« Can girls play baseball in high school on a boys team?
BMW M5. whats the E represent ? »

How do I make sure my bracelet is gold?

fredy b asked:

I just bought a gold bracelet from my neighbor and I want to make sure it’s gold. What’s a good household way of doing that?

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 30th, 2008 at 10:52 pm and is filed under Gold. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

12 Responses to “How do I make sure my bracelet is gold?”

  1. u bite it if hard real gold

  2. If its gold it should be marked 14k somewhere on the inside.

  3. just slightly bang it against the tabel and if it bends a little its not gold.

  4. Rubbing alcohol will remove paint off fake gold and will destroy any ‘fools’ gold. Use a cloth and rub gently on the surface, if it comes off, Then you have a fake.
    Also, in pirate movies, the reason they bite doubloons is because gold is malleable (flexible) bite the gold it should leave a mark.

  5. Well wear it for a while and if your wrist turns green were the bracelet is then its probably fake or…. i do this fub it really hard and smell it to see if it smells like iron or another metal >_>” well it works for anyway hope this helps

  6. There is no accurate way of testing for gold at home. Your best bet would be to go to a jeweler and have them test it for a small fee.

  7. look in the inside and it should say either 12kt or 14t if it says china then its def fake lol

  8. It it is real gold, it should have a stamp saying how many caret.

  9. smell it it shouldn’t smell like any thing

  10. I am the manager of a jewelry store, have been working there almost 18 years, so I know what I am talking about. First, look at it carefully, do you see a stamp that says either 10kt, 14kt, 18kt, etc? Do you see the letter p after those listed above? If you see 10kp or 10ktp, that means 10 karat plumb, as in 10karat plumb gold. If you see pl, it may mean it is plated gold, if you see 10ktgf, that is gold-filled. Also, look for a makers stamp, such as a symbol or initials.

    Look all over your bracelet, pay careful attention to the clasp. Is the color starting to fade? Is it a different color than the rest of the chain? If it is, chances are it is not real. Lastly, if you have another gold chain to compare, you can feel the difference. Genuine gold has a distinct feel. It is not necessarily heavier, but it is more supple than costume.

    Lastly, to be sure, take it to a reputable jeweler, there ways to test your jewelry for authenticity. Do not put it in any cleaner until you know what you are dealing with.

    Hope this helps!

  11. If it is real gold it should be stamped somewhere, normally on a bracelet this is on the catch or the last link before the catch. The stamp will either read a number and then kt or ct for carat or a 3 digit number representing the carat (or purity) common carat codes are;
    24 carat (999)
    22 carat (916)
    20 carat (833)
    18 carat (750)
    15 carat (625)
    14 carat (585)
    10 carat (417)
    9 carat (375)

    If you are in US it wil probably be 14 ct or 585 if you are in Britain/ Europe (or NZ or Oz) its will be either 18ct (750) or 9ct (375) and if you are in Asia it will probably be 22ct (916) or 24ct (999). If it is stamped 925 it is sterling silver (and in your case gold plated).

    The higher the carat the softer the gold so the answers saying to bit or squash the gold to test only works if it is high enough carat. E.g. 9ct gold is more “brittle” due to 67.5% of it being other metals than gold. Sterling silver is very soft and bends out of shape more than low carat gold.

    No stamp you can assume it is not gold or if its a significant piece and you really want to know take it to a manufacturing jeweller and they will test it for you…

  12. First, look for scratches or attempt to scratch it ( inside one of the links is a good place ) to ensure it is not simply gold plated

    Secondly, look for a stamp - these are the most common (gold is usually mixed with other metals to improve usuabiltiy - ‘pure’ gold, 24 carat is actually quite soft) I’d expect your bracelet to be 9 carat.
    375 (9 carat, 37.% gold) least expensive, bar gold plate
    750 (18 carat, 75% gold)
    999 (24 carat, 99.9% gold) most expensive, bar platinium

    Often, even if an item is cited as above 9 carat, the clasps (and on pendants, the ‘bail’ which you slip the chain through) are still made of 9 carat - otherwise they would simply wear away with everyday use).

    It’s a good idea to take it to a jeweler for a valuation. You probably should have asked for a certificate of valuation before you bought it, but then he/she is your nieghbour.

    Good luck.

Leave a Reply