Gold is a valuable metal, so it’s not surprising that it’s often imitated in fake jewelry and mixed metals. By most international standards, any metal that contains less than 41.7% or 10 karat gold is considered fake. If you’re wondering if your gold is real, the most reliable way to check is to take the piece to a certified jeweler. If you’re not ready to take that step, you can form an opinion by examining the gold and checking its basic properties.

Method 1: Visual Inspection

This distinctive mark or seal will tell you what percentage of gold a piece contains. Often the hallmark is printed on jewelry clasps or the inside of rings. It is normally visible on the surface of coins and precious metals. The stamp will be a number from 1 to 999 or from 0K to 24K, depending on the grading system used.

Use a magnifying glass to help you identify the seal. It can be hard to see with the naked eye, especially on smaller pieces like gold rings.

Older pieces may not have visible stamps. Sometimes they have worn away over time, and in other cases, they were never sealed. Hallmarking became fashionable in the 1950s in some regions, but for example, in India, it only became mandatory after the year 2000.

Method 2: Test For Magnetism And Other Basic Properties

Find a container large enough for your gold piece and water. The water temperature is not important, lukewarm water is fine. True gold is a dense metal, so it should sink right to the bottom of the glass. Imitation gold is much lighter and floats.

Real gold also doesn’t oxidize or tarnish when it gets wet, so if your piece shows discoloration, it’s probably gold-plated.

Method 3: Perform A Density Test

Real gold also doesn’t oxidize or tarnish when it gets wet, so if your piece shows discoloration, it’s probably gold-plated.

Method 4: The Nitric Acid Test

Gold test kits include various bottles of nitric acid, for different types of gold. Some even come with a piece of smooth stone called a touchstone that can be used to scratch some of the gold of your piece. It may also come with white and yellow gold sample needles for you to compare to the gold in your possession.

These test kits can be found online or at your local jewelry store. Many jewelers perform this test, as it is very accurate.

Method 1: Visual Inspection

Use a magnifying glass to help you identify the seal. It can be hard to see with the naked eye, especially on smaller pieces like gold rings.

Method 2: Test For Magnetism And Other Basic Properties

Real gold also doesn’t oxidize or tarnish when it gets wet, so if your piece shows discoloration, it’s probably gold-plated.

Method 3: Perform A Density Test

Real gold also doesn’t oxidize or tarnish when it gets wet, so if your piece shows discoloration, it’s probably gold-plated.

Method 4: The Nitric Acid Test

These test kits can be found online or at your local jewelry store. Many jewelers perform this test, as it is very accurate.

Method 1: Visual Inspection

Use a magnifying glass to help you identify the seal. It can be hard to see with the naked eye, especially on smaller pieces like gold rings.

Method 2: Test For Magnetism And Other Basic Properties

Real gold also doesn’t oxidize or tarnish when it gets wet, so if your piece shows discoloration, it’s probably gold-plated.

Method 3: Perform A Density Test

Real gold also doesn’t oxidize or tarnish when it gets wet, so if your piece shows discoloration, it’s probably gold-plated.

Method 4: The Nitric Acid Test

These test kits can be found online or at your local jewelry store. Many jewelers perform this test, as it is very accurate.

Method 1: Visual Inspection

Use a magnifying glass to help you identify the seal. It can be hard to see with the naked eye, especially on smaller pieces like gold rings.

Method 2: Test For Magnetism And Other Basic Properties

Real gold also doesn’t oxidize or tarnish when it gets wet, so if your piece shows discoloration, it’s probably gold-plated.

Method 3: Perform A Density Test

Real gold also doesn’t oxidize or tarnish when it gets wet, so if your piece shows discoloration, it’s probably gold-plated.

Method 4: The Nitric Acid Test

These test kits can be found online or at your local jewelry store. Many jewelers perform this test, as it is very accurate.

Gold is a haven asset par excellence, so the evolution of its price is an indication of the global situation of the economy. Gold also has a significant correlation with some currencies (US dollar, euro, yen, etc.), so monitoring the evolution of its price allows for obtaining precise information on different markets.

Generally, gold is quoted in the North American currency, and the reference unit is the ounce of gold (troy gold ounce), which is equivalent to 28.35 grams, and its price is referenced in dollars/ounce. Even moderately, gold is always subject to fluctuations due to certain factors. Here we mention the most relevant:

Like other markets, gold is also subject to the law of supply and demand. There are two elements that influence this aspect: the volume of production at the time and the interest of investors or buyers of the metal. If there is limited supply and increased investor interest, the price will go up. On the other hand, if the supply is wide and there is less investor interest, then the price will go down.

The ounce of gold is quoted against the US dollar, so the relationship between the dollar and gold remains decisive and inversely proportional. That is, the stronger the US dollar, the lower the price of gold, on the other hand, if the currency depreciates, the price of gold can rise.

Gold currently has the advantage that it has different industrial applications, an example of this is technological devices, which have some gold components. The exponential increase of these manufacturers is reflected in a greater demand for the metal, which causes its price to increase.

The interest rate in the stock market influences the price of gold bullion, although it is not a direct relationship (since gold is oblivious to interest rate), if the rate increases, investors look for liquidity and they sell the gold to look for other investments that provide them with short-term returns. On the other hand, if the interest rate falls, gold offers fewer investment costs and the interest on it will increase, which will cause its price to increase as well.

When the jewelry sector is booming, the demand for gold increases, which will cause its price to increase as well. This mainly occurs because gold is one of the most used and valued metals in that category. An example of this can be the popularity of a specific jewel (for example the jewel called “the face of Jesus” that became popular in some artistic sectors).…

According to some analysts at the World Gold Council, the precious metal remains one of the most profitable “active” metals so far in 2022, especially for investors outside the United States, which use currencies other than the US dollar. Next, we will know some reasons and also the perspectives of the behavior of this market for the middle of the current year 2022.

Real rates and the dollar alone suggest that gold would have been lower in the first half of the year. Investors face a challenging environment in what corresponds to the second semester of this year 2022, in which they will have to overcome the increase in interest rates and the resurgence of risks due to political conflicts and high inflation. So when it comes to investing in gold in the short term, it is likely that it will continue to be reactive to real rates, which is driven by the speed at which the World Central Bank adjusts monetary policy in each country, in an effort to control inflation.

Although the appreciation of the US currency against other currencies is considered an obstacle to the price of gold (if it is measured by the dollar), at the same time it has supported the performance of gold with respect to other currencies, which counts the yen, the euro and the pound sterling among others

By the end of June 2022, the short-term model is expected to be maintained, which is a multiple regression model of monthly returns on the price of gold, which can be grouped into four thematic categories that are key to the performance of this precious metal: market risk, economic expansion, opportunity cost, and momentum.

These four categories capture the motives behind the demand for gold, especially when it comes to investment demand that may be the marginal driver of near-term gold price performance. Investors will face significant challenges in the remainder of 2022 and as such will need to balance various competitive risks aggravated by considerable uncertainty over monetary policy, which will increase gold price volatility.

It is good to note that most of the market participants expect significant increases in the monetary policy rate, there are analysts who argue that central banks may not tighten monetary policy as expected. The reasons could be economic slowdowns that can result in contractions, although in some cases, it is also due to a change in supply restrictions in non-commodity consumer sectors.…

While sales over the Internet have increased in recent years, this has also meant an increase in online scams and hoaxes. Gold has not been able to escape this situation, as the high demand for this precious metal has also caused an increase in the number of websites that offer gold, however, some of these websites are dedicated to selling fake gold.

Gold-related scams not only cover the online sphere but are also present in the physical or face-to-face market since the sale of fake gold can take various forms.

An example of this was what happened in 2012, when a gold bullion fraud was discovered, which were fake 10-ounce bars at a lower price than the market. The ingot inside had tungsten, which is a metal with weight and density similar to gold. These fake ingots fooled (in their time) several experts.

Currently, there are institutions that are dedicated to monitoring people and organizations that carry out scams in the sale of fake gold, and at the same time, they are warning investors and buyers of possible fraud in the marketing of physical gold. For this reason, in this article, we mention some tips to avoid making mistakes when buying gold and avoid scams.

Although the authenticity of gold can be verified through quality seals and tests, when you are going to buy gold in large quantities, it is best to seek the opinion of an expert before carrying out the operation, usually, scammers tend to evade the questions from the expert or put up obstacles to carry out face-to-face reviews.

The gold seller, whether it is a person, company, or company, must market gold pieces that are accredited by the LBMA (London Bullion Market Association) since in this way it is guaranteed that the gold comes from legal activities and that it has been extracted from a responsible way. This entity is very relevant, especially in companies that carry out metal castings. If the pieces of gold that are sold are not accredited, it could be a company that does not sell gold of good quality or of dubious origin.

This certificate means that the piece of gold complies with a set of rules issued by the LBMA, which describe the physical characteristics of the gold bars used in the wholesale market, and the specific characteristics of gold quality, in addition to guaranteeing that the gold has been obtained in a sustainable and responsible way.

It is advisable to buy gold from a store or company that has some recognition and a good reputation in the gold trade. A point in favor is that the company has a physical establishment where the client can verify the product that he is going to buy. Generally, official stores comply with a series of regulations and permits, in addition to delivering invoices or proof of payment, which benefits the buyer in various aspects such as: proving ownership of the gold piece, tax declaration, traveling with gold, guarantee against any eventuality or problem, etc.

Many scammers tend to use gold to promote different pyramid schemes, in this case, the best way to spot a pyramid scheme (related to gold) is to see if the “opportunity” meets some of these criteria:

If the client sees a price below the market (for example a special offer) they should be very careful and suspicious, since it is unlikely that a “serious” gold seller or dealer will make offers or special prices, since generally, the Gold has internationally established prices. In this case, the only pieces of gold that are outside this parameter are antiques and collectibles, since their value is determined by other factors in addition to the value of gold.…

Gold-related scams not only cover the online sphere but are also present in the physical or face-to-face market since the sale of fake gold can take various forms.

Gold-related scams not only cover the online sphere but are also present in the physical or face-to-face market since the sale of fake gold can take various forms.

Gold-related scams not only cover the online sphere but are also present in the physical or face-to-face market since the sale of fake gold can take various forms.

Gold has played an important role in the economy of many countries throughout human history. Gold was considered a universal currency for a long time, an example of this is its use in the Byzantine Empire more than 1,500 years ago, while today many countries use it as a world reserve asset.

Due to the popularity of gold on a global level, many people want to buy this precious metal, however, some people want to buy gold thinking only in the “short term”, however, this may not be convenient for some individuals.

Many people make the mistake of spending money they need to pay for things in the short term like utilities, education, food, etc. There are also cases of people using money they need in the medium term, such as to pay annual insurance premiums, annual taxes, travel, annual tuition, etc. It is only recommended to spend money that we have saved and that is not part of our monthly budget, for example, it is recommended to first develop the habit of saving and only when we have an amount saved (destined for investments) then it is only recommended to buy gold.

Although gold can be sold anywhere in the world, the truth is that said sale is not “immediate” but, depending on its presentation and level of purity, it can take a while to be sold. Due to this, it should be taken into account that gold is a more specialized sale and that said sale tends to take longer than other financial instruments such as shares, currencies of other countries, etc.

Although gold has the ability to increase its value, this growth is not exponential but occurs slightly or gradually. It is important to remember that the main reason many investors buy gold is to protect their wealth, as gold tends to retain its value over time.

While the value of gold can go up or down, such changes are very slight or gradual. In case the price decreases, the underlying value of gold does not change much, this is because a fixed amount of gold is a highly valuable commodity, in addition to having many practical uses such as electronics, jewelry, medicine ( dentistry), the glass industry, the aerospace industry, etc., while in the case of other alternatives such as the US dollar (which is a fiat currency), its price tends to fluctuate more because it does not have an inherent value, but depends on the value that people or states assign to it (in addition to the monetary policies of each country).

Gold increases in value when inflation takes hold. Because of this, many investors buy gold to protect their wealth from external factors such as local currency inflation, inappropriate monetary policies, or conflicts/wars. That is, during times of instability, gold presents itself as an effective “safe haven” asset.

Another reason for not recommending the purchase of gold in the short term is that gold does not generate dividends or passive income (as other instruments such as shares, fixed terms or bonds do, which do generate dividends and interest). However, the only return that can be obtained from gold is when it increases in value and we decide to sell it

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