3 Ways To Tell If The Necklace You Want To Sell Is Real Or Fake Gold
Posted on: 7 November 2018
If you are in need of some quick cash, and found an old necklace in your jewelry box, you may wonder whether or not it is gold that could be sold. If so, use one or more of the following ways to tell if the necklace is real gold or made from another metal.
1. Use a Strong Magnet on the Piece
If you have a strong magnet laying around your house, you can use it to test the magnetic properties of the necklace. Since gold is not magnetic, it will not be attracted to the magnet.
However, any other metal should be pulled straight to the magnet, indicating that it is not real gold. If your magnet is strong enough, even a gold-plated alloy will be magnetized, which would show that the necklace is not real gold and cannot be sold.
2. Drop the Necklace in Water
Another test you can perform to determine whether your necklace is real gold is dropping into a glass of water. Since gold is a relatively heavy metal, it should sink straight to the bottom, even if the chain is thin.
However, if the necklace floats at all, this probably means that the necklace is not made from gold. However, sometimes the clasp may be gold while the rest of the necklace is plated. If the clasp sinks to the bottom, but the chain floats, you probably will not be able to sell it. If there is any doubt, you can have the buyer test it further.
3. Look for the Jewelry Stamp
One way you can see if the necklace is real gold is to find the jewelry stamp. If the piece is gold, it will have the karat weight imprinted somewhere on the necklace, generally close to the clasp. If you see anything other than the karat weight, such as HGP, which stands for heavy gold plated, the necklace is not solid gold.
While finding a stamp can provide you with a definitive way to tell whether the necklace is real gold, antique jewelry does not always have any stamp. If this is the case, another method of testing the authenticity of the necklace will be needed.
Even after performing the above tests, you may still have some doubt as to whether your necklace is made from gold or some other metal. If you are still interested in trying to sell it, ask the gold buyer to use more definitive gold testing techniques to see if your jewelry is made out of gold and can be sold. Contact a company like Beaverton Coin & Currency for more information.
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