Is this "gold chain" fake?

I asked this question in another newsgroup, but decided to also ask here, since there is a bunch of experts who can probably give some good input.

I received a "gold chain" as a birthday present, two months ago. Since then, the chain has discolored in ways that made me suspect that it is not real gold. It is stamped "14K Italy".

For very high quality scans (including enlarged pictures) of the chain, see

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(click on the thumbnail images to enlarge).

Can this possibly be gold?

I am going to sam's club tonight and will ask their jeweler also.

I think that the person who gave me this present got screwed.

Reply to
Ignoramus27444
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Ignoramus27444 wrote in news:c7vuf5$irh$ snipped-for-privacy@pita.alt.net:

Certainly.

14 karat gold is quite susceptible to tarnishing -- it's less than 60% gold, with the other 40% usually being copper.
Reply to
Murray Peterson

Well, I have a 14k wedding ring, and id did not tarnish like that when I wore it continuously. I do not wear it now because I lost weight and the ring falls off.

In any case, I appreciate your opinion.

Reply to
Ignoramus27444

I've seen and lost wax cast 14K and 10K Yellow and Pink Gold and these pictures look much more tarnished than I would expect. Alan Black

Reply to
Alan Black

"Alan Black" wrote in news:cMLoc.7928$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr27.news.prodigy.com:

I make jewelry as well, and in my experience, it seems to depend on skin chemistry. My wife can't wear any 14k gold -- it turns even blacker than what is seen in the pictures.

Reply to
Murray Peterson

Ignoramus27444 wrote in news:c8013h$obc$ snipped-for-privacy@pita.alt.net:

And that's all it is, since the only way to be sure is to test the piece. Take it to a jeweler and have it tested.

Reply to
Murray Peterson

If you own, or have access to, an accurate digital (or anaolog) scale, then you could do a specific gravity test on the chain. This is not absolutely definitive, but is a damn good indicator. The scale should be 0.01g resolution. The more common 0.1g resolution unit will give less accurate, but still useable results.

See

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for the method.

-- Jeff R.

Reply to
A.Gent

I do not have such a scale, but I really like the method. It is simple and very clever.

Reply to
Ignoramus27444

I thought it was silver, but wrong again....

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Reply to
John Hofstad-Parkhill

I took a look at the pictures.

The 14k stamp on the tab appears to be machine done.

Now, these ends can be obtained prestamped, but are actually made of 14k. In the pictures, both the chain tip and the clasp are discolored to the same extent as the rest of the chain.

Most fakes I've seen have either a poorly stamped mark or are a cheap chain with a 14k tag and clasp.

Either this was produced by a highly organized bunch of fakers, or something else is the problem.

You haven't been wearing this in a hottub or swimming pool, have you?

Paul K. Dickman

Reply to
Paul K. Dickman

Reply to
Glenn Ashmore

Reply to
Steve Lusardi

Correct.

I did take a hot tub about twice, but at that time, no chlorine or bromide was in the tub. The tub iz ozonated though.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- char*p="char*p=%c%s%c;main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}";main(){printf(p,34,p,34);} "It's never too late to have a happy childhood."

Reply to
Ignoramus27444

Is there any way to clean chlorine tarnish?

i

Reply to
Ignoramus27444

I believe I would take it to a jeweler and have him use his ultrasonic cleaner. Besides tarnishing, chlorine reacts with gold similar to crevasse corrosion in stainless . It weakens clasps and prongs.

Reply to
Glenn Ashmore

Reply to
R. Wink

I will try getting some sulfuric acid from a car battery and se if characteristic copper sulfate appears.

i

and wore off, then the base metal is most likely

Reply to
Ignoramus27444

Ted

Reply to
Ted Edwards

wore off, then the base metal is most likely

Goldfilled is not goldplated. cf: McCreight's Complete Metalsmith book , et al.

Reply to
yoyomong

plated and wore off, then the base metal is most likely

The words "gold filled" are somewhat a misnomer, although well accepted in the jewelry industry. What would be more appropriate would be filled gold, meaning that the outer shell is made of gold alloy, which has been affixed to base metal, either one side or both, then the items fabricated. The stock is often further processed after the gold layer has been applied, including rolling to specific thickness before further fabrication.

Gold filled jewelry will usually specify its content with a fraction and the karat fineness. Old eyeglass frames were so marked (assuming they were gold frames), with a common marking of 1/10 12K GF, for example. That's telling you that 1/10 of the mass is 12K gold, or the item was fabricated with an overall pure gold content of 5%.

In gold, 24 K(arat) is pure, thus one K =4.1666% gold. Marking regulations allowed for deviations according to manufacturing procedures, so the items made were usually a half karat lower than the marking, which was perfectly legal at the time they were made.

If the chain in question is made from karat gold, not gold filled or plated, a drop of nitric acid would slightly discolor the area where the acid was applied, turning it a brown color after standing for a few moments. . If there is a greenish reaction, one that takes place very rapidly, that's a sure sign that the chain is either plated or gold filled. A chain that has been worn some time will usually have enough wear to expose the base metal, which is what the nitric will be dissolving.

Another test for the chain to determine if it is karat gold or gold filled would be to soak the chain in ammonia over night. Gold filled chains slowly dissolve away at the core, turning the cleaning solution greenish blue in the process. Karat gold will tolerate cleaning that way endlessly, so it's a good way to keep jewelry clean. One must be careful to not soak pearls or cheap jewelry, however. Only high quality karat gold jewelry should be so cleaned.

Harold

Reply to
Harold & Susan Vordos

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