Pure gold is technically waterproof since you can get it wet and not be affected. But over time, it will start to lose its shine.
As we've mentioned before, real gold is water- and tarnish-resistant. Thanks to its chemical structure, contact with liquids will not result in a change or loss of color. Showering with a gold chain or showering with a gold necklace, therefore, is perfectly fine.
Gold and Water
If it's a rainy day, many people stash away their gold jewelry to make sure they don't ruin their pieces. But the bottom line is that water itself does not ruin a piece of gold. It's usually okay for gold pieces to be exposed to water.
Drop your gold piece into the filled container. Gold will sink quickly, while floating or moving very slowly means you likely have fake gold on your hands. This is also true if the item floats. Tarnishing and rust after being in water is also a sign of fake gold.
Fill a cup or bowl with water and carefully drop your gold piece into it. If the gold is real, it will sink to the bottom of the cup. If it's fake, it will float to the top or hover in the middle of the cup.
Chlorine can damage and discolor metals (like gold and platinum) and can slowly erode the finish and polish of gemstones. Before playing in the sand (or gardening.) Dirt and small rocks are abrasive. If not cleaned right away, your jewelry can be permanently damaged.
Allow each individual jewelry piece to sit in the water for around 15 to 30 minutes. As your jewelry soaks, the warm soapy water will work its way into the crevices and grooves, loosening hard-to-reach dirt buildup.
Will 18k gold tarnish in water? While the gold itself won't tarnish in water, the non-metals or alloy in it will. You can wear your 18k gold in the shower, but it's not advisable. Water won't damage the jewellery, but it may reduce the shine.
Since gold and silver are the least reactive metals, they do not react with water.
Because of gold jewelry's high chance of tarnish*, there are a couple specific substances to avoid: Soap – Steer clear of any soap with unknown ingredients. Basic blue Dawn dish soap is fine, but remove your gold jewelry before showering to avoid accumulating a film from other body washes.
Additionally, the high gold content makes 18k gold more susceptible to tarnishing when exposed to moisture and other elements. To minimize the risk of tarnishing and other forms of damage, it is recommended to remove 18k gold jewelry before showering and to avoid exposing it to water as much as possible.
Waterproof: Yes. Do not need to take off before shower or swimming. Care tips: It will not oxidize or discolor. But since gold is a very soft metal that scratches easily, give it a wipe with a jewelry cloth once and awhile to keep it fresh.
While quick exposure to water will not ruin your jewelry, however, if you leave gold in water for too long, it will eventually start to turn a greenish-black color. This happens because alloyed gold is a reactive metal that reacts with water and oxygen to form gold oxide.
10K gold is the least pure, least expensive, yet most durable, form of gold used widely in jewelry today. With its 41.7% gold purity, it's the most impure gold available on the market that can still legally be called “gold” in the US and most other countries.
One of the most likely reasons why gold turns black is all due to metallic abrasion, or low-quality plating as well as corrosion.
Gold does not react with most chemicals but is attacked by chlorine, fluorine, aqua regia and cyanide and dissolves in mercury. In particular, gold is insoluble in nitric acid, which will dissolve most other metals.
Harsh chemicals like chlorine, acids, sulfur, and salt can damage or discolor gold,1 particularly items less than 24 karats. Chlorine can weaken your gold jewelry's structure and eventually lead to its breaking. Avoid exposing gold jewelry to hair sprays, make-up, medicated lotions, and creams.
Gold is one of the least reactive elements on the Periodic Table. It doesn't react with oxygen, so it never rusts or corrodes. Gold is unaffected by air, water, alkalis and all acids except aqua regia (a mixture of hydrochloric acid and nitric acid) which can dissolve gold.
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.
Jewelers often use nitric acid to test their gold. Basically, gold won't react to nitric acid, but all other metals will turn greenish.
10K gold through to 24K gold all have their advantages. 24K is more valuable, and better as a store of value or investment, while 10K gold is more durable and better for practical use. 14K and 18K gold are in the middle, and generally best for jewelry.