Appreciate to know: how/what you use to test for gold, silver, gold-plated, etc

Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I have several pieces I want to test for gold, silver, gold-plated, etc. I have seen gold testing stones online and also acid testing kits. Any information what you recommend and any tips on testing would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

I bought a kit & have always been afraid to use it. The acid, although the bottles have not been opened, has probably lost its potency so is no good anymore.
that leaves me with a usable stone.

The stone is used to take a streak of the metal from an inconspicuous place on the item being tested. You do not apply the acid directly to the object. You apply a drop of acid to a spot on the streak & watch what happens. I'm going to let others explain how to read the result.

 

The kits come with detailed instructions, but just as good are the YouTube videos....they will walk you through how to use the kit as well!! It's kind of fun!

 

The acid kits are the simplest to get into and use. They are pretty accurate, but do buy quality acids as some ones I have bought on ebay before have been junk. The acids can burn your skin, but it really isn't that dangerous, have water on hand to wash off any splashes. I'v often got some on me and noticed a minute or two later when I start to get a burning sensation! Do be very careful not to get any in your eyes though as that is a different matter. I wear glasses so not much of an issue for me, get some safety specs if you don't wear glasses.

Silver plate and gold plate will test as silver and gold respectively, so you either need to file through the surface in an inconspicuous spot, or use your experience to tell if something is plated. Using a loupe on edges or corners is often a good way of spotting if something is plated. After a while you will get the eye for it.

 

What if the item is platinum and magnetic,would you still toss it?

 

What sort of vendors are better? I'm going to have to get over my qualms & learn to do this.

 

After I read Bronwen's post stating that she has concerns about using acid test kits, I did a google search and found several results for testing gold with vinegar or bleach. Do you think this is legit? Here is a link to one such webpage "https://www.wikihow.com/Test-Gold-with-Vinegar"

 

No, and even if there were any merit you couldn't be sure of the accuracy of the ingredients in the bleach/vinegar. Test acids are tightly controlled to ensure an accurate result - there is only a slight difference between the strengths of the 9k and 10k test acids but they work effectively so you can tell the difference.

 

Professional jewellery suppliers, usually those that supply silver and gold findings, wire etc have them in. When you get them test some known hallmarked pieces you have to ensure they are correct.

 

Vague,if the piece is nickel white or palladium white gold there would be no reaction to vinegar.

 

Think this is only good if you have a piece you strongly suspect of not being solid gold or heavy gold plate. If a metal is changed by the application of household vinegar, it is definitely not solid gold. If this were a championship series, this would be the first round: gold/not gold. But you want to know is it 10K? 14K? 18? Good acid can tell you that. You can also test silver to some degree with these kits.

Notice she doesn't say how to remove the discoloration caused by the vinegar.

"you should put a stopper in your drain so that there is no chance of losing it."

There speaks the voice of experience.

My little cheapo kit did not have any printed material beyond labels on the bottles. I only had an idea of how it all works from watching my jeweller do it.

 

Platinum alloyed with cobalt is magnetic,there is also platinum magnets.... https://stevenkretchmer.com/blogs/discover/what-is-polarium

 

Not accurate test at all
It may only tell if shiny brass or copper is not gold
Plated gold (new) won't change... And still isn't solid gold

 

And some Victorian gold-filled will test as gold even with directly applied acids unless you know what you're doing. Some things with acids are just pure experience.

 

Ok Vinegar is ruled out. Thank you for your informative posts--information which I would not have known by simply reading the Webpages about the vinegar test.

 

I am most interested in this as well--what vendors are recommended.
Ebay? Amazon? professional gemology stores?
Or could you recommend the brand of acid testers you use (I have seen Puritest) and/or the brand of the stone. Thank you for your time.

 

Two brands of acid testers I have seen on ebay & Amazon are "JSP" and "Puritest." Any thoughts on these brands or any other ones?

 

Bronwen: I watched this youtube video: "introduction to Gold Testing" by FDJtools, a jewelry supply & tool seller, however I just noticed it was uploaded in 2011: "

[QUOTE="Bronwen, post: 4253503, member: 5833" I'm going to have to get over my qualms & learn to do this.[/QUOTE]