If you have the time and resources, take your jewelry down to a reputable jeweler for an acid test or an X-ray fluorescence test. However, this test involves marring your jewelry, whether it’s a custom pendant or a gold chain for men. If you want to quickly assess whether jewelry is pure gold, you can scratch it, as unadulterated pieces will dent more rapidly than the base metals used in gold plating. The more gold your jewelry has in it, the softer the metal will be. When it is applied to the jewelry, you should notice fizzing, and any color change indicates how much gold is in it or how many karats it has. Gold is the only metal that can be dissolved by nitric acid. This is the most reliable way to test if your gold is pure or plated, but it may take a professional to interpret the results successfully. Finally, a marking that reads RGP refers to a rolled gold plate and indicates that your jewelry is gold plated. HGE or HGP refers to the manufacturing process - heavy gold electroplating or heavy gold plating. If you find markings that read GP or GEP, those stand for gold plated or gold electroplated. The tiny letters stamped into your gold jewelry may indicate the process by which it’s made and how much gold it contains. You can look for markings on the gold, employ the acid test, or use the scratch method. There are a few ways you can put your gold jewelry to the test to make sure you have the real deal. Source: Chanon Wittayanupong/ How to Test Gold Jewelry The pressure and heat required to bond gold to metal creates a more valuable and durable piece of jewelry than just gold plating. Unlike gold plated jewelry, gold filled has a substantial layer of gold bonded to its base metal. Somewhere in between gold-plated and pure gold falls gold filled jewelry. Shop Our Selection of Gold Chains Gold Filled But this layer can be rubbed off with wear and time, showing the other metal peeking through it. The negatively charged base metal attracts and bonds with the positively charged gold molecules, creating a thin layer of gold over the metal. Gold plated jewelry usually consists of a base metal, typically nickel, copper, zinc, or brass, that’s negatively charged by transmitting electrical current through water and metal salt. It has 100x less gold than gold-filled jewelry, making it considerably weaker, less valuable, and less beautiful. In gold plated jewelry, gold only makes up about. Gold will never tarnish or fade but will always remain bright yellow and retain its value over time. This means that some of the best solid gold jewelry is between 10k-18k. Yellow gold is commonly mixed with copper and silver to retain its luster while increasing its durability. But 24k gold is generally considered too soft to wear, so the gold must be mixed with other metals, a process known as alloying, to make it stronger. Gold’s purity is measured in karats, and 24k gold is the highest purity used to make jewelry. Most of the time, even when you’re talking about pure gold, you’re referring to a gold alloy because 100% pure gold is too soft for jewelry making. To buy high-quality gold jewelry, you need to know how to identify the different types of gold. gold plated jewelry and the benefits and weaknesses of each. To ensure that you are making a worthwhile investment, you need to understand how your jewelry is made and whether it is pure gold or gold plated. Purchasing quality gold jewelry should be done with care and consideration. South Georgia & South Sandwich Islands (USD $)
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