Before you take your old jewelry to a gold buying service, you may want to verify that you do have an authentic gold piece. There’s a great deal of costume jewelry on the market, and imitation gold can look just as authentic as the real thing. Use the following guide to help you determine if your jewelry is real gold.

How to Authenticate Jewelry Before Taking Items to a Gold Buying Service

1. Use a Magnet

If you have a magnet handy, try placing it near the items you want to test. If the magnet attracts these pieces, don’t bother taking them to a gold buying service. Real gold doesn’t have high magnetic properties, so it shouldn’t be drawn to a magnet. If the jewelry does stick to the magnet, you likely have gold-plated costume jewelry that’s made out of metals, such as iron, cobalt, or nickel.

2. Look for Rust

Unlike other precious metals, gold is extremely resistant to oxidation and won’t rust. Some metals that rust easily are aluminum, brass, copper, and silver. If you find rust on jewelry you believe to be gold, it could be one of these other metals masquerading under a gold coating.

Look closely at smaller pieces of jewelry. Early signs of rust formation will appear as tiny, brown speckles on an item’s surface.

3. Check the Hallmark 

You can also use a common practice that estate jewelry purchasing agents rely on by checking the piece’s hallmark. This is an engraving that verifies the gold content of the item.

A hallmark can be found on a clasp, or on an inner area of the piece where it can remain unseen by others. The marking will consist of a number followed by the letter “K” to indicate how many karats of gold the piece contains. The number is always a fraction of 24, which is the largest number of karats possible. A ring marked 24K would be 100% gold, while one marked 12K will only be 50% gold.

If you’re looking for a trustworthy gold buying service, turn to Forsythe's Antiques & Fine Art in Russellville, OH. Their dedicated team has a reputation for integrity and has as a combined 125 years of experience between them. They will appraise your antiques and jewelry to determine each item’s value, and you can trust them to give you a fair price. To learn more about items they’re accepting, reach out online or call (513) 791-2323.