Ways to identify purity of your gold jewellery

BIS Hallmark: BIS hallmark checks the quality level of jewellry being sold to customers. The real hallmark bears the triangular mark of the Bureau of Indian Standards and is accompanied by the logo of the hallmarking centre and the purity of the gold.

Fineness number: The fineness number represents how pure the gold is. The purity of gold is measured in Karat (KT). 24K is considered the purest form of gold. Hallmarking is done for levels of fineness - 22K, 18K, and 14K denoted by 22K916,18K750, and 14K585, respectively.

Assaying and Hallmarking Centre's identification mark/number: The laboratory where your gold jewelry is assessed to check its purity is also required to put its logo on the jewellery. These laboratories are licensed by BIS to check the purity of gold. Hence check for it to identify real gold.

Jeweller's identification mark/number: The jewellry shop from where you are buying your gold jewellry puts its identification mark. This mark can only be of a BIS-certified jeweller or jeweller manufacturer. The list of which can be found on the BIS website.

Magnet test: Real gold is not magnetic, but many other metals are. If you have a relatively strong magnet, you can easily test if your gold is real by placing the magnet near the piece and seeing if it is attracted to the magnet.

Skin test: This test requires a little more time than the other tests as you have to wear it regularly. Real gold will never make your skin turn green. If your jewelry changes your skin color to a bluish or greenish tint, it’s not real gold.

Float test: Gold is a dense metal. As a result, testing its heaviness or density is one of the most common ways of determining its authenticity. Drop your gold jewelry in a bucket of water; if it is made of real gold, it will sink.

 Acid test: With nitric acid, gold does not react. Test the jewelry by scratching gently on it and adding a small drop of nitric acid. If your jewelry becomes green, it may be gold-plated. If your gold contains sterling, a milky material emerges.