Rookie mistake cost me $350

[Beachkid23]

Well I'm not going to tell the wife about this one. But a friend called and her daughter had a bracelet/ necklace set she wanted to sell. So I went to her house and bought it at $350 bucks. Acid tested fine, the markings were good. I decided to cut a piece off of it and test it and after about 10 minutes the marking faded away. I'm going back to her house tomorrow. The daughter was crying when she had to sell it because I guess is something that meant a lot to her. And then I cut it up testing it. And she needs the money to feed her kids. So I guess were going to write this one off as a donation. Crap!

But I think from now on I'm just going to cut it. I tested two other pieces and the marking hasn't faded away, it's been a half hour.

First picture is when I tested it.



This one is when it faded out, took 7 min to fade out. But once it started, it went away quick.

 

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[buzzhead]

I don't know about your scrap dealers but everyone around here tests for maybe 1 minute tops. This is where an electronic tester like a gem-oro auracle comes in handy. I bought mine when I first started into this venture. Expensive yes. Worth it?? In my opinion yes. A good file rub in an inconspicuous area won't destroy a bigger piece but it will tell you very quickly if it's good or not.

 

[lockster99]

Live and lean. You're a good guy for not pitchin' a fit. A+

 

[Beachkid23]

Live and lean. You're a good guy for not pitchin' a fit. A+

I'm crying inside... But she said she need the $ for her bills and to feed the kids for the summer now that school is out. I'm glad the economy is doing better and everybody's thriving. Because I still see a lot of people that are struggling to get by with every day things everywhere here.

 

[lockster99]

You did good.

And I've read alot of your post.....you can make it back easier than she can come up with the money to make ends meet. It's what makes the world go a round. Ying/Yang.

 

[silverdollarbill]

I'm glad the economy is doing better and everybody's thriving. Because I still see a lot of people that are struggling to get by with every day things everywhere here.

If this was anyone else I would say this is sarcasm. You, probably not. I would go with what you see and not what "they" say.

Odd test changed after that long. I usually do not wait that long either. Chance it is still legit?

 

[Beachkid23]

If this was anyone else I would say this is sarcasm. You, probably not. I would go with what you see and not what "they" say. Odd test changed after that long. I usually do not wait that long either. Chance it is still legit?

Going with no, eve though there are teeny tiny diamonds that test real, all my other stuff doesn't fade. I guess now I have a dummy piece. She said she has a warranty for it from a store. It's a possibility she got took too. Oh, I paid. $350 for the bracelet. There was a matching necklace that was 64 grams. I didn't have enough on me for the necklace. Thank goodness! Same thing marked and tested, but I didn't file it. I'm going to have it double checked tomorrow as well. But I can't imagine I'm wrong. But maybe...

 

[mkulltra]

It's not abnormal for it to fade after ten minutes on a real piece. If the mark is still there after 5 minutes, I would say it's good. I'm going to bet that you take it to jeweler or pawn shop, they are going to say the same. If you left any mark in acid long enough, it is probably going to fade away.

 

[vpnavy]

Thanks Beachkid23 for sharing your experience with us. So much to learn - so little time!

 

[ARC]

Sometimes the variations in Karat will do this...
For example...
A 14k piece will test and fade... because it is really a 12-13 karat.
Try testing the 14 with 10...

This test pic you posted is "good" in my opinion.

 

[jerseyben]

You have handled enough K gold that you should know by now within 75% confidence whether or not a piece is real without even testing it.

What does your gut tell you? Forget the acid test. What about the look, feel, hardness, and quality of the piece?

 

[masterjedi]

I bought and sold gold jewelry for 20 years. The test you did looks like its good to me. I don't know of anyone that waits that long. My bet is its real... Good luck

 

[DFW_THer]

Hey beachkid, I'm somewhat of a newb with acids n what not, but I think you might be OK too. What was the jewelry marked and what acid did you use? How about a picture of the piece/hallmarks? ARRC made a fine point about it being a slightly lower karat. I was thinking it could be 9K, but marked 10K...

If she was crying over selling the piece, then she probably knew where it was purchased and for roughly how much...

You probably still have the yella stuff..

 

[buzzhead]

I think it's real also.

 

[Beachkid23]

Here's a picture of it. During that I have put acid on it so it looks horrible now. I don't know where the clasp made it off to, laying around here somewhere.



This test took 3 minutes to fade out.




There is a possibility it could be 9k as well. I may just send it to ara. I'll know for sure then.

 

[Beachkid23]

It's fake. 2 shops tested.

 

[mkulltra]

Sorry to hear. By the first pics and 10 minutes, I would have sworn it was real. Then I saw the last pics at only three minutes and knew it wasn't looking to good. That's a tough one to swallow. This is why I stay away from spending more than a few dollars on a piece of jewelry. Well I hope you get a call for a killer deal this week or stumble across a great find quickly to make up for your loss.

 

[diggummup]

Ouch! Looks like a copper core.

 

[mugsisme]

Really sorry. You are a really good guy. A lot of other people would have been demanding their money back. You didn't. You are writing it off as charity. I'm betting something bigger will come your way. Who knows, this could open the door for you to sell that stunning, gorgeous, out of this world set on Ebay!!! You won't lose from helping her out. Although it doesn't help your tire fund ... :-( Sorry.

ps-- I've forgotten about the acid, and walked away from the test. When I came back 30-45 mins later, the line was still there.

 

[Beachkid23]

Really sorry. You are a really good guy. A lot of other people would have been demanding their money back. You didn't. You are writing it off as charity. I'm betting something bigger will come your way. Who knows, this could open the door for you to sell that stunning, gorgeous, out of this world set on Ebay!!! You won't lose from helping her out. Although it doesn't help your tire fund ... :-( Sorry. ps-- I've forgotten about the acid, and walked away from the test. When I came back 30-45 mins later, the line was still there.

Ha, thanks! Tires are covered. When I texted you earlier, I was almost rear ended by some guy with bald tires like mine. His were so bad he blew the front just hitting the breaks. ( i had to check on him. He stopped pretty hard) (no I did not offer to help change the tire. Had kids in the car) So the plan Tomorrow is $1 movies with the kids then bore them to death at the tire store! I wish they were next door to the movie theater, but no such luck...