QuestionDear Chris, I recently purchased a 10k gold necklace and used an acid test to see if this is genuine 10k gold. I scratched the necklace on the stone and applied 10k acid. Initially, the gold does not dissolve at all. Then after about 35 seconds, there is no trace of gold left on the area where acid was applied.
Does this mean that this necklace is not 10k solid gold?
I am puzzled because when I had previously applied acid to non-gold item, the metal normally disappears right away or bubbles then disappears. However, this gold remains undissolved but after about 20 seconds, it starts to dissolve until it is completely dissolved after about 35 seconds.
I urgently need your assistance.
AnswerLaura,
Depending on the acid, and the color of the gold as well as the actual karat, it sounds like you may have a little under karated gold. You might even have plated gold. You might try filing the piece and retesting the filed area. I always liked to compare a test piece of gold to the item you are testing, because different concentrations of acid could decay at different rates.
From your description I noticed that you said 10k and not 10kp which means exact vs a little room for error. This may also be a factor. The p stands for plumb meaning exactly the # stamped. I hope this helps you with your delima.
C
