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Imagine you’re walking away from a flea market having found a gold coin for a price seemingly too good to be true. Better yet, what if you have a nagging suspicion that last year’s anniversary necklace isn’t real? In either scenario, knowing how to tell if your gold is real can pay dividends.
Of course, there are countless reasons you may need to test for this precious metal. In fact, everyone who invests in gold should know a few basic verification methods. This is particularly the case if you buy items from anywhere other than reputable dealers.
In the following guide, we’ll delve into several tests that can tell if your gold is real. And if you’re satisfied you’ve got “the real McCoy,” we’ll offer up a few of the best ways to sell it for top dollar. Knowledge is power when investing in precious metals, and you need all the power you can get.
How to Tell if Your Gold Is Real: Visual Inspections
People trust what they can see with their eyes. With precious metals, though, not everything is what it appears. Fortunately, there are a few simple visual tests you can perform to make sure your gold is the real deal.
Check the Hallmark
Whether you’re looking at jewelry or bullion bars, genuine gold should have some form of hallmark. You may see a number followed by the letter k (e.g., 24k). This signifies the number of karats. Hallmarks may also feature the fineness of the item (e.g., 958, 999, etc.).
And if you want one of the easiest ways to tell if your gold is real, look at this link for the following marks:
- GE
- GF
- GP
- GEP
- HGP
- HEG
Each of the above links signify that an item is merely gold plated.
Skin Test
One of the simplest ways to test gold jewelry is to do what feels natural: wear it. If it causes discoloration of your skin, you’ll know whether your gold is real: it’s not. If you need to test before buying, though, a reaction may occur within minutes if you squeeze the gold in your palm.
Check the Size and Weight
You can buy gold bullion bars, collectible coins, and other items from countless dealers around the world. What’s great about each of these is their uniformity. This means every American Gold Eagle will be the same size, and every bullion bar should also have the same weight.
The trick here is to compare what you’re looking at with known dimensions. You can typically find this information online. If the item you’re looking at differs in some way, that usually means the gold isn’t real.
How to Tell if Your Gold Is Real: Science Is Cool!
A simple visual inspection can go a long way in verifying the authenticity of gold. Of course, there are a few cooler ways you can do this, too. After all, who doesn’t love a bit of science to go along with their precious metal investments?
Magnet Test
This is one of the simplest, most straightforward ways to tell if your gold is real. Place a magnet up against the metal. Does it stick to it? If so, you’ve got fake gold. Gold is not magnetic, so this is a major red flag you can test for in mere seconds.
The Float Test
This is another simple test, although it may make you look strange in public. Carrying around a glass of water will no doubt stand out. Fortunately, it will also give you a quick test to tell if your gold is real.
Gold is a dense metal, so it will quickly sink when submerged in water. Fool’s gold, on the contrary, will float in the liquid. Keep in mind that some alloy metals will also sink, so sinking doesn’t guarantee an item is real. This test is only for elimination purposes. If it floats, it’s fake.
Ceramic Tile Test
A variety of items in nature interact in interesting ways. One example is gold and ceramic. If you gently rub the metal against an unglazed piece of ceramic, it should leave a golden streak. If a black mark is visible, though, it’s a sure sign the gold is fake.
How to Tell if Your Gold Is Real: Chemical Tests
Chemical tests technically fall under the “Science is cool” category, but because of their effectiveness, they warrant an entire section devoted to them. A quick and simple way to tell if your gold is real is to place a few drops of vinegar on the piece. Discoloration means it’s fake.
You can also test an item’s authenticity with nitric acid. Simply rub the item in question against a black stone. Once it leaves a mark, add a couple drops of nitric acid. If the mark disappears, it’s fake.
For extra certainty, apply nitrohydrochloric acid afterward. It will dissolve gold, so if the mark disappears, you likely have the real deal.
Fail-Safe: Get Your Gold Appraised
All these methods are great ways to test gold. Unfortunately, they’re not always foolproof. There are various machines you can purchase to perform these tests, but the cost of owning one is prohibitive for many. Because of this, it’s best to have gold appraised by a professional.
Knowing quick tricks to tell if your gold is real helps immensely, but when you’re buying or selling precious metals, an expert opinion is invaluable. And if you’re ready to make some money now, visit the Sell Gold Online page of Silver Gold Bull.
We’ll offer a guaranteed price and test your gold when we receive it!
How to Sell Gold for the Best Price
If you’re in the market to buy gold, these tests will help you make better decisions. If you’re ready to sell, however, knowing what you’ve got often equates to a better price. When it’s time to find the right buyer, keep the following tips in mind.
Know the Spot Price
You’re unlikely to get the spot price for gold when selling to reputable dealers. That’s because they also need to make money. Knowing the spot price, though, will ensure you don’t get swindled.
If you’re selling gold online, always go with a place like Silver Gold Bull. We place the spot price of all precious metals on each of our webpages. This results in you getting a fair price — whether you’re buying or selling.
Avoid Pawnshops
Do you know the only reason you should ever take precious metals to a pawnshop? If you want them to do tests to tell if your gold is real. You can certainly ask what they’ll offer while you’re there, but the average pawnshop might offer you as little as 35% of its value. Some may even offer less.
Have It Shipped to Storage
Did you know some people buy gold and never physically hold it? Thanks to allocated gold storage firms, you can buy precious metals and have them immediately shipped to a secure vault. When you buy from Silver Gold Bull, we’ll even ship it for free.
This offers several benefits. Most importantly, you can have your gold shipped to you whenever you want. And if you’re dealing with reputable firms, you don’t need to see the metal to tell if your gold is real. Another benefit is that you can sell the precious metal out of storage for top dollar if you want to.
One of the best perks of allocated storage is that — when you’re ready to sell — buyers know your items are coming from a reputable dealer. This removes many of the headaches of trying to sell on your own.
Don’t Use eBay
It may sound tempting to use eBay to sell bullion products. This is particularly the case now that you can tell if your gold is real. You can provide an honest opinion right in the description! Unfortunately, there are a variety of issues with selling via online marketplaces.
The most overlooked aspect relates to all the fees. While it may seem like gold sells above spot on the website, you need to remember that online platforms take a fee out of this price. Not only does this mean you’ll still get below spot, but you’re risking buyer scams in the process.
So Your Gold Is Real, Now What?
Most of these tests won’t provide a definitive answer on whether your gold is real. Even those that aren’t foolproof, however, can help you eliminate fake precious metals. If a necklace is magnetic or a coin isn’t the right diameter, you can avoid any further testing and move on.
When you have genuine gold on your hands, though, it really comes down to your financial goals. If you’re looking to invest, make sure you’re getting a fair price. Even if the price seems fair, though, it’s still advisable to only work with reputable dealers.
And if you want a fair price now that you can tell if your gold is real, do the same. At Silver Gold Bull, we’ve served over 100,000 clients and have been in business for more than a decade. We’ve spent years building a reputation you can trust so you can forego all these tests.
Visit our Gold Bullion Products page today to see everything we offer!
