Testing for the originality of African Gold

It is not normal for a beginner to wonder about the difference between gold and the other materials that also pose themselves to be it. Sometimes people are misguided into believing that shiny rocks such as iron pyrites and Mica are Gold. Legend has it that in the 1500's, a whole ship of iron pyries was shipped to England. Apparently, the merchants were deceived that was Gold. It did cost them a lot. That's also where the concept of "fool's gold" came from. There are a lot of things to do to check out Gold's originality.

The Glitter Test: Gold does not glitter. It shines. Sometimes it is bright; sometimes it is dull; but very seldom does it glitter. The thing about fool's gold (pyrites or mica), is that because of its crystalline structure, it tends to mostly be of glittery appearance. Take the sample and turn it in your hand in the sunlight. If it is gold, the metal will continue to shine regularly as the specimen is turned. A piece of fool's gold will usually glitter as the different sides of its crystal-like structure reflect light differently.

The Hardness Test: Gold is a soft metal, like lead, and will dent or bend when a small amount of force is applied to it. Pyrites, mica and shiny rocks are generally hard and brittle. Just a little amount of pounding will shatter them. Gold almost never shatters!

The Acid Test: Nitric acid will not affect gold (other than to clean it); whereas, it will dissolve many of the other metals found within a stream bed. Nitric acid can be purchased from some drug stores or prescription counters, and can sometimes be found where gold mining equipment is sold. If you question whether your specimen is some metal other than gold, you could try immersing it in a solution of nitric acid. If your specimen is gold, it will remain rather unaffected. If it is most any other kind of metal, it will dissolve in the acid. Nitric acid will not affect iron pyrites or mica (fools gold), but they are brittle and neither will pass the hardness test.
Nitric acid can be dangerous to work with, and certain precautions must be taken to prevent harm to yourself and/or your equipment when working with it. 

All the best in your dealings. Don't forget to taKe our contact and reach out to us anytime you need help on reaching legitimate gold buyers. Thank you.