If you are someone who deals with jewelery or precious minerals, you may have heard of a substance also referred to as fake gold. Although gold is a precious metal, this fake gold, which is actually the pyrite mineral, has almost no value.
Pyrite is a common crystalline iron sulfide mineral that can be found as small crystals in soil and deposits. This mineral is formed by a reaction between sulfide and iron and can appear in gold, silver, chrome and even rainbow colors.
Pyrite’s resemblance to gold and its much easier availability make it one of the best substitutes for gold for more affordable jewelry and ornaments. But the problem here is when pyrite is bought or sold at the gold equivalent price. In other words, we often see cases where scammers sell it as if it were real gold.
How to spot fake gold and real gold?
There are some tests that can be done to understand the difference between pyrite and gold. If the deterioration of the structural integrity of the material in your hand is not a problem for you, you can use destructive tests such as hardness, cuttability, softness, and scarring tests.
The Moh test uses a scaling that shows which materials can scratch which. In this scale, the hardness score of pyrite is between 6 and 6.5, and gold is around 2.5 points. For example, copper with a Moh score of 3 will scratch gold while pyrite will not.
Cuttability of the material means that it can be cut with a sharp knife. While pyrite cannot be cut with a knife, small pieces of gold can.
In the softness test, how easily the material bends is checked. Under pressure, gold is soft, which makes it easy to bend and collapse without breaking. Pyrite, on the other hand, either never bends or breaks under pressure.
Using a streak test (or streak test), a sample is scraped across a sheet of unglazed porcelain, also called a streak plate. The color of the powder residue remaining on the plate is the “line” of the material. The yellow line indicates gold, and the black, green or brown line indicates pyrite.
But if you don’t want your potentially valuable metal to be damaged, non-destructive tests can be used, although with a little less certainty.
While the two appear mostly the same color, pyrite will look slightly more brassy than pure gold when comparing samples. Gold found in nature can be alloyed with silver to give it a whiter hue.
Gold is often found in bodies of water where sharp edges smooth over time with the current. However, pyrite tends to have a more angular shape. This test is not reliable as the shape of the material will vary greatly depending on the conditions in which it is found.
While pyrite crystals will have streaks running across the surface of the mineral, gold will not.
When exposed to the natural environment, signs of tarnishing readily appear on the pyrite surface, while gold will remain shiny and unblemished regardless of exposure to the elements.
The specific gravity of an object can also be a distinguishing feature. Specific gravity is its density divided by the density of water. The specific gravity of pyrite is around 5, while that of gold is 19.3.
Magnetization or magnetism can also be used to separate materials. Gold does not contain iron, which means it is not magnetic. But like some gold alloys, pyrite is magnetic.
Finally, perhaps one of the greatest “harmless” properties of pyrite is its rotten egg-like odor. When rubbed with an abrasive object, this offensive odor will be released from the mineral, while gold will give no odor at all.
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