We at Manhattan Gold & Silver have dealt with a fair share of precious metals in our time. However, there is a significant quantity of chains going around with nothing precious about them.
The chains are pretty tricky work as these pictures show:
They look like white gold, are stamped 750 (18K), and will even pass acid tests showing 18k purity. If a jeweler or pawnbroker were to buy one or more of these fakes, it could translate into a significant loss.
The best give-away for these phony chains is their density. As we all know, real gold is an extremely soft metal. If you take one of these chains and rub it or file it, you’ll notice it’s quite hard when compared to real 18k gold. Another hint that they chain is fake is that it will not disappear with the acid. The mark you rubbed on the stone should eventually fade away with the acid. These chains will generally hold up to the acid for longer periods of time. An assay will also reveal the chain as counterfeit, but underequipped jewelers and pawnbrokers will have to rely on experience to spot the fakes. If you are not sure, call us or feel free to show it to us before making an expensive mistake.
Manhattan Gold & Silver has seen a few of these chains come in, but our experience vetted them out for what they were. Unfortunately, we had to inform customers with the chains that they were worthless. To all our customers, please be careful when buying gold pieces and make sure to run a full battery of tests on them to ensure you’re getting actual gold.
