You may have inherited jewelry from a loved one and aren’t sure if the pieces are worth anything. Or maybe you noticed a few forgotten pieces near the back of your jewelry box and can’t remember if they’re actually gold. Whatever the case, there are several ways you can determine if your jewelry is made from gold.

1. Check for hallmarks. Grab a magnifying glass and look for a small engraving of numbers and/or letters. On rings, there’s usually a hallmark stamp inside the ring that indicates the metal and its purity. These stamps are also commonly found on the clasps of necklaces and bracelets, as well as earring backs. They’re usually in a less-noticeable area of the jewelry piece, so you may have to search for a couple minutes until you find the hallmark stamp. Here are some common hallmark stamps you may see on jewelry:
   • 10K or 417 = 10 karat gold
   • 14K or 583 = 14 karat gold
   • 18K or 750 = 18 karat gold
   • 950 = platinum
   • 925 =  sterling silver
   • GF = gold filled (at least 5% gold)
   • GP = gold plated (contains only a very thin layer of gold)
2. Wear your jewelry and see if it reacts with your skin. Typically, gold jewelry will not turn your skin a different color.
3. Try the float test. Gold is dense, so if you put your gold jewelry it in a class of water, it should sink to the bottom. Fake gold jewelry may float if made with lighter metals.
4. Rub your gold jewelry against a piece of ceramic. Scratch your gold against an unglazed ceramic plate or tile and observe the color of the streak left behind. If you see a yellow streak, that’s a good indicator that your jewelry is real gold. If you see a dark streak, you likely have fake gold.
5. Add a drop of vinegar to your gold. Pure gold is nonreactive to vinegar, so when you add a drop of vinegar to your gold jewelry, it shouldn’t change in any way if it’s real. Fake gold jewelry will change color or fizz when interacting with vinegar.
6. Use a magnet. Gold is not magnetic, so if your jewelry sticks to a magnet, that’s a sign that your piece is likely not pure gold.

It’s important to note that none of these tests are 100% accurate. You may have a real gold piece that doesn’t have a hallmark, creates a slight skin reaction (especially if you just applied makeup or changed medications), reacts to vinegar, and sticks to a magnet. That’s because most jewelry is not made with 100% pure gold. The other metals added to the gold alloy can interfere with these tests and give you a false diagnosis. The best way to check if you have real or fake gold (and also not damage your jewelry piece doing one of these tests) is to bring it to a jeweler and have them test it for you.