What type of metal.....

[canaddar]

Hello all,

I am fairly new to metal detecting. I have been going at it for a few weeks now. I have actually found a bit of jewelry which is leading to some serious research to figure out what things are.

So far, I have the basic check of 'is it magnetic?' to week out the real trash from potential good finds. Beyond that, I look for markings such as 925 (92.5% silver) that can be stamped on an item.

What about the items that are older (pre stamps such as 14k, 925 and the like were common)? Or items that just don't have any markings (such as my Navajo bracelet that is broken and missing a part). How do I tell what these items are? I have seen some chemical testing methods, but I am guessing that there is something less complicated than dumping boric acid on your kitchen counter.

Any tips, tricks or methods to learn what type of metal jewelry items are made from?

Many thanks for the help!

 

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[Rawhide]

keep them in a box till you get better at identifying. There is a few test. Look up mustard test.

 

[Carolina Tom]

Silver and gold come out of the ground looking solid. Silver usually has dark gray/black tarnish on it. Gold shines like the day it made. Plated piece usually have a spot where the plating is popping off of the item. If there no pops and the item is heavy for it's size, then it is most likely the real deal.

There are a bunch of "tests"... however, a close examination usually suffices.

Best of luck to you!

 

[digger27]

Testing kits are fairly cheap, most will test for gold from 10-22k, some also come with silver testing acids and maybe platinum too.
They all come with scratch plates so you don't have to wreck up your counters.
Beware that many dealers might be selling old stock and testing acids do lose potency over time.

Many jewelers will test items for you, especially the ones that buy jewelry along with some pawn shops and many are trustworthy but take their results with a grain of salt because they want to buy your stuff as cheap as they can.

I didn't have a test kit for years but finally broke down and bought one.
I had a very old gold ring that had that buttery look of really high karat gold but all marks were either absent or worn off because this had a natural pearl and looked like an heirloom piece to me.
My test kit went up to 22k and it tested fine but I believe this is actually 24k because it it unusually soft.
Still, that test result I got thrilled me to no end.

I had another that was newer but also had no marks because it was large and I believe resized which sometimes will get rid of karat markings if they were there.
This one tested great at 14k...exactly what a jeweler who previously tested it told me it was.

A simple test kit can go a long way to ease your mind and end confusion on unmarked pieces.

 

[hvacker]

I bought on a few years ago from I think Amazon for like $12 or $15. It tests 4 grades of gold and one for silver and platinum.
Lots of fun.

 

[Rawhide]

Last gold ring I found. But test kit says it isnt gold.....looks gold to me. No mark, and heavy enough. Go figure.