Top 4 Ways To Test Gold at Home

How can you test gold at home? Learn the most effective methods for testing gold purity from the comfort of your own home. Most of these methods can be done with common everyday household items. Follow these steps to ensure you're getting the most from your gold investments.

Gold has possibly since the dawn of man's existence been the premier symbol for wealth and luxury. It's super important to know the purity of your gold items not matter if you are a collector, investor, or just getting started collecting gold coins or items as a hobby. These are the top 5 ways to test gold items from home.

Magnet Test

Possibly the easiest way to test gold for purity is to test with an everyday magnet. Gold plated and gold that contains high concentrations of other metals will interact and stick to a magnet. If the magnet and gold stick together, the item in question does not contain a high enough concentration of gold to make it very valuable.

Inspect for Hallmarks

Gold hallmarks are tiny professionally stamped numbers often followed by the letter k. Example 14k, 18k, 24k. While fake gold items from online scammers may occasionally have fake gold clasps, this is still a fairly reliable way to quickly filter out fake items. Combine this method with the magnet test to greatly raise your odds of safely purchasing gold.

Ceramic Plate Test

This is another common test that can be done with an unglazed ceramic plate. If you don't happen to have anything ceramic lying around the house you will need to skip this section, or simply memorize the test for use at a later time.

To perform the test gently rub the gold item on the ceramic enough to leave a streak. If the streak is gold or yellow in color then the item is most likely gold in nature. If the color is anything but gold or yellow, say maybe black or grey blue then the item in question is either not gold, or contains a very low percentage of gold or gold plating.

Acid Test

This test requires something you most likely won't have lying around the house, but we've included it anyway. If you regularly test gold you are going to want to purchase a gold test kit for the most accurate results. The acid test will include a testing stone, and acids specific to certain karats.

Step 1. Rub the gold on the testing stone to leave a streak.
Step 2. Apply a drop of acid from test to streak.
Step 3. If the acid eats away and dissolves the strength the gold in question is weaker than the specific acid try a lower strength acid.

Note

Home gold purity tests help assess item values assisting the buyer/seller's decisions. Remember to always consult a professional appraiser before making a purchase.