@calumam is hosting a new weekly contest called "word of the week" This weeks word is authenticity and here is my entry - to read the rules and about the contest please look Here!
If you Buy gold or silver you certainly want to be able to check its Authenticity!
But how do you do this??? Well there is several methods...
Some coins actually have a hallmark - These look like coins but they are actually classed as a medallion.. When you see a hallmark you can be much more certain of the Authenticty of the piece. Back in the old days Hallmark forgery wall classed as an extremely serious crime and was punishable by death! lets take a quick look at a hallmark..
These numbers tell you that its 9ct gold (375 parts per 1000 pure) , it was imported to London, the year is 1977. A hallmark is one of the best ways to check a gold items Authenticity. All gold jewellery over 1 gram in the UK must carry a hallmark or it is not considered gold and must be referred to as "yellow metal"
But what if the gold item does not have a hallmark?
Well there is various other methods, there is the specific gravity test, this is actually very accurate and involves a glass of water and some mathematical sums, but its not always ideal because you might not want to get certain types of jewellery wet, particularly if it has opals in it! you can see the test being performed here..
my little collection of opals
Another method of testing Authenticity is to use nitric acid - this test is absolutely fool proof and will totally tell the difference from a plated piece to a solid piece - It is however known as a "destructive" test and is known to leave scratch marks and a acid spot so is well advised to be done discreetly.
Another method is to have the coin graded at one of the numismatic grading centers, This guarentees the Authenticity of the coin and preserves it for future generations, is also gives a solid guarantee of condition - This is primarily used to gauge condition rather than authenticate a piece but it does have its place, here's my NGC graded Sovereign.
And finally you have XRF scanning, This uses complex equipment and xray technology to get a very strong indication of the Authenticiy of the item. This is the most preferred non destructive way to test gold bars and coins - when you goto a jewellers or coin dealer they may use this tech on your item. However the equipment is exspensive and not many consumers can not afford to buy one. (good machines cost upwards of 10k GBP)
Overall as you can see there is many ways to tests golds Authenticity and a with experience you will know what one to choose.
This is my entry to the word of the week comp 001, Thanks for reading:)