How to tell the difference between real jewelry and costume jewelry

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So you’ve inherited some jewelry from a relative or potentially got a good deal on a few pieces at a flea market or estate sale. How do you know if it is costume jewelry or real items? You can take it to a jeweler, appraiser or pawn shop, yes, or you can try a few techniques at home to help you determine if you have something of value on your hands.

After working in a jewelry store for several years, I learned several tricks of the trade from certified gemologists and jewelers with decades of experience. To ensure they were still considered best practices, I also consulted a few other professional jewelers, who also shared some additional tips for determining whether a piece is solid silver or gold, and whether diamonds and other gemstones are genuine. Here are some ways to tell the difference between a costume and “real” jewelry.

How to tell if a piece of jewelry is real gold or silver

There are several things to look for that will help you determine whether you have costume jewelry, a gold or silver plated item, or a solid gold or silver item. Here’s where to start:

Look for stamp marks

In the United States, the The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that all gold, silver and platinum jewelry be marked according to its purity. This rule dates back to the adoption in 1906 of the National Gold and Silver Marking Lawso technically all jewelry made in the USA since then should be marked. If the coin is from outside the United States or pre-1906, it may not have the same markings.

Basically, you’re looking for small letters and/or numbers stamped in an inconspicuous location on the jewelry, says Jonathan Goldberg, founder and CEO of the jewelry maker. Kimberfire. Places like:

Rings: Inside the group
Necklaces and bracelets: On the clasp or the small connecting rings
Earrings: On posts or supports

The markings will likely be the carat or number of the precious metal based on the thousandth fineness system, which measures the purity of gold, silver and platinum alloys in parts per thousand of pure metal. So, for example, a piece of jewelry made from 75% gold would have a thousandth fineness of 750. Here are the most common markings, courtesy of Meserlian:

10k: 10 carat yellow gold
14k, 583 or 585: 14k yellow or white gold
18k or 750: 18 carat yellow or white gold
24k or 999: 24 carat yellow gold
Girlfriend: Gold filled (i.e. gold plated and not solid gold)
GFP: Laminated gold plate (i.e. gold plated and not solid gold)
925: Solid silver
TP or 950: Platinum
Ti: Titanium

These marks are small, so you may need to use a magnifying glass to see them, says Barkev Meserlian, CEO of the jewelry maker. Barkev and a 46-year veteran of the jewelry industry.

But Matt Harris— who runs a bead design business, a jewelry consignment business in Austin called Curated Fine Jewelry, and trained at the Gemological Institute of America, specializing in chimes — cautions against relying entirely on a stamp. “If someone were to create ‘fake’ gold or silver, they would likely add a buffer to try to fool the buyer,” he says. For this reason, it’s a good idea to do additional tests, like the ones below.

Use a magnet

Hold a magnet against the metal of a piece of jewelry. “Gold and silver in their purest forms are not magnetic,” explains Meserlian. “If the coin is attracted to a magnet, then it is probably gold (or silver) plated” and has a magnetic base.

Platinum jewelry is a little more delicate because it is rarely made with 100% pure platinum and usually mixed with similar metals (palladium, ruthenium, rhodium, iridium, osmium) or non-precious base metals (copper or cobalt ). according to the FTC. So if a coin you suspect is platinum ends up being magnetic, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s not also real.

Examine the color

If you own a silver-colored piece, but you’re not sure if it’s actually silver or white gold, platinum or titanium, Meserlian recommends taking a closer look at the color:

Money: Warmer color
White gold: Slight yellowish tint
Platinum: The whitest and brightest
Titanium: Darker and duller

Look for the tarnish

Tarnish can also be helpful in identifying or differentiating types of metals. Here’s what Meserlian and Goldberg recommend looking for:

Solid silver: Will slowly self-oxidize over years, forming a layer of black tarnish that will fade
Silver plated coins: May have streaks or uneven spots visible on metal base when cleaned
Solid gold (yellow or white): Does not tarnish
Gold plated parts: May discolor over time, especially where they rub against the skin
Platinum: Tarnish resistant
Titanium: Tarnish resistant

Normal wear

Check the part for signs of wear. “Usually the use of mismatched metals in plated jewelry is revealed after the plated exterior has been scratched or worn,” says Meserlian. Meanwhile, costume jewelry tends to scratch easily, while harder metals like gold and platinum are more resistant to surface wear, Goldberg says.

Feel the weight

According to Meserlian, solid gold or silver coins are heavier than plated coins, which tend to be lighter because they are hollow and have a base metal core. As for their weight, platinum is the densest of these metals, while aluminum is relatively light. Silver and white gold fall in the middle, although white gold is generally slightly heavier due to its composition, he says.

The ceramic test for gold

Another way to test a piece to see if it is real gold is to lightly scratch it against an unglazed ceramic tile. According to Meserlian, real gold will leave a trace of golden color, while a gold-plated piece will leave a dark mark.

How to tell if pearls, diamonds and gemstones are real

Now that you’ve checked the metal, it’s time to see if a piece of jewelry’s pearls, diamonds, and/or gemstones are real.

The dental test for pearls

The quickest way to determine if a pearl is real is to gently rub it against the bottom of your tooth. If the bead looks like sandpaper, Harris says it’s probably real.

But what if you don’t want to put someone’s pearls in your mouth? “Rubbing two of them together gives a similar sensation,” he says.

The size and weight of the pearls

If you encounter ultralight or extremely large pearls, Harris says they are not real.

The brand of pearls

Check to see if a brand name is printed on your beads. “Many famous fashion jewelry brands have never used precious metals or gemstones, so just seeing the brand stamp will be a definitive clue,” says Harris.

The fog test for diamonds

Breathe on the stone. “A real diamond won’t stay foggy for long because it disperses heat quickly,” Goldberg says. Cubic zirconia, on the other hand, fogs up and takes a while to dissipate.

Look at the shine

To differentiate between diamond, moissanite and cubic zirconia, Ty Wilson, co-founder of Custom madean online jeweler specializing in personalized engagement rings, suggests looking at the stone in the sun or under bright light and assessing the level of sparkle.

Moissanite will produce colorful sparkles, like a rainbow, while cubic zirconia will look dull compared to a diamond. Cubic zirconia is also not as scratch-resistant as a diamond, so it will wear more over time, he says.

Natural diamonds or synthetic diamonds

Although natural and synthetic diamonds are chemically identical, there is a way to tell them apart, Wilson says. Take a magnifying glass and look for a laser inscription on the narrow strip along the perimeter of the stone (i.e. the belt). “They are very small, so you will have to look at them carefully and they only concern certain certified diamonds,” he says. “You can search for the score report by registration.” Most lab-grown diamonds have inscriptions starting with LG, while most natural diamonds will have inscriptions of all numbers.

Look for air bubbles in colored gemstones

Without professional equipment, it is difficult to determine the authenticity of rubies, emeralds and sapphires. But one thing you can do is look for obvious air bubbles inside the stone, which Goldberg says can suggest it’s synthetic.

Costume jewelry can also be beautiful and precious

Costume jewelry cannot be made from real precious metals or gemstones, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t have value. If you’ve inherited jewelry, chances are it’s at least partly costume jewelry, which Harris says was huge in the mid-20th century. “There are millions of pieces, many of which are incredibly beautiful and beautifully made,” he says.

There’s nothing wrong with wearing “fake” jewelry. In fact, Chanel was famous for creating meticulously crafted faux pearl designs, Harris says. “The problem is when people try to sell you fakes as real, and as a responsible consumer, knowing the difference is a very useful skill to learn.”