Metal that lasts
How to Tell If Gold Jewelry Is Real
Stamps, magnets, ceramic scratches, and the tests that actually belong to a jeweler. A 14k mark is a claim, not a proof.
Updated 8 Aug 2026 · 8 min read · how to tell if gold jewelry is real
Read the stamp before you read the listing
Look inside the band or on the clasp with a phone macro. 10k, 14k, 18k, 585, 750, 999. Gold-filled should read GF, 12/20, or 14/20. GP, GEP, HGE, and “18k gold plated” are plate. “Italian gold” and “Dubai gold” without a number are not hallmarks.
Fake stamps exist. They are often too deep, too centered, or placed on a soldered jump ring that would have been destroyed by real stamping. A stamp on a $29 “14k” tennis bracelet bought from a marketplace stall is a prop.
Home tests and what they cannot prove
A magnet that sticks is not gold (or is gold with a steel clasp). A magnet that does not stick could still be brass, copper, or tungsten. The ceramic unglazed-back streak test: gold leaves a gold streak; pyrite and many fakes leave black or gray.
Nitric acid kits work, and they also scar the piece. Use them on a jump ring, not on the face of a signet. Better: a local jeweler will XRF-scan a piece in a minute, often free if you are a customer. That is the same seriousness you want when someone is selling you “genuine leather” as a quality claim.
| Test | If it passes | If it fails |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp 14k / 585 / GF | Claim is present | Do not pay solid-gold money |
| Magnet | Inconclusive | Not gold (or mixed with steel) |
| Ceramic streak | Likely gold or brass-gold lookalike | Not gold |
| Skin turns green in a day | Could still be low-karat or filled | Plate over copper is likely |
| XRF or acid | You can price it | Walk away |
Price as a bullshit detector
Look up the live gram price of 14k and weigh the piece. If the ask is under melt, it is hollow, plated, or stolen. If the ask is 8× melt for a simple chain, you are paying for a brand. Neither extreme is “a steal.”
Filled, plated, vermeil — real gold, different amounts
Gold-filled is real gold in a legally defined quantity. Vermeil is real gold over sterling. Plate is real gold in a quantity too small to matter. All three can pass a superficial “is there any gold” test. The useful question is how much gold, and how is it attached.
Questions, answered
- Does the bite test work?
- No. You can dent gold with your teeth. You can also dent lead and dent your enamel. Use a jeweler.
- Can gold-filled pass an acid test?
- On the surface, yes, because the surface is gold. A deep file-and-acid test will hit the core. Do not file a piece you intend to wear.
- Why did my “14k” ring turn my finger green?
- Either the stamp is fake or the ring is plated. Read why jewelry turns skin green and get an XRF scan before you buy a matching band.
