How to Test Gold
Gold is one of the most valuable of all metals. These steps can help you determine if your gold is real, and possibly what the true purity is. These are some of the most common ways to test gold. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Unglazed porcelain
- Piece of glass
- Hydrochloric or sulfuric acid
- Magnet
- Rubber gloves
- Protective eyewear
Instructions
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Rub the piece of jewelry across a piece of unglazed porcelain tile. It should not make a black streak. If it does, then it is pyrite. If the streak is golden yellow, then it is gold. Unglazed porcelain tile can be found at a hardware store.
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Use the Mohs scale to determine the hardness of the metal. Gold has a hardness of about 2.5 to 3 on the Mohs scale. Glass, on the other hand, has a hardness of 5.5 on the same scale. Try scratching glass with the piece of gold. If it scratches the glass, it is definitely not gold, or it is mixed with other metals and the purity is very low.
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Hold a magnet near the piece of gold. If the magnet attracts the gold piece, then there are other metals mixed in the gold. This is not pure gold.
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Purchase hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, rubber gloves and protective eyewear from a hardware store. Use something like a small piece of glass to drop a very small amount of acid onto the gold. If the gold begins to dissolve, then there is some other type of metal mixed with the gold and it is not pure.
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Purchase a gold testing kit from an online retailer or from a local store. To locate a gold testing kit in your neighborhood, contact either a coin store, an antique dealer, a pawn shop or a jeweler. These resources can help you locate a test kit, or they may be able to test the gold for you for a fee.
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Tips & Warnings
Exercise extreme caution when handling hydrochloric acid or nitric acid. It can be very dangerous if not handled and stored properly.
Do not send your gold in to a company to have it tested for you, unless you have done your research on the company and it is a reputable establishment.
Resources
- Photo Credit gold coin image by OMKAR A.V from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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just started panning and was looking fer info on test at home.
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thanks new to panning so this info was great.
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Thank let me try it with my samples.
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Great help... thank you
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great information. You really need to know these simple but every effective ways of checking the real gold from fake. Keep up the good work. moze
