Last updated · 2026-11-01
How to tell if gold is real
Seven checks you can do at home, from reading the stamp to the magnet and density tests, plus when to get a professional test before you sell.
Gold is trading at $3,876.40/ozt today, which makes 14K jewelry worth about $72.70/g in melt value. That is exactly why fakes and plated pieces are everywhere. No single home test proves a piece is gold; several that agree make a strong case, and a buyer will test it again anyway.
1. Read the stamp
Solid gold jewelry is usually stamped with its karat or fineness, often inside a ring band or on the clasp:
| Stamp | Means |
|---|---|
| 24K, 999 | Pure gold |
| 22K, 916 | 91.6% gold |
| 18K, 750 | 75% gold |
| 14K, 14KT, 583, 585 | 58.3–58.5% gold |
| 10K, 417 | 41.7% gold |
| 9K, 9CT, 375 | 37.5% gold (common in the UK) |
These marks say the opposite: GF, 1/20 12K GF (gold-filled), RGP (rolled gold plate), GP, GEP, HGE (plated). A piece marked 14K GF is gold-filled, not 14K gold. See gold-filled vs gold-plated for what those are worth.
A stamp is a claim, not proof: cheap counterfeits are stamped too. Treat it as the first check, not the last.
2. The magnet test
Gold is not magnetic. Hold a strong magnet (a neodymium fridge magnet works) next to the piece. If it jumps to the magnet, it has a steel or iron core, so it is not solid gold. Clasps and springs often contain steel, so test the main body, not the catch.
Passing doesn't prove much: brass, copper and many other fakes aren't magnetic either.
3. Look for wear
Plating is thin and wears through where the piece rubs: the edges of a ring band, the links of a chain, the corners of a clasp. A different color showing through, usually coppery or grey, means plating. Solid gold is the same color all the way through.
4. The weight-in-hand and density test
Gold is very dense: pure gold weighs about 19.3 grams per cubic centimeter, roughly twice as much as copper. Lower karats are lighter because more of the piece is other metals, but they still feel heavy for their size.
You can estimate density with a kitchen scale that reads to 0.1 g: weigh the piece, then weigh a cup of water, lower the piece in on a thread without touching the bottom, and note the increase. Weight ÷ increase = density. The result is rough for small pieces, but a reading near 8–9 g/cm³ points to brass, not gold.
5. The ceramic streak test
Drag the piece firmly across the unglazed underside of a ceramic tile or plate. A golden streak is a good sign; a black or grey streak suggests it isn't gold. This scratches the piece, so try it only on an inconspicuous spot, and skip it for anything you'd rather not mark.
6. Check the color against the stamp
Higher karats are a warmer, deeper yellow; 10K is paler. A bright, brassy "24K" chain that is light in the hand deserves suspicion. White and rose gold are alloys too, and white gold is often rhodium-plated, so color alone can't settle it.
7. Get it tested professionally
Before you sell anything valuable, let a jeweler, pawn shop or refiner test it. An acid test on a small file mark tells the karat; an XRF analyzer reads the alloy without harming it, though it measures the surface, so a thick plating can still mislead it. Many buyers test for free while you watch, which also lets you check their result against your own.
Melt value $727.00. Likely cash offer $508.90 – $654.30.
Signed and designer pieces can sell for well above melt as whole jewelry. Check sold listings before you scrap them.
DocketYour tally
Add items to total everything you plan to sell, silver and gold together.
Not sure what the stamp says? Use Read the mark from a photo in the calculator, or see what each hallmark means.