How can you tell if jewelry is real gold?
Written by Jewelry on April 2, 2010I inherited my grandmother’s jewelry. Some of it is very obviously costume jewelry but other pieces look like they may be gold. How can you know (without going to a jeweler) if something is gold, gold filled, gold plated etc? Is "gold filled" valuable?
Related Jewelry
6 Comments to “How can you tell if jewelry is real gold?”
Leave a Comment
E-mail Subscription
Sign up to receive site updates!
12:28 am on April 2nd, 2010
look from karat rating on the jewelry, or go to a gold buyer and ask him/her it takes them about 1/4 or a nanosecond to find out if it is real.
12:28 am on April 2nd, 2010
A lot of time it will say 12k, 18k, or some other karot value near the part you clip together.
12:28 am on April 2nd, 2010
If it turns your finger green its not gold.
12:28 am on April 2nd, 2010
If its a ring, look inside of it, there should be an 18k or 10k or something like that. If its a Necklace, look at the tab at the clasp it will say 18k or whatever. also it should be heavier than a regular necklace or ring. I take my postal scale and weigh it in comparison to a similar piece.
12:28 am on April 2nd, 2010
If its gold there will be some stampings on it in a hidden spot (inside a ring or on the reverse of a pendant)
if you sweat in them the fakes will turn your skin green, whereas the real gold pieces wont.
ask your friends what they think or take a quick trip to pawn broker or somewhere that buys gold to melt back down to make something new, and they can assess your jewellery.
hope this helps
12:28 am on April 2nd, 2010
real gold has, by law, to be stamped. usually 18, 22 or 24, though i have a ring from Russia which is 17 carat. necklaces and bracelets its usually stamped on the clasp. always ask the jeweller to make sure its not just the clasp which is gold