Identifying Scrap Precious Metals
Equipment
To get started all you really need is a magnifying glass of some kind. (We sell jewelers loupes here)
To use a loupe find a comfortable grip using your middle finger on the far side, pointer finger inside, and thumb on the near side. Brace the bend of your thumb on your cheekbone to stabilize the loupe very closely in front of your eye. Holding the item in your other hand, bring it towards the stabilized loupe until it is in focus. This method minimizes eye strain.
Process
Scan for markings indicating precious metal content. Found in various places depending on the item.
Rings: usually somewhere on the inside.
Pendants: usually on the back or the bail (the loop at the top that the chain goes through).
Chains: usually on the clasp or the end link.
Misc items: could be anywhere.
However, none of these rules are absolute, you may have to search for a while to find some oddly placed markings.
Identification
Markings to seek out:
* 10K or .417: 10 karat gold.
* 14K or .585: 14 karat gold.
* 18K or .750: 18 karat gold (fake markings are more common than real ones for 18k).
* .925, SS ,or "Sterling": Sterling silver, meaning 92.5% pure.
* .900, .950 or "PLAT": usually platinum, although can sometimes mean other metals.
Potentially misleading markings:
* 10KGE, 14KGE, 18KGE, 24KGE: GE refers to "gold electroplate" indicating the item is plated and not solid gold.
* Any fractions such as "1/20 10k": Refers to gold fill, not solid gold.
* Markings containing "GF" such as 10KGF: Refers to gold fill, not solid gold.
Gold fill is effectively a thick plating, better than an electroplate but not entirely solid. It can be scrapped but at a much lower price compared to solid gold.
* Mexico Silver: usually not solid sterling silver.
* German Silver: usually not solid sterling silver.
* Nickel Silver: does not contain any silver usually.
* Just "Silver": The absence of "sterling" or ".925" usually indicates plating or imitation silver.
* Silverplate: Refers to plated silver, plating can't realistically be scrapped.
Misc unmarked items.
For anything unmarked, such as unused raw materials, solders, hand made items with no stamp, and others you will need to use more sophisticated testing. Acid testing kits can be purchased cheaply online and will help in this regard.
This method is also helpful for marked items that need some extra verification.
To use an acid testing kit scratch the item onto the touchstone until a clear marking has been made. Make sure to scratch the item deeply enough to break through any possible plating. Drop a small amount of the acid onto the marking and see how it reacts. If the marking disappears, bubbles up, releases gases, or otherwise reacts at all then it is not gold or platinum. Avoid inhaling any gases you create doing this, they are toxic. If the marking stays then it is likely real. Some kits have specific acids for different karats of gold, if yours doesn't you can often guess the karat by the color of the marking after applying acid. If it slowly fades to an orange color it is likely a lower karat such as 10k, while if it stays bright yellow it is probably 14k or above.
For sterling silver, assuming the acid in your kit is viable for silver, it is best to clean the surface of the item and drop a small amount of acid onto the item itself. It will bubble up and react, after some time wipe away the acid carefully and look at the remaining mark. If it is a cloudy white then it is likely silver, if it is gray, black, green, or any other color then it likely isn't. This mark is difficult to remove, meaning this method is only good for items you don't care much about.
False markings:
Many items are falsely marked as karat gold, usually 18K and often 14K, to deceive people. It is a common scam where someone sells a fake ring to anyone in the street under the false narrative of needing the money for gas or some other emergency. They often have hundreds of these rings in their trunk and travel the area performing the scam many times per day.
Fake items are usually dull in color if not plated, or unusually shiny if they are plated. They usually lack the weight of real precious metal. Real 18K gold especially is surprisingly heavy. False markings are usually very large, meant to be readable to the naked eye for ease of scamming. Most falsely marked items are unusually large themselves, often a large signet style ring or a large chain to give the appearance of high value.
Before buying any suspicious item feel free to ask the seller to bring it to us or any nearby jeweler for testing. If they refuse because they "just dont have any time" or some other reason you can assume they know the item isn't real. Consider buying an acid testing kit if you buy jewelry like this regularly.
