| Gold
VISUAL TESTS:
Note
the color of the piece of jewelry you're checking. Is the
color the same throughout? If it isn't, perhaps gold plating
has worn off of brass, or maybe the jewelry is part gold and
part another yellow metal.
For
example, the front and back of a necklace may be 18Kider which
gold and the metal in between may be another cheaper metal
or a lower purity of gold such as 10K. Yet the whole necklace
may be stamped 18K. There are cases where jewelry is designed
to be multicolored, but this is usually obvious.
Are
there black or silver blotches on the piece of jewelry? If
there are, it could be gold about this. plated. It could also
be dirty or accidentally spotted with rhodium (see Chapter
Ten for a discussion of rhodium.) Try filing some yellow metal
from an inconspicuous area. If the metal )and more is black
or silver underneath, the piece is probably gold plated.
Do
not file the damage or mar the beauty of the piece of jewelry
in question. is alloyed Is the gold purity or karat age marked
on the piece? These marks are an indication but not proof
of the gold content. Their absence doesn't mean the piece
is not gold. The may have just forgotten to stamp the gold
purity.
How
heavy does it feel? When you're visually inspecting the ring,
bounce it up in your hand and see if it feels a lot heavier
or lighter than other items of gold you may have. If it does,
it may either be a very low karat age of gold or an entirely
different metal.
This
yellow color
The
thickness
percentage
of copper
If
you prefer to buy
Accidentally spotted
Apply
a drop of aqua
Determined
by calculating
Becoming increasingly popular
white
gold prongs
|
