How to Identify Fake Gold Jewelry

Gold jewelry is quite an investment, but how do you make sure you're not paying the price of authentic gold for a fake gold piece? Gold is one of the most frequently faked valuables out there, because it can look real to the trusting and uneducated eye. By learning how to identify fake gold, you can save yourself from being swindled or find out if the gold jewelry you already have is the real thing.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gold jewelry Straight pin Magnet Jewelry cleaning cloth

How to Identify Fake Gold Jewelry

1. Wear your gold jewelry for at least a day. If you notice a mark or discoloration on your skin where you were wearing the jewelry, it is most likely fake.

2. Lightly stick a pin into your piece of gold jewelry. If it is real gold, the pin will not break because gold is a soft metal and fakes are not.

3. Place your gold jewelry near a magnet. Real gold is not magnetic; if your jewelry pulls toward the magnet, it is fake.

4. Rub your gold piece with a jewelry-cleaning cloth three times. If your gold is fake, the cloth will remove the gold color off the jewelry.

5. Take your gold jewelry to a local jewelry store if you are still unsure. They can take an X-ray and run a gold test to let you know for certain.

Tips & Warnings

• Real gold is a light shade of gold and not very shiny, so take a long look at gold jewelry before you buy it.
• Just because a piece of gold jewelry is stamped with "14k" does not make it so; do not assume it is real without checking.

Resources

• eBay Guide: Spotting Fake Gold
• Gold Testing