How Do You Test Gold To See If Its Real?
This article give a few tips on how to separate plated gold and costume jewelry from the real thing. Always look for the stamp. With a magnifying glass, try to locate the 14k, 10k, etc. stamp on the gold item (usually located near the clasp of a necklace or on the inside of a ring). If it has a stamp, make sure that it is not something like 14k EP, which stands for 14k electroplated (not solid gold). If the item does not have a stamp, try the magnetic test. If the piece responds to a strong magnet, then it is not solid gold. Another method, if you don’t mind scratching the item, is to try to scrape off any plating. If some gold flakes off, the piece is plated. Finally, there is the acid test. The acid to use for a basic test is hydrochloric acid (wear protective gloves!). You will need to scrape a small groove into the item in order to get past any possible plating (if you simply drop the acid onto the surface and it is plated with real gold, the plating will test positive). Drop acid
