Anybody have an answer to this?

[pixiecrinkle]

How might one tell if a piece of jewelry is solid gold v. gold plated? I have a ring for sale on ebay and someone asked me this question, but I've got no idea. I would guess it's solid, based on where I got it, but I'm sure that's not good enough evidence to give a potential buyer.

Comments

[king-tirian.livejournal.com]

I think that the Mr. Wizard answer would be to weigh the ring, then stick the ring in a full glass of water and measure the volume of water that spills out. Dividing the weight by the volume, you'd have the density of the ring, which you could compare to the density of pure gold.

Or you could take it to a jeweler at the mall and ask them.

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

Hmmmmm...science. I kind of like that. :-)

[masterbetty.livejournal.com]

According to my friend that works at an MRI place, gold plated items are magnetic, solid gold isn't. She said a lot of pissed off women leave there, ready to bust their significant others.

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

Only if it's plated over an iron compound. If it's brass or silver then it won't be magnetic.

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

Well, in either case, it's not magnetic, so we're still in the realm of "inconclusive."

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

I'd carefully inspect the inside of the ring for a marking such as 10K, 14K, 18K, etc. If you see a marking such as 583 or .583, thats the percentage of gold (583=14K).

Or it could also be gold filled, which is a copper or silver core with a very thick coating of gold, but I don't know how such would be marked.

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

Doh! I just went to the auction. 18Kt is quality stuff. That's 18/24 gold, which equals 75%.

I'd just tell her it's marked 18KT and you have no reason to doubt it, but caveat emptor and all that.

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

So if it's marked that, does that mean solid automatically? I'm trying to google for this and getting nowhere.

And, I think I just determined that I'm wrong and it says "14KT" Actually, it looks like "914KT." I'm off in search of a magnifying glass now.

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

24KT would be pure gold (24/24). 18KT is 18/24 gold, 14KT is 14/24 gold, and so forth. Gold is usually alloyed (melted and mixed) with copper because it's a similar color. Jewelry is seldom 24KT because pure gold is soft and easily bent or scratched, so making it an alloy is a good thing.

The previously mentioned weight and displacement to calculate the density would be a good indicator whether it's solid 18KT or 18KT gold filled, but even that may not be definitive.

BTW, Sterling silver is stamped .925 (925/1000 silver) and Fine silver is stamped .999

[pixiecrinkle.livejournal.com]

BTW, Sterling silver is stamped .925 (925/1000 silver) and Fine silver is stamped .999

See, this I knew. :-)

Hence, why I'm getting rid of this ring--I wear tons and tons of silver, but never ever wear gold, and received this as a gift. Thanks for your help!

[lightning-rose.livejournal.com]

It's a nice ring. If it was closer to my size, I'd buy it myself. $50 is a good deal.