Is your gold jewelry real? Find out ways to authenticate it
In India, whenever it comes to investment or gifting someone on a special occasion like a wedding or a festival, then gold turns the most attention. Talking about occasions like marriage or anniversary, a husband often thinks of surprising his darling wife with a gift of gold jewelry or any other thing made of gold. And it is true, that women love wearings made of gold.
Counterfeiting of gold jewelry
The value of gold is volatile, it can fluctuate anytime. This makes it a precious metal and also a soft target for counterfeiting. If we go back to its history, then you will come to know about the misuse of this precious metal by jewelers in fooling their customers via counterfeiting. In India, it is common, because it has the largest gold users in the world.
How to spot the difference between real gold and counterfeit one?
Now there must be a query in your mind as to how to spot the difference between real gold and counterfeit gold. According to international standards, gold is considered a fake, if it is lesser than 10 karats. Well, it is not easy to spot the difference at the first sight, and this becomes easy for vendors to cheat customers by selling them counterfeit products. Hence, it is very important to examine the authenticity of your gold jewelry or wearable item made with gold. This will not only save your time but also your precious money.
Easy ways to spot the authenticity of gold
Magnetic examination
If you want to test the purity of your gold, then it can be possibly done via testing through a magnet. To find whether your gold is authentic or not, make it come closer to the magnet. If your gold is drawn towards it, then it is counterfeit gold. Because pure gold never gets attracted to magnets. This proves its purity. You can easily examine the gold as magnets can be found easily. Another major identification of pure gold is that it does not rust, which is not in the case of counterfeit gold.
Certified with Hallmark sign
There is another method to check the authenticity of your gold item. Which is it must be certified with a Hallmark sign. To certify gold jewelry and coins made with gold, the government of India founded a body under the Department of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, and the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. It is the Bureau of Indian Standards or BIS.
The label of Hallmark is placed behind the gold. The BIS certificate indicates gold of standard, according to the seller. Gold is considered pure and fine when it is certified by BIS. The body ensures that this precious item adheres to international and national purity.
Testing the heaviness and density of gold in the water
Coming on to the next option in checking the authenticity of gold is checking its density and heaviness. Gold is a hard and thick metal. So to check its purity, dip your gold jewelry in a bucket of water, and see whether it sinks or swims. If the gold is authentic, then it will surely sink.
So guys, be very careful of counterfeit gold and buy only from a reliable jewelry shop. This will save you from getting cheated with fake gold. And note that whenever you choose to buy gold from a small shop, then you are risking your money as jewelers tend to dupe their customers with fake gold.
Nitric acid
This might seem scary but it is also one of the simple ways to check the authenticity of gold. So you can opt for this option also but with extra care. All you have to do is to scratch the surface of the jewelry very gently. Add a minimum quantity of nitric acid by using a dropper. Please do not forget to wear gloves and a mask, as you are going to examine in a well-ventilated room. Now comes the main thing which is testing the purity of your gold. Note that if the surface turns green, then it is a sign of pure gold.
Experimenting with a kitchen item
If you don’t feel convenient experimenting with the authenticity of your gold with nitric acid, then no issue, you can try it out with a kitchen item. And it is vinegar. Yes, you heard it right. You must have been using it for culinary purposes, but now you can use it for testing your gold. Put some drops of vinegar into your gold item. If you notice a change in the color of the metal, then it is counterfeit gold. Real gold will not change its color.
Final words
If your relative’s wedding is nearby, and you are looking for a special gift of gold jewelry with precious stones, then hold on! You might be at risk of counterfeit gold. So do request a jeweler to check the purity of gold before doing the payment. While purchasing gold, most jewelry stores claim to have a buyback policy and promise you a hundred percent of the worth of gold.
Well, we suggest that better opt for that gold jewelry shop from where you have purchased it. Karat and Fineness are two big factors that define the purity of gold. Blokchi is a blockchain-Enabled, and NFT tagging solution that helps in preventing counterfeiting via an end-to-end Track and Trace system.