If it is unreadable, you could choose to have the gold tested by a reputable dealer. There’s also the possibility that some of the gold is actually just gold-plated, which a dealer would determine with certainty by performing a chemical test. Take note that much of the gold jewelry manufactured before 1980 is slightly below its marked karat value. For example, jewelry marked 18K would actually be between 17K and 17. 5K. In 1980, the laws regarding the marking and purity of gold jewelry were changed.
Supplies for this test can be purchased from online or physical jewelry suppliers for a small price, and are available separately or as a set. A kit will come with 10K, 14K, 18K and 22K bottles of testing acid, which will normally be nitric acid. It will also come with a test stone, also known as a streak stone or touch stone, that will be made from many different materials, including novaculite or other types of flint material. Kits can also be purchased with an accompanying scale. For suspected 14K jewelry, rub the item on the stone and place a drop of 14K acid onto the mark it leaves. If your item is indeed 14K gold, it will stand up to the acid and not change. If it is 10K, the 14K acid will turn it brown. If it completely disappears, it isn’t even gold. If it is an unmarked item, go up to the 22K acid incrementally until it turns brown, and when it does, consider it to be the next lowest karat. For example, if the 18K acid has no effect, but the 22K acid turns it brown, then consider your item to be 18K. If the 14K acid has no effect, but the 18k acid turns it brown, consider it to be 14k, and so on for other karat fineness tests.
For all suspected jewelry, Slowly write a ¼ inch line and go over the same line 4 times without removing the pen tip from the test metal. Immediately write a line on any white paper. If it is under 10k, the line will be light brown and turn green within seconds If it is 10k, the line will be light brown. If it is 14k, the line will be dark brown. If it is 18k, the line will be orange. If it is 22k, the line will be yellow. If it is 24K, the line will be red. If there is no line at all, it is not gold.
If you have experience auctioning items online, you may be able to sell the coin online, but you may need a certificate of authenticity to persuade buyers to pay top dollar. It also makes sense to have a secure payment system in place to make customers feel safe with their transaction. The benefit of an auction (provided you’re aware of the coin’s real value) is that it may go well beyond your asking price if several collectors are bidding for the coin. Read How to determine the value of bullion gold coins for more details on assessing their value.
Purchase a jeweler’s scale. Such a scale is available online for less than $50. This is the best way to accurately weigh your gold, as jeweler’s scales are built to be more precise than a typical gram scale you might have in your home. Use a food scale if you cannot purchase a jeweler’s scale. If you have a food scale in your home, you can use it to weigh your gold. Most inexpensive food scales weigh only by the ounce, so make sure you evaluate the functionality of the scale if you are purchasing one specifically to weigh your scrap gold. If you are unable or unwilling to purchase your own scale, take your scrap gold to a jeweler for weighing.
Usually, you won’t have a full ounce of gold for any particular karat, and if you do, it will only be for a single karat fineness, so having all your calculations in the same weight measurement makes things much easier later in the process.
It is best to use the Internet for updates, which you can even do while standing at the gold buyer’s counter by using your cell phone’s Internet access capabilities.
10k = 10/24 = . 4167 14k = 14/24 = . 5833 18k = 18/24 = . 750 22k = 22/24 = . 9167
Assaying is a process wherein a sample of the gold is taken from the whole to be processed and assessed for purity. The sample is melted, separated, and weighed to reach a conclusion about its purity. [7] X Research source
If you have 5 grams of 14K scrap and gold is USD$1,600. 00 today, then USD$1,600 divided by 31. 1 would equal USD$51. 45. That figure, multiplied by . 5833 (14K) comes out to USD$30. 01 per gram. USD$30. 01 multiplied by 5 grams equals USD$150. 05. If you have 15. 3 grams of 10K gold scrap, USD$1,600 divided by 31. 1 equals USD$51. 45, and that amount multiplied by . 4167 (10K) equals USD$21. 44 per gram. USD$21. 44 multiplied by 15. 3 grams equals USD$328. 02. Most people use grams for these calculations but some gold buyers use pennyweight (DWT) instead of grams. There are 20 pennyweights in a troy ounce. You can substitute 20 for 31. 1 to calculate pennyweight in our formula. You can also multiply a pennyweight by 1. 555 to get an equivalent gram weight or divide a gram weight by the same 1. 555 to get pennyweight. [8] X Research source
