3 Ways To Tell If Your Gold Jewellery is Real

Gold is a gorgeous precious metal, much loved by jewellery wearers for centuries – but it isn’t always straightforward knowing if your jewellery is made up of real gold, or a cheaper counterpart. At Thuhlo, we pride ourselves on using beautiful, real gold, to give you the highest quality pieces, but you’re not guaranteed to find the same standards elsewhere, or in pieces that you don’t know the origin of. Luckily, there are some straightforward ways you can find out, and we’ve found the three best and easiest ways you can tell if your gold jewellery is real… or if it’s potentially a fake. 

A magnet can tell you if your gold is fake

The magnet test is an easy way to test your jewellery at home, and it works for two reasons. If you place a magnet near gold, you should have no reaction, which will tell you that you’re more likely to have real gold. The other reason is that it can highlight the common materials used in place of real gold (often then gold-plated), which are magnetic, such as iron. Although it wont tell you absolutely, you’ll know if it’s magnetic, it’s definitely not real gold. 

Test your Gold with Water

Gold is an incredibly dense metal, which means that if you were to drop it into a jug of water, it would sink immediately to the bottom. If your jewellery is fake gold, it may sink slowly, or even float. This is perhaps the most common test to complete, as it can be done at home by anyone. If you have similar jewellery that you know the authenticity of, you may even wish to drop the two side by side, so that you can compare your questioned piece with a real one, to figure out any anomalies that could lead you to suspect your gold. 

Wear your gold to check if it’s authentic

If you find your gold is leaving marks on your skin when you wear it, that’s cause to question whether your gold is real or not. If you find any discolouration in the gold, or you notice any colours on your fingers where you’ve been wearing rings, or marks within your ear piercing from wearing the gold – most commonly green, though this can vary by the type of metal being used – there’s a good chance there’s something questionable about your gold jewellery. You should not get any discolouration on your skin from real gold.

Is your gold real?

There are plenty more ways to find out about your gold jewellery’s authenticity – but it’s worth noting that at-home tests can be unreliable, and hallmarks, though sometimes helpful, can be convincingly added to non-gold pieces just as easily, or worn off legitimate pieces over time. So how do you protect yourself from this?

Buy from reputable shops

Where you get your gold from will give you an idea of whether it’s real – well known, reputable shops, especially with good standing, that can answer questions about where their gold is sourced from, increasing your likelihood of getting the item you paid for.

Here at Thulhlo, we make sure that we use only the best gold and are proud to provide you with genuine gold pieces for the ultimate luxury feel. 

Have your gold tested

If you have any doubts after the checks we’ve already listed, or just want a definitive yes or no, you can always have your gold tested by professionals, Though it’ll cost a fee to do so, you’ll know if your gold is real without question. There are a number of ways they may test the piece – from X-ray, to density tests, and beyond – but if you’re in need ot peace of mind, these can be a way to get it.