35. How To Tell Real from Fake Gold Filled Acid Scratch Test - Free Permanent Jewelry Training
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- Опубліковано 20 жов 2022
- It is impossible to tell, just by looking at it with the naked eye, if a chain is gold filled or it is gold plated. You can tell after wearing it for a while (a few weeks to a few months later), when gold plating tarnishes or the plating has started to wear off, whereas gold filled performs the same as solid gold under normal wear and tear. However, there is a faster way to test - a gold acid test.
Where solid gold can be detected using a gold testing machine, the machine is not useful in distinguishing gold filled from gold plated. The gold acid scratch test allows you to test the surface gold and its karat content.There are different tests for different karat: 10k, 12k, 14k, 18k and 22k. Most of the test kits come with a scratching stone, which is abrasive.
By rubbing the chain or component against the stone, the surface layer of the test component will leave markings on the stone. Gold filled has a thick sheet of gold around a core of brass, whereas gold plating has only a thin layer of gold over a base metal. For gold filled, a thick amount of gold should be on the stone, whereas for the plated, only a trace amount of gold will be left on the stone, with much more of the base metal being transfered.
After the sample has been transferred onto the stone, squeeze droplets of the acid onto the scratch sample. The acid is corrosive and anything that is not gold will simply disappear. For the component to be gold filled, the gold trace should still be there. If there is little or no trace (vast majority having disappeared), then it can be safely concluded that there was insufficient gold - either because of under-karating, or that it was plated and there was insufficient gold on the surface to be gold filled.
What is Gold FilledGold:
Filled is an American metal manufacturing process and legal standard of quality . Gold filled is two sheets of solid karat gold (most popular being 14kt gold) bonded over (or for wire, rolled in tube) a core of brass. For a piece of jewelry to be legally stamped with the telltale ‘GF’ marking, its weight must be at least 1/20th gold. This explains the typical stamp you would expect to see on gold filled articles: “1/20 14K GF”, which means that 5 percent of the piece is 14 karat gold. Due to the surface layer of gold-filled jewelry being about 100 times thicker than any plating, gold-filled pieces tend to last much longer, and are considered ‘lifetime jewelry’.
Gold plated jewellery is made using a thin layer of gold to surround base metals or sterling silver. The fine layer of gold is set using the method of chemical or electrochemical plating. It is the cheapest of the three forms of gold jewellery (solid karat gold, gold filled and gold plated), and is the quickest to tarnish.
Gold filled is not to be mistaken for gold plated, which is far less expensive than gold filled. A number of resellers in the industry have confused the market place by using those terms interchangeably. Many countries outside of North America use gold filled to mean gold plating. However, this causes problems when North Americans and Europeans purchase from suppliers listing their gold plated items as gold filled, then resell it as gold filled relying on their supplier's product description.
Gold plated brass or copper chains and connectors should NEVER be used on permanent jewelry. They simply do not last and designers and permanent jewelry artists will risk tarnishing their brand (pun intended)
Full disclosureThe short video of the testing was filmed independently by the customer, without our prior knowledge.
About us: Stones And Findings is a wholesaler of premium jewellery components. We supply many stores that weld permanent bracelets. Our chains and components are high quality and well made (all 925 silver chains are made in Italy and gold filled chains are American). You can shop our extensive collection online at wholesale prices by first creating an account (you do not need a business license). You will get instant access to prices and shopping cart at the bottom of this page:stonesandfindings.com/my-acco...
Note on Micro Welder I have used in this video:
Orion Micro Welder mPulse 30 is made by Sunstone Engineering, in the USA. Stones And Findings is a premier licensed distributor for Orion Micro Welders.
You can purchase it here 👉 bit.ly/orion-micro-welder-sf
FREE SHIPPING in USA and Canada ✈️
🌎 If you are located elsewhere, you can email me and I'll find the licensed reseller in your country. - Навчання та стиль
She was letting the drops touch each other which contaminates them and makes the results invalid. It looks like she knew already which ones were real and they were separated so it doesn't really matter but for someone watching do not let the drops touch each other if you are testing different pieces.
This is good to know - thank you for sharing this. I have bought the same test kit and will try it out - perhaps I shall post.
Thank you for this video! This is exactly what I needed! 👍🏻
Glad it was helpful! Thank you for watching and letting me know.
That's was more important good to know. Thanks for sharing!!! ❤
You are so welcome! THank you for watching and this note.
So, I just 'happened' upon your video and want to thank you for sharing this information. I just started jewelry making a few months ago and still have a lot to learn but I can tell you that it is important to me, just as a hobbyist, to invest in quality products, even though I do not plan on selling anything I make (will be giving as gifts to my loved ones). I would be embarrassed if I gave a bracelet as a Christmas gift, only to find out later that it tarnished that person's wrist after a couple of months, so regardless, I think it matters to not only Wholesalers and/or Retailers, but as well to individuals, small business or hobbyists. I can tell you that after watching this, you can count on me purchasing a test kit. It's such a shame, really, that during a time where companies/corporations are making record profits (according to recent statistics) and claiming that their price increases are due to inflation, shipping delays, rising labor & material costs etc, that not have prices increased but so too has the amount of false or misleading representations, counterfeit, poor quality etc. Yes, I feel like we're in an era of fake products and I'm sure we've all realized over the past couple of years is sadly, greed too is also at an all-time high. Anyway, apologies for rambling on but please know I have respect for you sharing this information. Unless consumers start doing their due diligence, this market of greed will continue. So in closing, remember this... caveat emptor. Take care, dear.
Please do not apologize for any "rambling" - your comment provides a fantastic read and so on topic with what has been going on! I share your thoughts and I feel really strongly about this - it affects everyone, not just those selling their pieces.
Thank you for this note. Happy designing :)
@@stonesandfindings
Hello
Please what is réactions of acid on gold filled
Thank you
thank you for the video. it was so informative!
Thank you for watching - that was actually made by a customer, but I have since purchased a testing kit and will do a demo video.
I do 10 percent plating on silver but I want to know how can we do in copper or brass
I believe plating silver is a similar process to plating copper and brass
Where i buy real gold filled a good prices please
You want to find reputable wholesalers like us, Stones and Findings. We lab test all of our supplies and are highly trusted. We guarantee our metallurgy. We are the largest wholesaler of gold filled chains in Canada and 3rd largest in North America.
To see wholesale prices, you will need to register an account.
stonesandfindings.com/my-account/
It will not ask you for your retail license because we ship all over the world and different countries have different requirements for tax.
If you are in the USA, we cover all duties, taxes and clearance. Our turnaround time is extremely fast and perhaps best in the industry. We are better than most US local suppliers both in terms of price and service.
I hope this helps. We look forward to doing business with you.
How long should gold fill last in chain form?
For the person without brass allergy, it is a lifetime product for normal wear and tear. For anyone with a brass allergy (actually, it is more of a chemical reaction) it turns the metal darker.
Here is more information on gold filled that I have written and posted. Feel free to share this with your customers if you are selling gold filled jewellery: stonesandfindings.com/free-resources-page-pj-jewelry-making-information/gold-filled-product-knowledge-information/
This might help you,
Hello mam can you tell how to we make 10 percent plating jewellery
Hi - I don't know how to make 10% plating. Maybe I am misunderstanding.
I HAVE 14k acid this Will work with 18 k Gold filled beads?
it would work to show that they are at least 14k. It will not indicate whether they are 18k. The scratch marks should stay undissolved, if it is actually 14k or higher.
Thanks
Please i WRote You on Instagram please please answer me about products
Hi! I have been away giving talks at the PJX conference. I will look at social media soon, when I get settled. Thanks for watching.