When it comes to jewelry, not all that is yellow and glitters is gold. Professional appraisers use chemicals and fancy machines to test for gold. While the lack of chemicals, machines and expertise limits your ability to test your own jewelry, there are a number of tests you can perform at home that will give you a sense of whether your jewelry contains genuine gold, and in some cases confirm that what you have is fake.
TEST ONE: LOOK FOR GOLD STAMPS Most jewelry that contains gold is marked with a karat stamp. These stamps will say “10K”, “14K”, “18K” or “22K” and indicate the percent of gold in the piece. Look for gold stamps on the inside of bracelets and rings and the clasps of necklaces. These stamps can be very small, so you may need to get out a magnifying glass.
TEST TWO: USE A MAGNET. Gold is a non-ferromagnetic substance, meaning it does not cling to magnets. Take a magnet to your jewelry, and if your jewelry clings to the magnet, you know it does NOT contain gold. If your jewelry does not cling to the magnet, this means it could be made of gold, but it also could be made of brass which looks similar to gold and share the same non-ferromagnetic quality.
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