minimal harm from the scratch.
Look for or buy an unglazed ceramic tile. Tile glaze can alter the results, so it must be unglazed. Using your necklace, gently scuff the surface until you see gold particles peeling off the surface.
There is a significant possibility that your necklace is genuine gold if it creates a gold stain. Fake gold will have a black mark on it.
Dip Your Gold Necklace In Water
When you’ve got enough water in the container to cover the gold object and some leftover, do so. Let’s drop the necklace into the water and wait for the results.
In the case of gold, if the gold necklace floats you can be sure that it isn’t real gold.
If the object rusts or tarnishes after being submerged in water, it is also an indication that it is not a genuine gold necklace.
You might not want to conduct this experiment on a precious item because of the possibility of tarnishing.
Magnet Test Your Gold Necklace
A magnet can be used to see if the necklace is attracted to it since gold is non-magnetic. Since most household magnets aren’t strong enough, you’ll likely have to buy one from a hardware shop.
If the gold in the necklace is mixed with a magnetic substance, such as iron, you may get reactivity from the necklace.
Non-magnetic stainless steel may also be used in the necklace.
While these tests might give you an idea of whether your necklace is real or plated gold, the only foolproof way to determine is to have the gold necklace professionally appraised.
Look For Hallmarks
A hallmark is the greatest way of telling if the necklace you’re purchasing is genuine. Indication of the gold’s carat weight is provided by a little stamp such as this. The units of measurement used vary greatly depending on where you go. In the United States, a percentage of 24 is the most recognizable number.
An 18-karat gold hallmark indicates that at least half of the gold necklaces in question is 18-karat gold. It is 24K pure gold. Europe has a range of 0.000 to 1.000, which means that the gold is pure gold.
Gold necklace that does not have its hallmark may not be real gold. Other alternative explanations exist.
If the necklace has been in frequent touch with skin, the trademark has likely worn away with time.
It’s also possible that the gold necklace was manufactured before the practice of hallmarking became common.