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Gold plating verification

I bought a goblet at a thrift store that was labeled as electroplated gold. How do I know if this item, or any other, is gold plated?

Zoe Butros
- Buffalo, New York
2003

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Hi, Zoe. There is a nitric acid spot test for gold; for small users it is available as simple gold test kits .

But there is probably no legal requirement for any particular thickness, and the actual thickness is probably only about 20 millionths of an inch -- which means there is no real monetary value associated with gold plating.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.
October 17, 2009

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