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How to Test 14K Gold

When buying a piece of gold, it is important to verify the karat number. Since there is a prevalence of imitation gold items on the market, relying on the karat number that is marked on the item could lead to getting much less value than you paid for. Fortunately, you do not need to send your item to a jeweler or assayer for verification. A simple test you can conduct at home will provide you with an accurate result.

Things You'll Need

Gold-testing kit containing: a black testing stone, 14K gold scratching needle and gold-testing acid Gold item to be tested

Instructions

How to Test for Gold
- 1
  Scratch the surface of the stone from your gold-testing kit with the piece of gold you want to test.
- 2
  Place a scratch on the stone next to the spot of the first scratch using the 14K needle from your kit.
- 3
  Place one drop of acid on the first scratch mark, the one that was made with the gold piece.
- 4
  Examine the stone. If the color of the two scratch marks match, it indicates that the gold piece you are testing is 14K or higher. If the scratches do not match and the color begins to fade and eventually disappears, it means that your gold piece is less than 14K.

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