Gold will not float on water because gold is much denser. The property of gold sinking in water can help you distinguish between genuine and fake gold.
A Sluice Box uses works by letting gold drop to bottom of moving water.
Checking if gold is real
To get the best value of the gold, experts advise you choose genuine gold. Thus, it’ll be good to consider the real gold when you purchase gold and reject the fake ones. You don’t need to hire a gold professional to help you know if the gold is real or fake. You can use various simple ways to distinguish between genuine and fake gold. The following are ways you can easily use to check for real gold:
1. Using the nitric acid
You can check for real gold using the nitric acid technique. First, using a tweeze or any sharp object, you need to make a less noticeable scratch on the gold. After which, drop a small amount of nitric acid to penetrate the scratched surface. After dropping the little amount on the surface you had scratched, wait for a few seconds for any chemical reaction.
If you observe some reaction or changes in the place you scratched, then the gold is fake. Because genuine gold shouldn’t react with nitric acid, you will observe a clear liquid that won’t have any effects on the gold for real gold.
2. Using the magnet test
Gold is a metal that experts consider to be non-magnet. Thus, the magnet test will be beneficial to identify real gold. You will need a strong magnet, which you’ll rub gently or place above the gold. The magnet shouldn’t attract real gold. If you find the metal getting drawn to the magnet, that is fake gold. Those are majorly other alloys or imitations of pure gold.
3. Using the float test
You’ll only need a cup or basin of water, depending on the size of the gold you want to test. If you place any form of genuine gold on top of the water in the cup or basin, it will automatically sink. The reason for sinking is that according to the density of metals, gold is 19 times denser than water.
Thus, when you place it on water, it should displace water and get to the water base. Imitations of gold will stay afloat; therefore, you should note that any substance that remains in on water is not real gold.
Additionally, gold doesn’t discolor the water or rust; hence, any object that discolors the water, you should disregard as genuine gold.
4. Using the skin test
This test is very effective with the jewelry gold. However, it may take a long time for you to realize if the gold is genuine. If you have gold on your skin, real gold won’t change the skin color to greenish if the jewelry turns your skin color to either greenish or bluish, then that gold is fake.
Where to find gold outdoors
People usually find gold in the veins of quartz that are underground. These veins may vary in size and are mostly in countries leading with gold mining like South Africa. However, some of the gold deposits may be found just above the ground. The gold may be in the form of small nuggets and flakes at riverbeds of fast-flowing rivers and streams. This gold may have been freed from the mountain rocks by flooding, erosions, and weathering.
Additionally, in bends of slow-flowing rivers, you can also get some gold deposits. Most of the gold will settle on the clay at the bottom of the river bend because it is so dense. You can use panning to separate the gold from the clay. From the place you see the clay on the bend, you can make up follow-up down starts on the river to determine the site where the gold deposits have settled.
Prices of gold
The price of gold varies depending on various factors. The supply and demand of gold are the key players in the variation of prices. The location and quality of the gold will also affect the prices of gold. Companies and gold vendors sell gold per kilo, gram, or ounces. The following are the prices of gold worldwide, which fluctuate daily:
Price per kilo -$ 57, 550.00
Price per gram – $ 58. 55
Price per ounce – $ 1795.00
About gold
Gold is a metal with a yellow and shiny appearance. Experts consider gold the most valuable metal in the world. Gold has various features that make it very useful in the world today.
Among the uses, people use gold in medical and dental units because gold is chemically inert. In addition, industries use gold in various electrical appliances, including computers and laptops, as it’s a good conductor of electricity. Lastly, people can use gold as a medium of exchange and a show of wealth for some people due to its value.
Flakes vs. nugget
Gold flakes include the thin sheets that you obtain after people have hammered the gold. Due to the gold’s ductile feature, individuals can hammer them into some thin sheets after mining. These sheets come in various sizes and shades.
While the gold nuggets are naturally occurring pieces of native gold, the placer mining usually discovers these pieces. They may also be at the residual deposits with remains of the weathered gold-bearing veins. Thus, unlike the flakes you get after hammering the gold, the nugget will occur naturally.
When buying gold or any gold products, you need to us the ways to ensure you get genuine gold. The gold being denser than water, the nuggets or flakes of gold should sink in water. You can easily find this raw gold outdoors on the riverbeds of fast-flowing rivers or the bends or slowly moving rivers.
Gold does not float in water. It also does not float in alcohol, you can see that by looking at bottle of goldschlager and seeing all gold at bottom.
