Platinum is a brightly sparkling noble metal of silver color. The modern jewelry industry annually uses about 50 tons of platinum in the production of jewelry. In this case, both pure metal and its alloys can be used. To distinguish metal from a fake and not become a victim of deception, it is important to know a few simple ways to determine the authenticity of platinum.
Check the authenticity of platinum
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We determine the authenticity of platinum by interacting the metal with other substances
Use an ordinary iodine solution to determine the authenticity of a precious metal. Place one drop on the product and observe it. If the drop is dark, this means real platinum. Moreover, the darker the stain, the higher the grade of this product.
You can also find out about the authenticity of the metal by heating an experimental sample with a glass blowing torch. Genuine platinum will glow white hot, but will not melt. If you run a heated soldering iron tip over the metal surface, natural platinum will be distributed over it in an even layer.
Ammonia, when interacting with metals, causes blackening, but this will never happen when it comes into contact with platinum.
If you have access to concentrated hydrochloric and nitric acids, as well as the skills to handle them, prepare the so-called aqua regia. To do this, mix one part nitric acid with three parts hydrochloric acid. Place the test item in the solution. If it does not begin to dissolve in cold aqua regia, you have real platinum. The fake precious metal will immediately begin to dissolve in the cold solution.
Comparing platinum with silver
To determine the authenticity of a product, you can also compare it with your own silver jewelry. Take any silver item that is close in size to the platinum item being examined. Weigh the item made of silver in your palm first, and then the one that is supposedly made of platinum. If it turns out to be significantly heavier than the first one, most likely it is genuine platinum, since it is indeed about twice as heavy and dense as silver.
Platinum is a precious metal that is used to create jewelry. It became known back in the 18th century, but platinum has only now received a wide range of applications. Platinum is now used to make small jewelry such as rings, earrings and chains. Only small jewelry is popular because of its high final cost, which not everyone can afford. In the era of the Internet, it is very easy to buy jewelry, but there is one drawback - until you receive the item you cannot see and evaluate it, that is, you can easily buy a fake on the Internet. You can protect yourself from this by purchasing a platinum item in a special store, but even here you cannot be completely confident in the integrity of the sellers. The question arises - how to determine platinum, or rather its authenticity, and even at home?
Determine the weight and density of the decoration
Platinum is quite heavy and can only be compared with the metals of its group: iridium, osmium, uranium and rhenium. All other metals are much lighter. On top of that, when producing jewelry, the weight of platinum will be from 85% to 95% of the total mass. In other words, platinum jewelry is made almost entirely of base metal. And therefore, how to distinguish platinum from possibly similar other metals is a very important question.
For example, gold and silver products have less precious metal in their mass, which affects its cost and overall value. In such a mixture, it is not advisable to use iridium, osmium or rhenium for weighting, since they, in addition to the same price as platinum, are also rarely found in the natural environment. To understand whether the jewelry is made from real raw materials, you need to select a sample that needs checking and compare it with one of similar size. Such a ring will be much heavier than the opponent, but if the ring is the size of a grape, you will have to use precise scales to determine the platinum.
If you have a measuring cup or other container for measuring volume, you can use it to measure the density of the decoration. To do this, weigh the product and lower it into a vessel with water, after which we look at the volume of water squeezed out in cubic centimeters (should be about 21.45).
If approximately 21.45 cubic centimeters of water have been removed, then we can talk about the authenticity of the decoration.
Chemistry will help
Science can teach you how to determine platinum at home; there are many videos in which experienced jewelers teach this testing method. For example, you can use a product that is in every first aid kit - iodine. Its drop on a product made from original raw materials should be dark, this will be an indicator of authenticity. The darker the iodine, the higher the purity of the metal, and after wiping, there should be no streaks left on the product.
Ammonia is also a good way to test the precious metal. If platinum is exposed to it, then it will not react in any way to its influence, all other metals will turn black and this will be a good method to check the authenticity of jewelry.
It's unlikely, but you may have nitric and hydrochloric acid at your disposal at the same time. These chemical liquids must be mixed in a ratio of 1 to 3 to obtain the so-called “royal vodka”. When heated, the mixture will gradually dissolve the platinum, but when cold, nothing should happen.
Distinguishable from silver
Silver has a much lower price than platinum, which is why unscrupulous manufacturers often pass off silver as a more expensive metal. To identify silver, look at the color of the item. The counterfeit metal is lighter, while silver has a certain gray tint. Also remember that large jewelry is not made from platinum due to its high cost, so if you are offered a large chain at a low price, then it is most likely a scam.
From left to right: silver, platinum and white gold.
You can test platinum at home “by the tooth”, platinum will withstand being bitten, and silver will receive a small mark from the tooth. Platinum is harder and therefore resistant to physical impact. At home, you can also take a rotten egg on which you can put both decorations. Silver will turn black due to hydrogen sulfide, but platinum will retain its fresh appearance as before, which will help determine the authenticity of the product.
Heating
Platinum is very refractory, so it cannot be melted using a lighter flame. It will also not succumb to a gas stove or even a burner. This material does not change color when heated, since it is impossible to quickly change its temperature. That is why, when the platinum ring is briefly heated, you can put it on your finger without fear, because the jewelry inside will not have time to warm up. But based on this experiment, it is impossible to draw unambiguous conclusions, which means you must either use other verification methods or contact a specialist who knows exactly how to check the authenticity of the platinum product you purchased.
It is a specialist who will be able to help if you do not know how to test platinum. And only then can you be completely sure that you are wearing a real noble metal.
Today, platinum is the most expensive material for making jewelry. The demand for such jewelry and the high cost of raw materials have led to the appearance of unscrupulous sellers on the market who want to enrich themselves at the expense of the uninformed population. How to determine platinum and not fall for the tricks of scammers? Everything is very simple. You just need to know some of the subtleties of checking metal for authenticity.
I learned about platinum back in the 18th century. The first deposit was discovered in Russia. This expensive precious metal is found in nature ten times less often than gold, which is why it is nicknamed the “queen of metals.” Platinum has a high density, excellent wear resistance and resistance to corrosion. The metal feels heavier to the touch than other alloys. The ratio of the percentage of pure substance is 85-95%. Thus, it turns out that platinum products consist of almost pure metal. The impurities are iridium and osmium. Platinum products do not break, bend or tarnish over time. This is another plus to all the other advantages of white metal.
Despite how long ago platinum was discovered, it has only become popular in our time. These raw materials are used to make beautiful jewelry in the form of rings, earrings, chains, pendants and thin necklaces. They produce only small-sized products, because... massive items will be very expensive, and not everyone can afford it. For example, a 5 gram ring will cost about 1500-2000 thousand dollars.
Under the guise of noble metal, counterfeits made from cheaper raw materials are increasingly being sold. There are ways to distinguish platinum from non-precious material at home.
Methods for checking platinum jewelry
Not every jewelry buyer is an expert in determining its authenticity. All that remains is to rely on the integrity of the seller and the popularity of the company. Jewelry is usually stamped to indicate the authenticity of the metal. The values that apply to platinum are 850, 900, and 950. The first two digits indicate the percentage of precious metal in the alloy. But what to do if the hallmark has worn off over time, and the appearance of the ring or pendant has become worn out and looks more like silver. Of course, you can submit the product for an independent examination, but this is a waste of money and time. There are several other trouble-free ways to check the originality of platinum, which are easy to do on your own.
Physical methods
There are several physical methods that do not require special professional skills or sophisticated equipment:
- You need to pay attention to the color of the product. Silver has a darker and duller hue, while platinum looks brighter and shinier. In addition, it does not darken or fade even during long-term storage;
- weigh similar platinum and silver items. If you pick up jewelry made of expensive metal, it will be much heavier than the same thing made of silver. If the jewelry is too small and it is difficult to determine its weight, then you can use a pharmacy scale;
- checking for temperature changes. If you pick up a piece of platinum and hold it in your palm for a few minutes, it will not heat up. This is due to the poor thermal conductivity of the material. If the jewelry is made of silver or another alloy, then after such manipulations it will heat up;
- "tooth check" This method has been known for a long time. Platinum has such a high density that its surface is difficult to damage. The product can even be scratched by something sharp and not a trace will remain. If it is silver, then the softness of its structure will leave marks on it from mechanical impact;
- Platinum is refractory and is not afraid of high temperatures. If you bring a product made from it to an open fire, nothing will happen, the color will not change, no trace will remain. It won’t even heat up, while it will be impossible to put a silver ring on your finger.
Another way to check a platinum product involves performing some calculations. You need to place the decoration in a container of water and calculate the volume of liquid displaced. The result obtained is divided by the mass of the product. For precious metals it will be equal to 21.45, for silver - 10.5.
Chemical methods
You can determine platinum at home using iodine. A drop of this reagent on metal will be dark. The darker it is, the higher the content of pure metal in the alloy. In addition, after wiping off the iodine, not a trace should remain on the jewelry.
Ammonia can also be used to test for noble metals. Having reacted with this substance, platinum will not react in any way, and silver will immediately darken.
If there is hydrochloric and nitric acid in the house, then they are also used to determine the originality of platinum. The reagents are mixed in a ratio of 1:3. Such a mixture will dissolve all metals, but not platinum.
Criteria for choosing platinum products when purchasing
Of course, no one will carry ammonia or, especially, a mixture of acids with them when purchasing a platinum product. How can you check that the seller is offering original jewelry? It goes without saying that the first thing you should pay attention to is the mark on the reverse side of the product. Every self-respecting manufacturer must put it on all jewelry.
You can do a test with a magnet. All noble metals are immune to its power. However, this method does not guarantee 100% results, because silver will also not be attracted.
In a store, you can weigh a gold product on one palm and put platinum on the other. Whatever is heavier will be the metal you are looking for. If you still have doubts about the originality of platinum, it is better to make a purchase in the presence of a specialist or someone who is at least theoretically versed in the selection of such things.
Platinum is a noble precious metal that is very popular among lovers of exquisite jewelry. Currently, the cost of one gram of platinum, provided it is purchased from Sberbank, is 2,202 rubles; in particularly complex jewelry it can cost much more. That is why other metals, including non-precious ones, are often passed off as platinum.
In addition, various alloys containing an insignificant amount of platinum are often passed off as pure metal. How not to make a mistake when buying a product made of platinum, and what are the ways to check the authenticity of the metal at home?
Home methods for determining the authenticity of platinum
If the authenticity of a platinum product is in doubt, you can check it using the following substances:
Alcohol solution of iodine
It is believed that a drop of iodine applied to the surface of platinum will remain dark, and the more saturated its shade, the higher the sample of the substance being tested.
"Aqua regia"
A mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids in a ratio of three to one is called “aqua regia.” This solution has the ability to dissolve metals, but its effect does not apply to platinum. If you put jewelry that is actually made of platinum into it, it will remain in its original form.
In the event that a fake is hidden under the guise of platinum, “aqua regia” will dissolve it without a trace. It is worth considering that the solution must be cold - even platinum will dissolve in a hot mixture.
Liquid ammonia
When interacting with most metals, the compound causes their surface to turn black. This does not happen when exposed to platinum.
Magnet
Platinum, like other precious metals, is resistant to magnetism. If the product being tested is attracted to a magnet, it contains minimal or no precious metal.
Concentrated salt solution
At home, you can conduct an interesting and safe experiment that will allow you to determine the nature of the jewelry being tested. To do this, you need to pour a concentrated saline solution into a regular tin can and lower the product into it. You need to connect the can and the product to a regular battery in the following sequence: to the plus – the supposed platinum, and to the minus – the tin can.
If there is a fake in the container, a precipitate will form in the solution, which will lead to its cloudiness. If the jewelry being tested is actually made of platinum, the solution will remain transparent, but chlorine will begin to be released from it, the presence of which can be detected by its characteristic pungent odor.
Platinum or silver?
You can distinguish platinum from silver by the following characteristics:
Color
Although these metals are very similar in appearance, upon closer examination you will find differences in their shade: silver is gray in color, while platinum is lighter and shinier.
Weight
If there are scales in the house that are capable of determining the exact weight of the product with a minimum error, you can compare the mass of the product made of silver with the mass of the product being tested (provided that their volume is approximately the same). Platinum is a heavy metal, therefore the difference in weight with a silver product of the same size should be significant.
The likelihood that the product is an alloy of silver with another heavy metal (for example, ) is extremely low, because such substances also have considerable cost, are quite rare in nature and are not used in the manufacture of counterfeits of platinum products.
Resistance to mechanical stress
Platinum is a metal characterized by increased hardness (), while silver is deformed under slight external influence. If the item has changed shape due to force being applied to it, the likelihood that it is not made of platinum is extremely high.
Density
Jewelry made from platinum has a higher density than jewelry made from silver. If you lower the test metal into a vessel with water and measure the volume of liquid displaced by it, and then divide the weight of the product by the resulting value, you should get a figure approximately equal to 21.45. This is exactly the density of pure platinum, without impurities or additives.
We welcome you to the leading website for purchasing precious metals in the Russian Federation. Our scientific center will devote today's educational program to issues of the authenticity of such a precious metal as . Here are just 4 of the simplest and most effective methods you can use.
1. Estimate the weight of the product by comparing it with gold or silver of similar volume. A platinum product will be heavier than gold and significantly heavier than silver. The main difference between platinum and other metals is, of course, its weight. Also, rhenium and uranium have similar masses. All other elements existing in nature are lighter than platinum. In addition, 850, 900 or 950 platinum is used in the manufacture of jewelry. This means that the product consists of 85%, 90% or 95% pure platinum, respectively. The content of pure gold or silver in the jewelry alloys used is much lower, so platinum products are always heavier. It makes no sense to weigh platinum with metals of similar weight, since iridium, osmium and rhenium are quite rare and are comparable in cost to platinum. You don’t even need to mention uranium.
2. Platinum is not affected by any substances used in everyday life. This means that neither acetic acid, nor iodine solution, nor hydrogen peroxide can leave any traces on a platinum product. Platinum is a noble metal - it does not oxidize in air or water. It is one of the most inert metals and does not react with any known acids or alkalis without heating. Slowly dissolves only in a mixture of concentrated nitric and hydrochloric acids (“regia vodka”) and liquid bromine.
3. Platinum cannot be melted with ordinary burners used in everyday life - a lighter, the flame of a regular gas stove, etc. Also, such heating will not cause a change in the color of the product. Platinum is an extremely refractory metal. For a long time, it was this property that prevented its active use in industry and jewelry.
4. The most acceptable way to determine platinum at home is to measure the density of the product. To do this, you need to determine the weight of the object in grams. Then determine the volume of water in cubic centimeters displaced by it. To do this, you can use a suitable measuring vessel. Then you need to divide the weight of the product in grams by the volume of displaced water in cubic centimeters. If the figure is close to 21.45, then it means you are dealing with platinum. Naturally, there should be no voids in the material being measured. But there is a fifth, most accurate and easiest way to determine the authenticity of platinum. To do this, you just need to bring samples of your Platinum to
Academy of Precious Metals, where we will be able to carry out an accurate analysis of the samples you provide on the spot as quickly and free of charge as possible. All methods are good, but this one is the best and most accurate. Contact us, we will be glad to cooperate with you.