Going by international standards, any jewelry containing less than 41.7% or 10 Karats of gold is regarded as fake. The world is full of unscrupulous traders who would want to make a killing out of life by producing counterfeit jewelry, which they sell to the most unsuspecting customers.
Gold bracelets for women are very much in high demand. They are a great fashion statement, and most women have one or two gold bracelets in their collection of accessories. Women like to look good, and adorning a bracelet, completes their look most times. Therefore, women always like to be certain that what they have is genuine. Luckily, there are numerous ways or tests you can use to tell if the bracelet you have is genuine or fake.
Tests for Testing for Gold
Gold being a precious and most sort after metal makes it prone to imitations. Therefore, it is always good to be knowledgeable of the various tests and procedures you can use to determine if your hard-earned gold bracelet is real or otherwise.
1. Visual inspection
A very practical test you can do is to perform a visual inspection of the golden jewelry. When visually inspecting it, there are things that you must observe.
First, try finding the official digit marking on the gold. The digital marking will tell you the percentage of gold that is in the jewelry. It is often printed on the inner bands of the bracelets. Depending on the grading system, the marking could be ranging from 0-999, or from 0K to 24K.
Hence, if the marking is missing on the golden bracelet, then the item you have might not be genuine after all. However, you should be aware of older pieces that may not have the markings because the stamping came into effect not so long ago.
Secondly, you could use the digit markings on your bracelet to determine the quantity of gold in your jewelry. You must recognize that most gold pieces are not pure. That implies they have other metals in them. That means they are not pure gold.
Counterfeit pieces may have markings that make them look real. However, you must ascertain the quantity of gold in them.
Thirdly, you can check for the letter markings that imply that the jewelry is a mix of gold plus another metal. Such markings include GP, GF, and GEP.
Fourthly, you can look for any noticeable discolorations where the gold has faded. The best points to check are the jewelry’s edges. As you wear jewelry, they tend to rub on the skin and your clothes. Therefore, if you discover a different metal underneath the gold, in the area that has faded, then definitely what you have is not real gold, but plated.
2. Using magnetism and other procedures
You should know that gold is not magnetic. Therefore, if you hold a strong magnet such as neodymium above the golden bracelet and it is pulled towards it, then that bracelet is counterfeit.
Real gold is dense and when dropped in a jug of water sinks, or goes to the bottom of the jug. Therefore, any golden jewelry that floats on water is an imitation of the real gold. Also, if you leave the gold in the jug and it starts to rust, then that should be a tell-tale sign that it is fake.
3. Performing a density test
The density test involves weighing the golden jewelry using a weighing machine to determine its weight in grams so that you can use the weight to calculate for the quantity of gold in the golden piece.
4. Using nitric acid
A nitric acid test is performed on golden jewelry by pouring the nitric acid on a scratched surface on the golden piece. Upon pouring the nitric acid on the scratch, wait for a few minutes to see if the scratched surface turns color. If the surface turns green, then the jewelry is fake. That is because genuine gold is non-reactive to acid.
Gold women bracelets are highly sorted after. The high demand has resulted in the production of counterfeit golden bracelets. However, thanks to the many practical tests one can carry out to differentiate real from fake gold, you can be sure of the golden jewelry status.
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