How to Spot Fake Gold Rings

Gold is one of the most popular and desirable metals. Gold jewelry is readily available in various colors and karats to fit every budget. The demand for gold jewelry has opened the gates for counterfeiters who claim to sell gold, when in fact it may only be gold plated. Its illegal in the United States to sell gold as gold, if it is less than 10 karats. There are a few tell-tale signs that you can look for to make sure all that glitters is gold.

Instructions

1

Place a magnet next to your ring. If the ring is attracted to the magnet, then its a fake. Gold doesnt have magnetic properties.

2

Press a pin against your ring. If it breaks or bends, the ring is fake. The purest form of gold is 24 karat, which is extremely soft and malleable. Gold used in jewelry is an alloy of gold with copper and zinc, silver or nickel.

3

Perform the nitric acid test. Take a small file and make a little scratch in a spot that wont be visible, as the inside of the ring. Wear rubber gloves and apply a small amount of nitric acid onto the scratched surface with a wooden or plastic stick and observe the reaction on the scratches surface.

If you observe a whitish reaction, then your ring is gold plated with a base layer of silver. If you observe a green reaction, then your ring is gold plated with metal base. If there is no reaction at all, then your ring is gold.

You can take your ring to a reputable gold jeweler and ask them to perform the test.

4

Take your ring to a quality-assurance lab where you can have gold x-rayed for authenticity. The cost is approximately $20.