How to Tell if a Necklace Is Fake Gold

Can you tell if a necklace is fake gold?

When you buy jewelry and want the real deal, it's good to be able to tell if a necklace is fake gold or the real thing.

Here are some ways to determine if your jewelry is fake gold or for real.

Things You'll Need

• Gold jewelry you want to identify
• Magnifying glass or jeweler's loupe

Instructions

1. Gather your gold necklaces you want to identify to see if they are fake gold. Also, get a magnifying glass or a jeweler's loupe to look at each necklace closely.

2. Read the markings on gold jewelry. Necklaces and bracelets made from gold are marked according to purity. Locate the markings to determine if they are gold or fake.

   The following marks are used to indicate the percent of gold content of jewelry:

   24K: Pure gold
   18K: About 75% gold
   14K: About 59% gold
   10K: About 42% gold

3. In a well lit area, look on your gold necklace near the clasp for a small metal tag. This tag should be oval or rectangle and be the same gold color as the necklace chain and clasp.

   Use a magnifying glass or loupe and carefully look at both sides of the tag. It will be marked with the gold's karat marking. The mark can be 10K, 14K, 18K, or 24K or a decimal, such as .750 to indicate 75% or 18K.

4. On the tag, if the marks EP or GP are present, the necklace is plated, which means the necklace is not solid gold but plated with gold over another metal to reduce cost.

5. If you could not locate a marking, another way to tell if a necklace is fake gold is if the gold tarnishes. Look to see if the necklace has tarnished. If the gold appears dull and silver in color, that means it has tarnished and is fake.

   Real gold does not tarnish. Plated gold necklaces can also chip or flake, and they can tarnish with time.

6. A final way to determine if your necklace is fake is to take it to a jeweler. The jeweler can do an acid test to determine the gold content.