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How can you recognize fake gold?
Unfortunately, not all that glitters is gold. Even a golden color is no indication of the valuable precious metal. Nevertheless, countless people fall for scammers every day who have supposed bargains to offer. In this context, the so-called highway gold is particularly worth mentioning. Decades ago, criminals were already on the lookout for obviously well-off people in parking lots along the highway in order to offer them supposed gold jewelry at a low price. An imaginative, tear-jerking story about a stolen wallet dramatically underpins the argument. Unsuspecting people with a social conscience only realize much later that, unfortunately, it is not gold jewelry but a cheap imitation. So how can you protect yourself from buying fake gold?
Always buy gold jewelry only in trusted specialty stores!
Valuable goods should generally not be bought on the street, but should be taken to a certified specialist dealer. Gold is no exception. That is why, unfortunately, the dealer at the bazaar at the vacation resort falls through the cracks, even if he has the Gold chain ladies* still knows how to advertise so friendly and charming.
Jewelry and other things made of precious metals can be obtained at the flea market with good luck. But this only works if the seller has the advertised Gold creoles* does not recognize itself as such. This may well happen, but it is an absolute exception. Trustworthy contacts for gold jewelry are jewelers, goldsmiths and certified online dealers. But here, too, the following always applies: What sounds suspiciously cheap should be questioned more closely. Because no dealer can afford to sell his jewelry below the value of the gold.
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What method can a layman use to check gold for authenticity?
The Biting on a gold coinThe way it is often shown in wild west movies is not a suitable solution in reality. This is because gold is a very soft metal. For this reason, however, jewelry is not made from pure gold, but always from alloys. These are much harder and make the bite test a pointless endeavor. And even if a piece might be pure gold: Who would want to leave bite marks on their jewelry?
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If you know the sound of gold, you can distinguish it quite well from those of other metals. This is because gold produces a rather singing sound, while other metals sound rather dull. However, it must be remembered that the form of design also affects the sound. This is another reason why laymen are on very thin ice when it comes to sound testing.
The weight test is not helpful when buying jewelry, but for gold coins it can be a good tool. For example, the gold Krugerrand 1 oz has a diameter of exactly 32.6 mm with a thickness of 2.75 mm and a weight of exactly 33.93g. If one is not sure whether to follow the Dealer can trustIf you want to check the accuracy, you should always carry your own measuring tools with you.
How can experts determine the purity of gold?
Experts can already tell from the shine of a coin or a piece of jewelry whether they are dealing with real gold or rather with another metal. But this visual inspection only concerns the surface, which can consist of a wafer-thin layer of metal. for the reason mentioned, the acid test is also only suitable for checking authenticity to a very limited extent. It is true that gold can be dissolved with the so-called aqua regia, a mixture as hydrochloric and nitric acid. But for understandable reasons this acid is used only in the smallest dose and then touches only the surface.
If an object is to be completely examined for its purity, conductivity analysis and / or ultrasonic testing are used. The former tests how well the metal conducts electricity. In the case of gold, the electrical conductivity is so excellent that the metal is used in certain technical areas for plugs and cables. Ultrasonic testing, on the other hand, involves sending a sound wave through the object and measuring the transit time. If it is real gold, this must have a very specific value.
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