Gold jewelry should be stamped with a hallmark noting the karat weight like 10K or 14K, usually on the clasp, inner band, or back of pieces. Karat weights indicate the purity of gold, with 22K meaning 22/24 parts gold. Nitric acid and white vinegar tests can identify real gold, which will remain unaffected by the acids while fake gold will change color or turn green. Taking suspicious gold to a reputable jeweler allows testing with equipment that verifies if a piece is real gold.

1. How to Identify Real Gold
Goldis foundinabundance inour country,butwhat isalsofoundinabundance isfake gold.Before
makinga purchase whichalsohappenstobe an investmenttowardsbuildingasecuredfuture,itis
imperative toevaluateif you are buyingthe rightgoldor not.
Nearlyall real goldisstampedwitha hallmarkthatnotesthe karat weightof the jewelry,like10Kor
14K. Thisstampis usuallyfoundonthe claspof a necklace or bracelet,oron the innerbandof a ring.
Since the purityof American-made goldjewelryismeasuredinkarats,there will be astamponthese
pieceswithanumberfollowedbythe letter"K".The numbersimplyindicates,inpartsper24, how
much of the metal is actuallygold.Forexample,amarkof "22K" meansthat itis 22 karat goldand
that 22/24 of the metal isgold.By the same token,24K wouldbe 100% pure gold
It iseasyto identifyreal goldfromthe fake.Genuine goldwill standuptoyour attemptto conducta
nitricacid testat home.Make a tinymark onthe piece of goldtopenetrate the surface.Dropa small
amountof liquidnitricacidonthatscratch andwait fora chemical reaction.Fake goldwill
immediatelyturngreenwhereasreal goldwillremainunaffected.
You can alsotry the white vinegar test.Place the goldringintothe cupof white vinegar.Letthe gold
ringsit inthe cup of white vinegarforapproximately15 minutes.Take outthe ringand rinse with
water,real goldwill shine aswhite vinegarisalsousedasa cleanser,andon the otherhand,fake
goldwill change colorsasa reactiontoacid.
If you are notin easyaccessto any of these,justheadtoa reputable jewelrydealer.A dealerhasthe
type of testingkitthat can be usedto tell if somethingisreal goldorfake.