My jaunt into learning about gem cutting the other day led
me to another question I had been wondering about for a while- how does one
tell the difference between real jewelry and costume jewelry. Whether the gold
is actually pure or just plated, whether the gems are real or manmade, that
kind of stuff.
Well I found two methods of telling if something is real gold
that appealed to me. One is looking to see if the purity of the gold is printed
on the piece of jewelry. 10K, or ten karats, is the lowest quality of gold. Anything
less is considered fake. It seems like an arbitrary cut off to me, but I guess
anything less means that it’s just gold plated and no longer an alloy. But I
like this method. Simple, legitimate, and I’m so gullible that I’ll believe it
even if it’s a fake stamp. Hey, if I think it’s gold, I don’t care what anyone
else says!
The other method I like is SCIENCE, using either nitric
acid, or a mix of nitric and hydrochloric acid to test your gold. If you scrape
the jewelry across an unglazed ceramic plate it should leave a little smear of
the base metal behind. Just drip the acid on the smear, and if it disappears the
gold has been dissolved by the acid. Imagine doing this in a lab coat with some
goggles and large gloves. Not only will you feel like a mad scientist… well you’ll
actually need that kind of protection dealing with strong acid like that. Other
methods involve magnets, eating your jewelry, and math, so I liked them less
than two tests I mentioned.
I was surprised to find out that diamonds have paperwork. Much
like the stamped gold, you can go to a gem appraiser (seriously, they need a cooler
name than that!) and get your diamond certified as real. For some reason I
think of pedigree dog owners showing off their forms at dog shows. Then I think
about tiny diamonds on leashes, and I’m writing this late at night ok, don’t
judge me.
Unlike gold, they have a fascinating amount of cool tricks
to see if a diamond is real (without using spit). It doesn’t show up on x-rays,
and it fluoresces blue under a black light. If the diamond is loose, put it
table side down on a piece of paper with words or a picture on it. You can’t
see through a real diamond, and a man made one will show distorted letters or
smudges of ink. When you breathe on a real diamond, condensation doesn’t form
because it disperses heat too quickly (ok, only a little spit involved).
Finally, because science makes everything easier, you can shell out for a gauge
that will instantly tell you if a diamond is real or not.
When I was younger, I certainly did love the shiny baubles I
got when I went to flea markets and antique stores. It didn’t bother me any
that the two dollar necklace I got was nickel and rhinestone rather than gold
and gems. And you know what? After all the browsing I did, I found it still
really doesn’t matter to me. The only possible scenario where I would be upset
if someone gave me a fake ring and told me it was a real gold and diamond. Even
then I would just wonder why they felt the need to lie rather than just give me
a pretty gift.
And really, if
someone does give me a diamond as a present? They have seriously misjudged me.
That could have been a filet Mignon dinner, a night at the theater, or a couple
of new Wii games and movies! I think this stuff is useful to know in case I
ever do want to find some nice things at an antique store. But honestly, wearing
glass and having a good time is much more my style.
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