If you’re going to bother to spend the money on a piece of gold jewelry right now then you might want to make sure that you’re not getting swindled. There are sellers out there who are passing off fake gold as real gold and making off with a lot of money.

Here are five ways to tell if the gold that you have or want is real:

1. See if it is magnetic. Bring a small magnet with you to the store and hold it up to the gold item that you want to buy. If it’s magnetic then it’s not gold since this metal doesn’t react to magnets.
2. Rub it against a ceramic plate. If the seller will let you do this then do it. Real gold will leave a gold mark on the plate. A mark of any other color means that it’s not real gold.
3. Look for a single color throughout the piece. Real gold will be the same color all around. Fake gold will have areas of discoloration.
4. Check the density of the gold. This is a bit more complicated but it works. Learn more about gold density.
5. Get it appraised. Maybe you already have the gold item and want to know if it’s real so you can sell the gold for cash. If so then take it to a pawn shop or appraiser and they’ll quickly tell you whether or not it’s real.

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