Does anyone use an electric Gold Tester?

[dejapooh]

I have some gold items that I would like to test, but I do not want to damage them by using a touchstone and acid. Does anyone her have an electric gold tester that they would recommend? Thanks.

 

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[Treasure_Hunter]

Just fyi, touchstone and acid has never damaged my gold finds I tested, never had a ring scratched by marking a touchtone.

 

[Beachkid23]

I bought a Kee tester. Sometimes you have to file into it though to make sure it’s gold. Because it reads gold filled is pure sometimes.

 

[galenrog]

With electronic testers, you have to do research first. While there are good testers out there, there are innumerable knockoffs and counterfeits that have flooded the market. Buyer beware.

Time for more coffee.

 

[randazzo1]

Just as a side note - I’ve been buying gold for years from a guy who owns a pawnshop and relies on a fancy electronic tester with an XRF analyzer. I buy his entire lot of “gold plated” jewelry every two weeks and it’s always chock full of solid gold pieces. He’s a punk so I don’t feel bad about it, but the point is that the electronic testers are quite finicky. You need a quality machine and need to spend time testing known gold samples to get a good understanding of it. I had a half dozen of them over the years and always revert back to acid testing.

 

[pepperj]

Just as a side note - I’ve been buying gold for years from a guy who owns a pawnshop and relies on a fancy electronic tester with an XRF analyzer. I buy his entire lot of “gold plated” jewelry every two weeks and it’s always chock full of solid gold pieces. He’s a punk so I don’t feel bad about it, but the point is that the electronic testers are quite finicky. You need a quality machine and need to spend time testing known gold samples to get a good understanding of it. I had a half dozen of them over the years and always revert back to acid testing.

Must be crappy XRF analyzer as I dealt with base metals and I could get an analysis done(gold/silver) with a white/red metal tester to tell me the composite of the item, but not the exact %.
Brother used electronic testers in the pawn business-backed up either way with an acid test.
When selling melt an analyzer is used to tell the exact % of every metal that is in the melt-right down to the .0000 so they very accurate-no acid testing.
So the "punk" is basically ripping the customer off/and cheating themselves also out of profit.

For a few pieces of jewelry do an acid test, or get a professional opinion (which will do the same rub on a stone probably) done.

 

[niffler]

I also have the Kee tester. I like it, although it can be fooled by gold filled. I always test with a strong magnet and acid if I'm not convinced by the electronic tester, and if I'm going to scrap an item anyway, I cut into it with a jeweler's saw and test the cut.

 

[bartholomewroberts]

I have a Mizar. and it has never failed me yet

Micheal

 

[GibH]

I have a Tri-Elelctronics GXL-18. It doesn't tell you specifically if an item is plated, but it will give you readings that are all over the place on a plated piece. If you test it 3 times, you'll get 3 different readings. Works for me. On solid gold, it will give consistent readings no matter how many times you test it.

 

[Rmeav8r]

That’s a good score for you. The only looser is those poor souls who sold their solid gold and got plated prices.

Just as a side note - I’ve been buying gold for years from a guy who owns a pawnshop and relies on a fancy electronic tester with an XRF analyzer. I buy his entire lot of “gold plated” jewelry every two weeks and it’s always chock full of solid gold pieces. He’s a punk so I don’t feel bad about it, but the point is that the electronic testers are quite finicky. You need a quality machine and need to spend time testing known gold samples to get a good understanding of it. I had a half dozen of them over the years and always revert back to acid testing.

 

[artslinger]

Just as a side note - I’ve been buying gold for years from a guy who owns a pawnshop and relies on a fancy electronic tester with an XRF analyzer. I buy his entire lot of “gold plated” jewelry every two weeks and it’s always chock full of solid gold pieces. He’s a punk so I don’t feel bad about it, but the point is that the electronic testers are quite finicky. You need a quality machine and need to spend time testing known gold samples to get a good understanding of it. I had a half dozen of them over the years and always revert back to acid testing.

Congratulations on those scores! I wouldn't feel bad about the people selling their gold to the pawnshop owner as plated. They should always get a second opinion. Is not that challenging to go to the other pawnshop down the street. Some people are just too lazy, or don't care. Let me know if you ever get tired of buying all that crappy gold from that guy! :-)

artslinger.