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Q&As since 1989


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Another Ring Scam

 

I recently bought what I thought was a platinum plated ring but a portion of it has tarnished or become discolored. It almost looks like gold. I am not sure what it really is. I bought it from a jeweler in Canada and now I think it is fake. Can you tell me if I have been scammed? Is it gold or white gold?

Katherine Bruno
- Rochester, NY

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Katherine, one way to check that is by energy dispersive spectroscopy, a non-destructive technique for determining surface chemistry that has worked quite well when one of my co-workers had the same concerns you do. If you know someone with a scanning electron microscope, (Kodak, Xerox, University of Rochester, etc.) see if you can get them to do you a favor. Otherwise stop by my place when you're returning to Canada- Moog Inc. is outside of Buffalo, and we're in the book.

Good luck!
Lee Gearhart
metallurgist - E. Aurora, New York