Vinegar Test Once you have some vinegar, clean your piece of jewelry with a rag or cloth to remove any dirt so you don't get faulty results. Then, place your jewelry into a bowl and add a few drops of your vinegar into the bowl. Real gold will not change color, but fake gold will turn either black or green.
Tips For Using Gold To Test The Authenticity Of Gold
Apply the drops of vinegar to a discreet part of the piece of jewelry like the back of it. This will not ruin the appearance of the piece of jewelry if it is fake.
If your gold piece turns black or green when the vinegar is on it, or if it starts to smoke or fizzle at all when the vinegar touches it, it is most likely not real gold. If your gold piece does not change colors and does not fizzle or react to the vinegar in any way, it is probably real.
The important thing to remember is to dry the objects very carefully. Finally, we suggest both for silver and gold plated items, not to use abrasive substances such as lemon, vinegar, salt, parmesan, cola, because they tend to corrode the surfaces.
Real gold will not change color, but vinegar can cause fake gold items to react and change color.
STEP TWO: ALLOW THE JEWELRY TO SIT IN THE VINEGAR SOLUTION
Don't worry if you get distracted by something else. Your gold jewelry won't get damaged if you leave it in the small bowl with the white vinegar cleaning solution for longer than 20 minutes.
It's important to remember not to use anything acidic like vinegar or baking soda. Because this type of jewelry is so fragile, using something harsh or with a lot of acid could ruin it rather than make it look like new again.
To remove the plating with a chemical solution, you only need some acetone, found in most drug stores or hardware stores. Soak your jewelry in the acetone for 15 minutes and then rinse it under warm water. The gold should come away easily!
Vinegar Test
Once you have some vinegar, clean your piece of jewelry with a rag or cloth to remove any dirt so you don't get faulty results. Then, place your jewelry into a bowl and add a few drops of your vinegar into the bowl. Real gold will not change color, but fake gold will turn either black or green.
You can test whether or not the piece of gold floats to determine if its real. Real gold is dense and will sink, but many pieces of fake gold will float.
Scratch test.
If you cut deep enough that you expose underlying metal, you can assume that it is plated. If it appears to be made of a uniform composition throughout, then it is probably solid gold.
One of the simplest tests that can be conducted to determine if your gold is real is to drop it in a bowl of water. Gold is a heavy metal, so if the object has a high purity level, it should sink to the bottom with ease. If it floats, it's probably fake.
Toothpaste and an old toothbrush or Q-tip.
Squeeze a small amount of toothpaste on to your tarnished piece of jewelry and smudge it with your finger. Once the jewelry has a thin coating, brush clean — working into the crevices — with the toothbrush.
Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water in a bowl. Soak your jewelry in this solution for 15 to 20 minutes. Clean the soaked jewelry thoroughly with an old toothbrush. Rinse it with cool water and pat dry with a clean cloth.
Our fashion jewellery ranges are made of alloy and then plated for colour. We advise you not to wear your fashion jewellery in water, when using cleaning products, lotions or perfumes. These chemicals can cause tarnishing. We also offer polishing cloths in store and online.
Distilled White Vinegar
Submerge your jewelry in 2 cups of vinegar in a saucepan. Heat the vinegar to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Let the jewelry rest in the vinegar overnight, then clean off tarnish with a soft-bristle toothbrush. Rinse with room temperature water and buff with a soft cloth.
Cleaning your gold and gemstone jewelry couldn't be easier with white vinegar. Simply drop the jewelry into a jar of vinegar and let sit for 10 to15 minutes, agitating occasionally. Remove and scrub with a soft-bristled toothbrush, if necessary.
You can also fill a cup or glass with white vinegar, and drop your gold in it, let it soak for 5-8 minutes, take it out and rinse with water. If the metal has changed its color even slightly, then the gold is not pure but if it keeps shining, then the gold is pure.