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How to Tell Gold From Brass

Gold is considered a soft metal, while bronze is hard. Both are used to create jewelry and other works of art. Two-thirds of the world's production of gold is in South Africa, while brass can be found throughout Asia and in Chile. Gold can be found as grains in quartz veins or as rounded grains, nuggets and flakes in streams and rivers. You will want to inspect your metal in a well-lit area.

Things You'll Need

Hammer
Thick needle
Scale

Instructions

- 1
  Inspect the color of each metal. Gold has a bright yellow color and sheen, while brass is a darker yellow color with little to no sheen.
- 2
  Look closely to see if there is a lot of glitter; if there is, the metal is gold. If it glitters only slightly, it is brass.
- 3
  Take a thick pin or needle and try to scrape the metal. Brass is harder to scrape than gold.
- 4
  Weigh the metal. Gold should weigh twice as much as brass. Use a similar size pieces of gold or brass to compare the weight.
- 5
  Use your nose. Brass has a distinctive odor. Gold does not smell. Jewelers do this all the time.

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