Compare selling to a gold buyer with using a pawn shop. Learn how an outright sale differs from a pawn loan and which questions to ask about an offer.
Gold Buyer vs. Pawn Shop: Who Usually Pays More for Gold? Read More »
Why does a gold buyer offer less than the spot price you see online? Learn how purity, melt value, testing, refining costs, and market prices determine what scrap gold is worth.
Why Don’t Gold Buyers Pay 100% of Spot for Scrap Jewelry? Read More »
Found 925 on jewelry that looks gold? The stamp normally identifies sterling silver underneath the gold-colored surface. Learn how 925 differs from solid gold, gold plating and vermeil—and how to determine what your jewelry is actually worth.
What Does 925 on Gold-Colored Jewelry Mean? Read More »
Gold vermeil contains real gold, but it is not solid gold. Learn what vermeil means, what 925 and 18K vermeil stamps tell you, and whether gold vermeil jewelry has value.
What Is Gold Vermeil? Is It Real Gold? Read More »
Gold-filled and gold-plated jewelry use different amounts and constructions of gold over a base metal. Learn how to recognize the differences and interpret their value.
Gold Filled vs. Gold Plated: Which Has More Gold? Read More »
Gold-filled and solid-gold jewelry can look almost identical, but their gold content and value are very different. Learn how to identify each one.
Gold Filled vs. Solid Gold: What’s the Difference? Read More »
A density test can provide a clue about gold authenticity, but jewelry construction and mixed materials complicate the result. Learn the method and its limitations.
How to Test Gold With a Density Test Read More »
Gold acid testing is one of the oldest ways to determine whether jewelry is real gold and estimate its karat. Here is how the test works, what the results mean, and where it can go wrong.
How Gold Acid Testing Works Read More »
A magnet can help identify some fake gold, but it cannot prove that an item is real gold. Learn how the magnet test works, what the results mean, and when professional gold testing is the better choice.
Does the Magnet Test Really Work on Gold? Read More »
An XRF gold tester can identify the metals in a piece of jewelry in seconds without damaging it. Here is how XRF testing works and what the results can tell you about your gold.
How Does an XRF Gold Tester Work? Read More »
