There are different reasons you might want a jeweler to perform a basalt stone test on a piece of gold jewelry. You might want to know if the gold you own is the real thing, or you might want to have jewelry appraised for resale. Regardless of reason, a basalt stone test tells you one thing for sure: whether or not your gold is pure.
Gold purity matters because it directly influences how much your jewelry is valued. Naturally, the higher the gold content, the more valuable a piece is. Fortunately, basalt stone tests are easily done and are pretty safe when done at a reputable jewelry store.
The basalt stone testing method may sometimes be referred to as an acid test or a touchstone test, but all these terms refer to a similar procedure that uses similar tools.
The first step of this test is to have a jewelry appraiser perform a visual inspection of your jewelry. They will check for chips, scratches, color quality, and other characteristics that can tell them about the quality of gold.
Next, they scratch a small area of gold jewelry onto a basalt stone. This should leave a streak on the stone on which acid is applied. The gold and nitric acid produce result in a reaction that can then be measured. Results indicate the purity of the gold jewelry.
Generally, the appraiser will resort to stronger acids to test higher-karat gold. For instance, 24k gold could need nitric acid mixed with hydrochloric acid to produce a reaction, while nitric acid on its own can be sufficient to produce a reaction for lower-karat gold. This is because higher-karat gold is resistant to acids and only reacts with much stronger chemicals. The more reactive the acid mixture is with the streak of gold on the basalt stone, the less likely it is to be higher-karat.
Some appraisers may also be equipped with special needles made of different gold karat levels. They scratch these needles on the same stone to compare and contrast reactions to them and your jewelry; it is another way to verify what they observed.
Based on what arises, jewelers can ascertain your gold jewelry’s level of purity, assign a fair price, and you can get a better understanding of how much it’s really worth.
The basalt stone test is considered safe and won’t harm your jewelry. It will not affect jewelry weight. Appearance will also remain the same because reputable jewelry appraisers ensure that they scratch a concealed area of a piece, or create a notch in a hidden spot to collect a small sample. Basalt stone testing for gold is a technique that has been used for centuries and is still in widespread practice today. Though other gold testing techniques exist at present, basalt salt testing is preferred by many jewelry appraisers because of its relative ease and yield of immediate results.
Though there are basalt stone kits that can be purchased online, it is recommended to seek the expert services of reputable jewelry appraisers for this procedure.
