It is necessary to examine the purity of gold meticulously whether you are new in gold investing or simply want to venture in the jewelry business. There are several gold testers to help you choose authentic gems and avoid being swindled. Veteran jewelers can find out if the yellow metal is real by simply looking at it without any special gadget but ordinary people cannot do this.
One of the most popular and traditional process of gold testing is to apply different acids one after the other. Gold will certainly react to these chemicals. Another alternative is the scratch (touchstone) check. In this case, the gold piece and testing needles are scraped against the testing stone. Afterwards, acid is smeared on deposits that have accumulated on this stone. Changes in color are compared and assessed to determine authenticity.
Unfortunately, acid testing is quite harmful. These are nitric and hydrochloric acids that can harm inexperienced or untrained users. You need to wear the proper gear such as safety eyeglasses and rubber gloves if you wish to perform this kind of test. Spillage during transport is also another factor. Besides, airports are very strict with these compounds so extensive preparations and precautions are required before these acids can be shipped to other places.
Given all these, the best option is the electronic gold tester. This contemporary device makes use of special gels or liquids. The three known companies in the United States that manufacture these testers are Oris Nelson Company (RS Mizar), Tri-Electronics and another company called Gemoro. The last two produce professional instruments used for testing huge volumes of gold pieces on a day to day basis. On the other hand, Mizar testers are more appropriate for minor or low volume tests. These are also cheaper collectively but more expensive on a per-testing basis.