FIVE BASIC TIPS FOR IDENTIFYING FAKE JEWELRY
Have you ever looked at a piece of gold or silver jewelry and wondered if it was real? Maybe you find yourself wondering whether you have real diamonds in your earrings or fake ones. Well, there are some easy tests you can conduct to help you identify fake items of jewelry.
1. LOOK FOR A KARAT STAMP
A ring, bracelet, necklace or other item made of real gold has a karat stamp on it. This number refers to the fineness of the gold. A piece of jewelry that doesn’t have a karat stamp on it is not real gold. Also, if you see the letters GP stamped onto a piece of jewelry those letters mean that the piece is gold plated. In addition, look for the jewelry maker's stamp on the gold item. Companies that make fake jewelry usually don't bother with putting stamps on their items.
2. LOOK FOR DISCOLORATION OR SPOTS
Real gold is smooth and maintains its deep color. Fake gold jewelry develops black or green spots over time. It’s a good idea to check around the clasps and edges of jewelry when searching for those telltale black spots. Gold is a strong metal that endures over time.
3. GIVE IT THE COLD TEST
If you’re wondering whether a ring or other piece of jewelry is pure silver, try putting an ice cube up against it. Real silver has a high level of thermal conductivity. This means that ice will begin to melt right away when put against real silver. Avoid conducting this test in a room that is overly warm. Not surprisingly, bringing an ice cube into a room that is very warm can affect the results of your test.
4. THE BREATH OR FOG TEST
This is a traditional way of testing to see whether a diamond is real or not. Simply breathe on the surface of a diamond and watch the ‘fog’ that forms on it. Real diamonds are great conductors of heat so if the fog disappears quickly it means the jewel is real. Alternatively, if the fog stays on the diamond, it’s very likely that the diamond is fake. The same test works on sapphires, as well.
5. THE MAGNET TEST
Put a magnet up to your gold ring, bracelet or other gold jewelry. Gold is not magnetic so if the magnet adheres to it, you have a fake item of jewelry. Many of the miscellaneous metals put into fake gold jewelry are magnetic so this is a relatively accurate test. If you can, use a Neodymium magnet for this test. They are very strong magnets and can increase the accuracy of your test.
Narendra Verma
www.dalbirsonsjewellers.com