How to Determine If a Piece of Jewelry Is Real
So you inherited some jewelry from a relative or got a potential deal on a few pieces at a flea market or estate sale. How do you know if it’s costume jewelry or the real thing? Yes, you can take it to a jeweler, appraiser or pawn shop, or try a few home methods that will help you determine if you have something valuable on your hands.
After working in a jewelry store for several years, I learned a few tricks of the trade from certified gemologists and jewelers with years of experience. To ensure that these are still considered best practices, I also spoke with several other professional jewelers who also shared some additional tips on how to figure out whether a piece is made of sterling silver or gold and whether the diamonds and other gemstones are genuine. Here are some ways to differentiate a costume from “real” jewelry.
How to determine whether a piece of jewelry is real gold or silver
There are a few things to look for that will help you determine if you have costume jewelry, something gold or silver plated, or something solid gold or silver. Here’s where to start:
Look for stamp markings
In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that all gold, silver and platinum jewelry be labeled according to its purity. This rule dates back to the passage of the National Gold and Silver Marking Act in 1906, so technically any jewelry made in the US since then must be marked. If the product was manufactured outside the United States or manufactured before 1906, it may not bear the same markings.
“Essentially, you’re looking for small stamped letters and/or numbers somewhere on an inconspicuous piece of jewelry,” says Jonathan Goldberg, founder and CEO of jewelry manufacturer Kimberfire . Places like:
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Rings : On the inside of the bracelet.
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Necklaces and bracelets : With a clasp or small connecting rings.
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Earrings : On posts or stands.
The marking will most likely be a carat, or precious metal number, based on the thousandth fineness system, which measures the purity of gold, silver and platinum alloys in parts per thousand of the pure metal. So, for example, a piece of jewelry consisting of 75% gold would have a purity of 750. Here are the most common markings, courtesy of Meserlian:
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10K : 10K yellow gold
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14K, 583 or 585 : 14K yellow or white gold
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18K or 750K yellow or white gold
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Yellow gold 24 carat or 999 : 24 carat
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GF : gold filled (i.e. gold plated rather than solid gold).
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GFP : Rolled gold plate (i.e. gold plated rather than solid gold).
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925 : Sterling silver.
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PT or 950: Platinum
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Ti : Titan
“These markings are small, so you may have to use a magnifying glass to see them,” says Barkev Mezerlian, CEO of jewelry manufacturer Barkev’s and a 46-year veteran of the jewelry industry.
But Matt Harris , who runs a pearl design business, a jewelry delivery business in Austin called Curated Fine Jewelry and trained at the Gemological Institute of America and specializes in stamping, cautions against relying entirely on the stamp. “If someone were to create ‘fake’ gold or silver, they would likely add a mark to deceive the buyer,” he says. For this reason, it is recommended that you perform additional tests like the ones below.
Use a magnet
Hold the magnet close to the metal of the jewelry. “Gold and silver in their pure form are not magnetic,” says Mezerlian. “If the piece is attracted to a magnet, then it is probably gold-plated [or silver-plated]” and has a magnetic backing.
Platinum jewelry is a little trickier because it is rarely made from 100% pure platinum and is usually mixed with similar metals (palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, osmium) or base metals (copper or cobalt), according to the FTC . So if an item you suspect is platinum turns out to be magnetic, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s fake.
Explore color
If you have a silver-colored piece but aren’t sure whether it’s actually silver or white gold, platinum or titanium, Meserlian recommends taking a closer look at the color:
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Silver : warmer color.
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White Gold : Slight yellowish tint.
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Platinum : the whitest and brightest.
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Titan : darker and more muted.
Look for tarnish
Tarnish can also be useful in identifying or distinguishing between types of metal. Here’s what Meserlian and Goldberg recommend looking for:
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Pure Silver : Will slowly self-oxidize over the years, forming a layer of black tarnish that will wear off.
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Silver Plated Parts : Metal backing may show streaks or uneven spots when cleaned.
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Pure gold (yellow or white) : does not tarnish.
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Gold-plated parts : May discolor over time, especially where they rub against the skin.
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Platinum : Resistant to tarnishing.
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Titanium : tarnish resistant.
Wear
Check the part for signs of wear. “Typically, the use of the wrong metal in plated jewelry becomes apparent once the outer portion of the plating is scratched or worn off,” says Mezerlian. Meanwhile, costume jewelry tends to scratch easily, and harder metals like gold and platinum are more resistant to surface wear, Goldberg says.
Feel the weight
According to Mezerlian, items made from pure gold or silver are heavier than plated items, which tend to be lighter due to the void and base metal core. In terms of weight, platinum is the densest of these metals, while aluminum is relatively light. According to him, silver and white gold fall in the middle, although white gold is usually a little heavier due to its composition.
Ceramic gold test
Another way to test for real gold is to lightly scratch it on an unglazed ceramic tile. According to Meserlian, real gold leaves a golden streak, but a gold-plated product leaves a dark mark.
How to tell if pearls, diamonds and gemstones are real
Now that you’ve checked the metal, it’s time to check whether the pearls, diamonds and/or gemstones on the jewelry are real.
Checking teeth for pearls
The quickest way to tell if a pearl is real is to gently rub it on the bottom of your tooth. If the pearl feels like sandpaper, Harris says it’s likely real.
What if you don’t want to put pearls in someone’s mouth? “Rubbing two of them against each other gives a similar sensation,” he says.
Pearl size and weight
If you come across a very light or very large pearl, Harris will tell you that it is not real.
Pearl brand
Check to see if your pearls have a brand imprint on them. “Many well-known costume jewelry brands have never used precious metals or gemstones, so just looking at the brand’s seal will be a clue,” says Harris.
Fog test for diamonds
Breathe on the stone. “A real diamond won’t stay foggy for long because it dissipates heat quickly,” says Goldberg. Cubic zirconia, on the other hand, fogs up and takes some time to clean.
Look at the shine
To tell the difference between a diamond, moissanite and cubic zirconia, Ty Wilson, co-founder of CustomMade , an online jeweler specializing in custom engagement rings, suggests looking at the stone in the sun or bright light and assessing the level of sparkle.
Moissanite will produce rainbow-like sparkles, while cubic zirconia will appear dull in comparison to a diamond. Cubic zirconia is also not as scratch-resistant as diamond, so it will wear out more over time, he says.
Natural and lab-grown diamonds
“Although natural and lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical, there is a way to tell them apart,” says Wilson. Take a magnifying glass and find the laser inscription on a narrow strip around the perimeter of the stone (that is, the belt ). “They’re very small, so you have to look closely; only a few certified diamonds have them,” he says. “You can see the appraisal report by the caption.” Most lab-grown diamonds have inscriptions that begin with LG, while most natural diamonds have inscriptions that begin with all numbers.
Look for air bubbles in colored gemstones.
Without professional equipment, it is difficult to determine the authenticity of rubies, emeralds and sapphires. But the only thing you can do is look for obvious air bubbles inside the stone, which Goldberg says could indicate it’s synthetic.
Costume jewelry can also be beautiful and valuable.
Costume jewelry may not be made from real precious metals or gemstones, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. If you inherited jewelry, there’s a good chance that at least some of it is costume jewelry, which Harris says was plentiful in the mid-20th century. “There are millions of these pieces out there, many of them incredibly beautiful and beautifully crafted,” he says.
There is nothing wrong with wearing “faux” jewelry. In fact, Harris said Chanel became famous for creating elaborate designs using imitation pearls. “The problem is that when people try to sell you a fake as the real thing, and as a responsible consumer, knowing how to tell the difference is a very useful skill to acquire.”