How Do I Know If Gold or Silver Jewelry Is Real?

The fastest check is the hallmark — a small stamp, usually on a clasp or the back of a pendant, indicating metal purity. For gold, that's a karat number (10K, 14K, 18K) or the equivalent purity decimal (750 = 18K, 585 = 14K). For silver, "925" indicates sterling silver, 92.5% pure.

A hallmark alone isn't absolute proof — fake stamps exist — but its absence on a piece claiming to be solid gold or sterling silver is a real red flag worth asking about directly.

Two home checks worth knowing, though neither is definitive on its own: real gold isn't magnetic, so strong attraction to a magnet rules out solid gold; and gold has genuine weight to it — a piece that feels unusually light for its size is worth a closer look.