Inherited, bought at a jeweller, found at a flea market — or, for the luckiest, on the street: however gold reaches you, certainty is the hard part. Here are the home checks that actually help.
Stamps
Look inside the piece for karat markings. Useful — but don’t flatter yourself yet: scammers stamp copper and iron freely. Buy only from trusted places; a suspiciously low price is its own warning.
The magnet test
Gold doesn’t react to a magnet. If your piece jumps to it, be sure to be upset — it isn’t gold. If it doesn’t react, hold the celebration: copper is non-magnetic too.
The vinegar test
A few drops on the metal: if the colour changes, it’s not gold; if it holds, the odds improve. Like every kitchen test — a clue, not a verdict.
The reliable finish: home tests sort the hopeless from the promising. For the real answer — karat, weight, value — professional testing takes minutes and costs nothing here.
Ran the home tests and still curious? Bring it in — we’ll settle it in front of you, free.
