How do I know if my item is gold, silver or platinum?
It can be difficult to know if your items contain gold, silver or platinum. But, don't worry, that is what we are here for.
We use state of the art XRF technology, identifying specific markings and hallmarks and on occasions acid testing. Preloved Gold is happy to provide you with our no-risk, no-obligation, free-appraisal at our secure facility.
All you need to do is request an Appraisal Kit today!
- We'll appraise your items
- Send you a risk free offer
- Accept it and get paid!
- Satisfaction guaranteed or we'll send your items back free of charge!
If you want to examine your items from home, here are some simple tests you can perform:
Use a magnet to test - A magnet test is another simple test you can do at home. Just grab a simple magnet and hold it near the precious metal. Considering that gold is not magnetic, if your piece of jewellery is even slightly attracted to the magnet, then you know your item does not contain solid gold, silver or platinum. Cheap metals with contents of iron and steel are mostly used in counterfeit and costume jewellery. However, the most reliable and safe test is rely on our trusted and experienced experts.
Inspect the Hallmark - Hallmark is an official mark struck on items made of precious metal mostly to certify the content—platinum, gold, silver. Hallmarks are distinguishing marks stamped on gold, silver and platinum items in order to identify the items purity. There are also hallmarks that can identify a producer’s mark, where the item was made, the year when it was made and the designer. Depending on the item, these hallmarks can be found in a variety of places; necklaces usually have a hallmark near the clasp, rings on the inside while coins mostly have a stamp on the front face. It is best that you use a magnifying glass to see the hallmark clearly.
Purity Markings - Beside purity, hallmarks can also tell you if your item is gold or silver. The rectangular shape of the stamp with shaved off corners indicates that your item is gold and if your item is silver, your stamp will be oval while for platinum items, a house shaped mark is used. Inside the shape, there is a number, which will tell you the actual precious metal content or the purity of the precious metal. However, you should know that different countries may have different hallmarking standards.
These markings correspond to different purities in gold, silver and platinum:
| Gold Purity Stamp | Purity | Silver Purity Stamp | Purity | Platinum Purity Stamp | Purity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 375 | 9 karat (37.5%) | 800 | 80% pure silver | 850 | 85% pure platinum |
| 585 | 14 karat (58.5%) | 925 | 92.5% pure silver | 900 | 90% pure platinum |
| 750 | 18 karat (75.0%) | 958 | 96.8% pure silver | 950 | 95% pure platinum |
| 916 | 22 karat (91.6%) | 999 | 99.9% pure silver | 999 | 99.9 pure platinum |
| 990 | 24 karat (99.0%) | ||||
| 999 | 24 karat (99.9%) |
Makers Mark - Sometimes, there is a Makers Mark stamped on your precious metal, also called trademark which represents the designer or manufacturing firm. This kind of mark gives you a proof that you have a piece of jewellery considered as signed.
Some common Assay Office Marks are:
Other Marks - Besides these most commonly used hallmarks, there are a lot of other hallmarks you may see stamped in your jewellery which are meant to tell you about the item's characteristics.
Ultimately, rest assure knowing that you can always send your items to us for FREE and our dedicated experts will test them for you at no cost!