GOLD? Snail Pin - Need Your Opinions

[mjm579]

So, I went out on a limb today about bought myself a gift for once. It was a flea market and the lady said that she had brought it to the show with intentions of selling it for scrap, but ultimately decided against it. The scrap guy offered her $200 and she gave me the price of $250. Ultimately we settled on $225, but all the while I'm thinking "what if it's not real?". She was told (and told me as well) that it's 18K gold.

She did give me her business card and told me to call her if it wasn't real.

Fast forward three hours later I'm finally home and dinner is baking in the oven.

I've tested the piece in numerous spots and at the very least, I think it's good for 14K, but I'm still totally double guessing myself.

The metal scratches "hard" to the surface. That said, I just made $200 yesterday on a bracelet that was 20K. And once before I made $230 on a pin that tested for 12K with an XRF after a melt.

Have any of you experienced this with jewelry in the past and it was real/fake? Experiences?

I've uploaded the gold scratch test below - 10K, 14K, 18K.

I'm a sucker for bugs, so this pin had me at HELLO. Mind you, I managed to pick out the one piece in the case that was gold. So I've got really good taste, or she read me as a sucker from a mile away.

 

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[mjm579]

Then I tested it with 22K and get this...followed by a very slow reaction.

 

[mjm579]

.....but if it's real, then total score for me!!! And shame on the scrap guy who offered her $200.

 

[Beachkid23]

It looks good to me! Looks like the line is staying! Nice score!

 

[silverdollarbill]

Looks food to me too and by quality, I would think its gold.

 

[bigcaddy64]

I would find a shop that has an XRF (X-ray flourescence) metal testing tool. They are common in the industrial scrap metal business for on the spot alloy testing. It realy sorts out the BS-ers who are trying to sell you steel but are claiming its nickel or cobalt

All you do is place the scanning end to the metal you want tested and put the trigger. The screen will give you a complete breakdown of what your gold snail is really made of

I had a bracelet marked 14K or .585 but didn't react properly to the acid test. We used the XRF tool and it was actually 12k or about .500.

If you do some looking, I'm sure you can find a place that will test it as I mentioned. Then you will know the the gold alloy content of silver and copper down to the exact percentage in the cute little snail pin

 

[mjm579]

I would find a shop that has an XRF (X-ray flourescence) metal testing tool. They are common in the industrial scrap metal business for on the spot alloy testing. It realy sorts out the BS-ers who are trying to sell you steel but are claiming its nickel or cobalt

All you do is place the scanning end to the metal you want tested and put the trigger. The screen will give you a complete breakdown of what your gold snail is really made of

I had a bracelet marked 14K or .585 but didn't react properly to the acid test. We used the XRF tool and it was actually 12k or about .500.

If you do some looking, I'm sure you can find a place that will test it as I mentioned. Then you will know the the gold alloy content of silver and copper down to the exact percentage in the cute little snail pin

I have one at work but I don't think it's calibrated for gold. I'll have to check. I
Know my pawn dealer knows someone on jewelers row that has one.

 

[Peyton Manning]

since you asked for opinions:
I never was that big a fan of john belushi or chris farley. Just not that funny. On the other hand I always have liked steve martin.

 

[ARC]

since you asked for opinions:
I never was that big a fan of john belushi or chris farley. Just not that funny. On the other hand I always have liked steve martin.

Your a "wild and crazy guy". heh

 

[Peyton Manning]

at heart yes

 

[mjm579]

Any chance it's David Webb? It looks like his pieces are 18K and Platinum. I did test with my platinum solution as well. Same as the 22K.

 

[trdhrdr007]

I use an electronic tester & don't know squat about scratch testing. I've never really trusted it because it seems to me like a heavily plated piece might test ok the first time & the test acids can lose their potency over time. Anyway.....I can't quite make out the hallmark from your pictures. Looks like 585 to me. The way the piece is made looks right.

I suspect it's 14k. I'm more comfortable with dwt than grams & my math may be a little off. It looks like the scrap guy offered somewhere between 55-65% of melt. I've seen a lot worse offers.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

What a beautiful piece!