Assays or tests are what we use to determine the purity of precious metal samples. The more pure a sample is, the more valuable it is. That’s why, in order to make sure we give you the fairest payout possible, we always run an assay to check the purity of your precious metal lot. At Manhattan Gold & Silver, we have three different assay types available, depending on your needs and the size of your lot.
Hand testing – this is the test we use for most of our walk-in patrons. It’s a simple and fast way to test a small amount of gold or precious metal. We take a piece of the metal and scratch it against a basalt stone. This leaves a residue of the metal. By pouring an acid over this scratch mark and observing the reaction, we can tell how pure the precious metal is.
X-ray testing – this is another test we can perform onsite. It’s more accurate than a hand test, but it is used for larger batches of precious metal. It’s also very fast and accurate to about five parts per thousand
Machine used for X-Ray Testing
Fire Assay – we perform fire assays offsite at our specially equipped melting facility. A fire assay is the most accurate way to test the purity of gold, but the gold must be melted down as part of the test. Despite the amazing accuracy of the fire assay, it unfortunately takes much longer than the other tests. You may need to wait a day or more for the results of a fire assay.
