Gold fingerprinting uses laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) to analyze the trace element composition of gold and generate unique profiles for different sources. LA-ICP-MS involves using a pulsed laser beam to ablate a gold sample, then analyzing the created aerosols in an inductively coupled plasma and mass spectrometer to identify the sample's constituents and measure concentrations. These fingerprints are stored in a gold bullion databank to determine the provenance of unknown gold samples.