What do you make of this?

[Yggdrasil]

Sorry wrong wording it didn't actually snap it bent and broke after a bit of muscling... and that grey colour is paint and cement on my basement floor from the "smacking"... the only marking is the G on the watch clasp

If it was solid Gold it would definitely have a marking.
Do you have an used AP solution?
If so, you could run it for a few days.
If it is brass or bronze that would be apparent after some time when the copper get exposed.

 

[Akragon]

If it was solid Gold it would definitely have a marking.
Do you have an used AP solution?
If so, you could run it for a few days.
If it is brass or bronze that would be apparent after some time when the copper get exposed.

i used to think that all legit gold had stamps, but apparently older stuff did not have any markings or stamps... I do have HCL, and 3% peroxide... do you think that would work? And if so are there any dangers mixing the two? i have no fume hood yet...

 

[Yggdrasil]

i used to think that all legit gold had stamps, but apparently older stuff did not have any markings or stamps... I do have HCL, and 3% peroxide... do you think that would work? And if so are there any dangers mixing the two? i have no fume hood yet...

It can be used if its done outside.
If you do not have AP already, find some green corroded Copper and add into the HCl.
An aquarium air pump is more versatile than using Peroxide over time.
For this test though, it might be ok with just Peroxide.

Be aware:
The HCl vapours will destroy any corrodable metal in the vicinity, so do it outside.

 

[Akragon]

The greenish/yellow in the HCL is a puzzler. Some sort of surface contaminant would be my first guess. HCL normally wont dissolve precious metals. If the gold alloy has some copper in it it may be CuCl2, copper chloride.

Is it possible that yellow in the HCL is actually gold in solution? I didn't heat it, and i've read HCL doesn't dissolve gold... Copper would be greenish would it not? Is it possible for HCL to dissolve a small amount of gold?

 

[SRM]

Those are not the fractures I would associate with karet gold. However, that is just an opinion and worth exactly the price you paid for it.

 

[Akragon]

Those are not the fractures I would associate with karet gold. However, that is just an opinion and worth exactly the price you paid for it.

Im sorry but this piece doesn't have any "fractures"... i muscled the piece appart after beating the crap out of it with a hammer... it bent... even dented one side as one piece hit the other side in the beating... the inside is the same as the outside. And im not saying it is gold yet... but im leaning in that direction.

 

[Akragon]

i read that IF you add a few drops of vinegar to suspected gold and it doesn't change color its probably gold. I don't know if thats true or not... but i tried it anyways... and no color change

 

[lazersteve]

Why not just melt it. If it's karat gold it will melt, if it's plated stainless it will spark and spit. Add in some borax and soda ash to the melt and see how much of its mass (weigh it first) goes into the flux.

Steve

 

[Akragon]

Why not just melt it. If it's karat gold it will melt, if it's plated stainless it will spark and spit. Add in some borax and soda ash to the melt and see how much of its mass (weigh it first) goes into the flux.

Steve

you know... i never even thought about that! lol
i don't have a melt dish though.... anything you can think of as a substitute?

 

[Martijn]

I've seen people use a charred dish/hole in a piece of wood.

Edited to say:
The carbon of the wood will reduce some or a lot of the base metal oxides back to metal in stead of going in to the flux.

A borax glazed silica dish is best. You can them order online pretty cheap.