How to tell if gold jewelry is real at home
Quick answer: Real solid gold is stamped 10K, 14K, 18K, 585, or 750 and is not magnetic. Gold filled is stamped 1/20 14K GF and also non-magnetic. A magnet that sticks means steel or nickel core — not solid gold. Hallmarks are the first test; acid or an XRF gun at a jeweler is the confirmation. “18k gold plated” in a title with no gram weight is not a gold test, it is a colour name.
You cannot tell gold from brass by warmth of colour in an Instagram story. You can tell with a stamp, a magnet, a scale, and — if money is on the line — a jeweler’s acid kit or X-ray gun. Work the cheap tests first. Destroying a piece with acid is a last step, not a party trick.
Read the stamp before you read the listing
Solid gold: 10K, 14K, 18K, 24K, 417, 585, 750, 999. Gold filled: 1/20 14K GF, 12K GF, RGP, rolled gold. Vermeil: 925 plus a vermeil claim. Plated: GP, HGE, HGP, “gold plated,” or nothing. “14K Italy” on a chain is common and good; “14K” stamped only on a jump ring attached to an unmarked chain can be a trick — the ring is gold, the chain is not.
Worn stamps happen on old rings. A missing stamp on a new “solid gold” purchase from a marketplace seller is a no. Tiny earrings may lack space; the invoice should still specify karat and solid vs filled.
Learn the filled vs plate language in gold filled vs plated and the three-tier map in solid vs filled vs plated.
The magnet test and what it cannot do
Gold is not magnetic. Brass is not magnetic. Copper is not magnetic. A strong neodymium magnet that grabs the piece means ferrous metal — steel core, iron, some nickel alloys. That piece is not solid gold. If the magnet does nothing, you have not proved gold. You have only failed to prove steel.
Plated steel will fail the magnet test. Plated brass will pass it. That is why the magnet is a filter, not a certificate. Use it on “too cheap” marketplace chains and on “gold” watches.
Clasps can be steel even on gold chains. Test the chain body, not only the lobster.
Weight, density, and the hollow trick
Solid gold is dense (19.3 g/cm³ for pure, less for 14k around 13–15 depending on alloy). A 45 cm chain that claims solid 14k and weighs 1 gram is hollow or not gold. Compare grams to length and construction. Makers of honest hollow chains say “hollow.”
A jeweler can density-test a ring if it is unmarked. At home, a kitchen scale plus a water-displacement test is messy but directionally useful for a chunky ring, useless for a fine chain.
Price vs spot: if the tag is below melt for the claimed grams and karat, it is not that grams and karat. Look up melt value; jewellery retail is above melt, not below, unless it is a distressed pawn sale.
Acid, ceramic, and XRF
Acid kits (10k, 14k, 18k nitric tests) scratch the piece on a stone and drop acid. Gold of that karat resists; base metal discolours. This leaves a mark. Do not acid-test a piece you love until a jeweler agrees. Filled jewelry can pass a shallow scratch (you are testing the gold layer) and fail a deep one.
Ceramic scratch plates: real gold leaves a gold streak; pyrite and some fakes leave black. Ambiguous on thin plating.
XRF guns at pawn shops and jewelers read surface composition in seconds without a scratch. They can be fooled by thick plating if the operator does not know to interpret layers. Ask “is this solid or plated?” not only “is there gold?”
Skin colour, smell, and other folklore
Green skin is copper, often from brass showing through plating. Real 14k can still mark some people in rare cases because of copper in the alloy, so green is a clue, not a verdict. Black skin marks can be makeup and sulphur, not fake gold.
Gold has no smell. Odd smells are coatings or base metal. Bite tests are for pirates and dentists; they damage the piece and do not distinguish gold from lead.
Discolouration in water is plating failure or a costume alloy. Solid gold does not peel.
Listing red flags
Karat in the title, “plated” in the description. Stock photos only. No grams. No stamp photo. Prices that ignore spot gold. “Saudi gold,” “Italian gold,” “never fades” with no construction. “Gold filled” without 1/20 or a maker who understands the term.
If you are buying used, ask for a scale photo and a stamp photo in the same frame. If you are buying new from a brand, the product page should say solid, filled, vermeil, or plated in those words.
When gifting, buy the tier you would wear overnight. A fake gold gift is a relationship test you will fail in month four. See gifts she keeps.
Buying used gold without getting burned
Ask for a scale photo, a stamp photo, and a side photo of the clasp in daylight. Compare grams to similar chains from known makers. If the price is under melt for the claimed grams and karat, the grams or the karat are wrong, or it is hollow and unlabelled. Pawn XRF is useful; pawn offers are a separate negotiation.
Estate filigree and old rolled-gold can be honest and unmarked. Price those as decorative until a jeweler confirms. New marketplace items without stamps are not estate mysteries. They are plating.
What a jeweler will do in ten minutes
A good shop will XRF, look at construction under magnification, and weigh. Ask them to say the words solid, filled, vermeil, or plated out loud. Bring the piece off the body so lotions do not confuse a surface reading. Pay for the test if the object is expensive; it is cheaper than a wrong buy.
Do not let a seller rush you past the stamp with a story about Italian craft. Craft can be real and still be plated. The stamp and the grams remain the facts. Compare with 14k vs 18k once you know it is solid.
Questions, answered
Q: How can I tell if gold is real at home?
A: Find a karat or GF stamp, then use a strong magnet — if it sticks, it is not solid gold. Weigh the piece against the claimed grams. Confirm with a jeweler’s XRF or acid test if money is at stake.
Q: Does a magnet stick to real gold?
A: No. Real gold is not magnetic. If a neodymium magnet grabs the jewelry, there is ferrous metal in it. If it does not stick, the piece could still be brass or plated brass.
Q: What stamp is on real gold?
A: Solid: 10K, 14K, 18K, 585, 750. Gold filled: 1/20 14K GF or similar. Vermeil uses 925 plus a vermeil claim. GP/HGE means plated.
Q: Can gold plated jewelry pass a gold test?
A: A shallow acid test or XRF can read gold on the surface of plated or filled items. That does not mean the piece is solid. Ask specifically about construction and grams.
Q: Why did my gold turn my skin green?
A: Usually copper from a brass core after plating wore off. Some people react to copper in 14k rose gold as well. Green is a warning to check the metal tier, not proof by itself.
Q: Is an acid test safe?
A: It scratches the piece and uses nitric acid. Use it on scrap or on an inconspicuous spot, or let a jeweler do it. Do not acid-test a piece you cannot mark.
Q: Can pawn shops tell if gold is real?
A: Most will XRF or acid-test and weigh. They are good at spotting solid vs not because their money depends on it. They may still lowball; the test can be valid even if the offer is not.