{"id":27302,"date":"2022-11-30T09:00:27","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T14:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=27302"},"modified":"2023-07-01T09:16:41","modified_gmt":"2023-07-01T13:16:41","slug":"how-to-spot-fake-gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/how-to-spot-fake-gold\/","title":{"rendered":"HOW TO SPOT FAKE GOLD"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How<\/div>\n

Real or fake?<\/h2>\n

\nSure fake gold (usually yellow gold<\/strong>) may look like the real thing at first glance. But if you take a minute and gaze closer, you can normally tell pretty easily<\/strong> if it’s genuine or not.<\/p>\n

\nFollowing are some quick tips and tricks<\/strong> to telling the real stuff from fake.<\/p>\n

1) Gold Price:<\/h2>\n

\nPrice is always a great indicator<\/strong>. If someone is trying to sell you a gold chain, and it’s really, really cheap<\/strong>; it’s not real. Gold is expensive <\/strong>and holds its weight in, well, gold.<\/p>\n

\nIf a rope chain that would normally cost you $1,500<\/strong> is selling for $49<\/strong>… It’s fake!<\/p>\n

\nNo one is going to sell it cheaper than what it’s worth. Even selling the item at scrap metal value<\/strong> would bring you more greenbacks. So look at the item, then look at the price. Is it justifiable? Price is a dead giveaway<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2) Gold Size:<\/h2>\n

\nLet your eyes be the judge<\/strong>. Is the piece massive in size? Like a huge gold 30mm chain as seen in the music videos? If it’s that big and thick, chances are it’s not the real deal<\/strong>. Huge chains (many filled with cz’s all the way down) would be worth a fortune<\/strong> if real. So 9 times out of 10, they are not<\/strong>. They are hollow, gold plated, worth just a fraction of the price.<\/p>\n

3) Gold Weight:<\/h2>\n

\nHow does it feel?<\/strong> How heavy is the peice? Gold has a nice weight to it<\/strong>. A balanced consistency. So take the item in question in the palm of your hand<\/strong> and bounce it. Feel the weight. Does it feel light and airy (like a balloon), or does it fall with substance? Also, listen to the sound it makes<\/strong>. Usually fake chains sound more like tin. They clink together when they fall. Give it a bounce test. Does it float like a feather?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nNow… It is important to note that an item could be hollow<\/strong> and could be real<\/strong> at the same time. Many manufacturers produce hollow (also called semi-hollow<\/strong>) chains that are real gold, but just a 1\/4 of the weight. This is to reduce cost<\/strong>, of course (think gold hoop earrings<\/strong>). They are hollow inside, but still real. So weight isn’t always a positive, but it’s a good start<\/strong>. Hollowed items don’t wear very well. They usually dent easily, crush, or break<\/strong>. They aren’t very durable, and I wouldn’t advise them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4) Gold Color:<\/h2>\n

\nThe color of gold can be a good clue too. Is the item incredibly yellow?<\/strong> Gold plated pieces generally are over-yellow<\/strong>. Really bright. The plating is normally not even or smooth<\/strong> either. It’s bubbled up (like spray paint), missing in sections (leaving some parts yellow, some parts white<\/strong>). So always look closely around the links and inside the crevices for more detail.<\/p>\n

\nGrab yourself a 10x jeweler’s loupe<\/a> and scope the entire piece<\/strong>. Do you see tarnishing? Discoloration?<\/strong> Layers chipping or peeling<\/strong> off? Gold plated items are a shell that covers the outside surface. This shell wears off, rubs away, chips or pits. Look for uneven sections<\/strong>. White or black base metal beneath (sometimes leaving green or black stains<\/strong> on your neck or clothing). These are a big signal that the item is fake.<\/p>\n

5) Gold Stamp:<\/h2>\n

\nLook for a karat stamp;<\/strong> 10k (also written as 417), 14k (585)<\/strong>, 18k (750), 24k (999). If it’s stamped, it could be real. Fake items are generally not stamped <\/strong>at all, or they’ll say things like 925, GP (gold plated), or GF (gold filled).<\/p>\n

\nBut, here’s the thing, the karat stamp isn’t always accurate<\/strong>. For many times the chain could be fake, but the jump ring or the clasp is real (very misleading<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\nMeaning, if you go by just the stamp on the clasp (lobster, spring ring<\/strong>), you could get yourself ripped off<\/strong>. It’s important to actually test the chain or bracelet itself. That way there is no question as to the authenticity of the piece.<\/p>\n

Compare the items:<\/h2>\n

\nIf you really want to know if an item is fake or not, compare it with the real thing<\/strong>. Go to a jewelry store and find something similar. Check out the quality, the coloring<\/strong>, the price tag. It will tell you what a real item would look like, feel like, and sell for<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nAnd lastly…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Test the Gold:<\/h2>\n

\nPick up a gold acid tester kit<\/a> and test the pieces with acid. It will tell you instantly if the article is real gold or fake<\/strong>. Sometimes you’ll have to scrape away a little area to test it properly, other times you’ll have to file away a section or chunk of the gold just to see what’s hidden inside; a layer, or whether it’s solid<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nGet your acid testing kits here.<\/a><\/p>\n

\nThose tester kits are exactly what jewelers would use<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nSo as you can see, there are many aids; the visual appearance<\/strong>, the hue, the smoothness or waviness <\/strong>of the gold, the weight, the thickness<\/strong>, the price, the stamps… they are a sure-fire way<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

See some examples below:<\/h2>\n

\n\"Real<\/p>\n

And if you still don’t know…<\/h2>\n

\nHead into a local jewelry store<\/strong>. They can usually tell you within seconds.<\/p>\n

\nCheers! :)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Real or fake? Sure fake gold (usually yellow gold) may look like the real thing at first glance. But if you take a minute and gaze closer, you can normally tell pretty easily if it’s [Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":27303,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[724,722,725,723,118],"class_list":["post-27302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metals","tag-10k-gold","tag-14k-gold","tag-18k-gold","tag-fake-gold","tag-gold"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27302"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27302"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27302\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27302"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27302"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27302"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}