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All The Equipment You Need to Carry Out Gold Testing

As a watchmaker, jeweller or anyone involved in the trade, the need to verify the quality of the gold that comes into your possession is something that comes up all the time. So, it’s important you have gold tester equipment that offers an accurate way to determine the carat level of any piece of jewellery that comes your way. 

At Maddisons of Durham, we offer a wide range of jewellery repair and maintenance tools and in this blog, we look at the gold testing products we offer and how they work. The good news is that they’re nice and simple to use and by reading to the end, you’ll know precisely how to use them.

Gold Testing Stones

Ok, so the first thing you’re going to need is a gold testing stone, which is an expensive item that you rub the gold in question onto, making a noticeable stripe of gold colour. What you’ll do then is use the appropriate gold testing solution on it that will be determined by the carat stamp that has to be on all gold jewellery by law.

So, you’ll be looking at either 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 or 22 carat gold and when a drop of the appropriate gold testing solution is placed over the stripe, it shouldn’t fade if it’s the right carat. If it does fade, it means that the carat isn’t quite as pure as the carat stamp shows. 

What you have to take into account though is that gold jewellery created before 1982 will naturally be ½ a carat lower than the stamp shows. If you find the strip noticeable fading quickly, you will need to be tested again with a lower carat testing solution.

Gold Testing Needles

If a retest is needed, a more accurate of the gold tester tools that you can use are gold testing needles, which include a specific needle for each carat quality. What you do in this case, is make a scratch with the needle on your gold testing stone that corresponds to the carat being tested. What you can guarantee is that this stripe won’t fade over time in the solution, but the other might, given enough time.

Another quick, but more general way to test gold is with a gold testing magnet that won’t pick up pure gold, but will attach itself to less precious metals that may have been included in lower-quality jewellery pieces. It’s also a method that can be used to check the purity platinum and silver.

All of Your Jewellery Repair Tools In One Convenient Place

So, if you’re new to the concept of gold testing, we hope that we’ve taught you a thing or two about how easy it is to carry out. We have an extensive range of equipment for all kinds of watch and jewellery repair products in stock at Maddisons of Durham and you can see them all by visiting us online at www.maddisonsofdurham.co.uk. 

However, if you need any assistance deciding which of our products is right for you, you can get the help you need by filling in our contact form. As soon as we get your enquiry, we’ll come back with an answer as soon as we possibly can.Â