Testing Gold

The various methods of testing gold allow the expert to determine the accurate value of an item. If you are selling jewellery for cash it helps to have a basic understanding of this process.
For the expert buying gold for cash, the Acid test has entered the english language as the ultimate proof. For the gold jewellery buyer the principle is simple. Acid will start to dissolve base metal into a vivid froth but will not dissolve gold.
Acid testers come in sets of bottles. Each bottle contains a different mixture of acid and each mixture contains a chemical indicator that tells you the standard (purity) of the gold. They are designed to measure the purity of the gold to within 10% and with practice results to within 5% are attainable.
When assessing the value of scrap gold items it must be remembered that only unhallmarked jewellery needs to be tested. Prior to testing all items must be filed with a steel file and acid applied to the filed area. If a customer forbids you to file then you cannot test it. However there will always be a discreet place to file the jewellery that is not noticeable.
Gold is not magnetic so all jewellery should be skimmed with a strong magnet and discarded if magnetic. Gold is also very soft and high carat is slightly softer than low carat. Some experienced jewellers will file an item very gently as they understand that steel is so hard that any file seems to bounce off it. Other jewellers may heat jewellery to observe the colour when cooled. Fine gold will not lose their lustre, lower carat gold will become dark, with 9carat turning almost black – they can of course be returned to their original shine by polishing.

Article by Nigel Martin pounds4gold by scrap gold