Cleaning a tarnished 14K gold necklace

SweepNbeep

SweepNbeep

Full Member
Mar 3, 2017
190
294
The North Star State
Detector(s) used
Garrett AT Pro & Ace 400
Primary Interest:
Other
Hi all,

I was doing some diving yesterday with the AT Pro, and found what I thought was an old copper necklace. I set it in the boat without giving it much thought, and continued to search.
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Imagine my surprise when upon further inspection I saw this beautiful 14K mark on the clasp. The other half of the clasp is marked "583" so, unless it's a fake, it should in fact be GOLD.
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But my question is this. Why does it look so tarnished? Is all of the gold wore off from rolling around at the bottom of the lake for so long? Or, is what I'm seeing merely the tarnish of the silver and copper that makes up the alloy? I'm a little confused because any other gold I have ever found, even 10K, looks like gold the minute you uncover it. I've never really seen tarnished gold before, it doesn't seem right to me.
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This thing may not look so hot, but it's a whopping 24" long, and weighs in at over 17 grams. Does anyone have a good way to get it looking like new again? I was thinking a little acetone bath perhaps? Or, is it just wore down to the point that it is what it is? All advice is appreciated.

Thanks
 

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IMO, no way gold should ever look like that. Try soaking it in olive oil for a day or two
 

For some reason I can't see the photos, but 14K should not tarnish. I have seen 10K turn green but cleaned up nicely.
Best way is to do an acid test and start at 10K.
 

Maybe the clasp is 14k, Id use jewelry cleaner.
 

Loco-Digger said:
Maybe the clasp is 14k, Id use jewelry cleaner.
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You know, I thought of that, but then why would it be just as tarnished as the rest of the necklace? I agree that 14K gold should not tarnish. My fear is that it was gold plated, and sold as 14K to some poor, unsuspecting person. Then, he lost it, and after some time being rolled through the sand by the waves, all the plating wore off. I will try to clean it, I've got nothing to lose. I'm also going to look into the acid test. Thanks.
 

I think you've got a fake as it looks like copper to me. May you find some real gold soon! HH ALL
 

That's gotta be a fake - All the gold I find in the water comes out beautiful, 10K a little dull; but cleans up nice & quick.

14K, you'll know as soon as you see it :)
 

I forgot what it rang up as underwater, so I just ran it under the AT Pro to see what it registers. It shows up as a solid 50. The only things that usually show up as a 50 are pop tabs, nickels, and gold. Based on my experience with the AT Pro, I'm ruling out copper, that would ring up in the 80's.
 

It is possible that it was laying with another metal and it "bled" onto the gold, but it should come off
 

b3y0nd3r said:
It is possible that it was laying with another metal and it "bled" onto the gold, but it should come off
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I believe there is a fair amount of iron in the water. Maybe that's what is causing it? Still seems fishy to me. I haven't tried cleaning it yet.

In the meantime, I got my hands on a really good magnifier. What I thought was marked 583, actually reads "505". I'm not sure what that means. As far as I know, that would not meet the purity specs for 14K, or any other common gold content. The only thing I can find on that marking, is there is a 50.5% platinum, called platinum 505. Could this thing be platinum? I doubt it, but who knows. That shouldn't tarnish either, I wouldn't think.
 

14K gold plated.

Very cheap clasp for anything of value such as gold or platinum
 

That thing is faker than fake. 14K won't do that, especially in a freshwater lake. Have you ever seen the types of people that wear that style of 'bling' - they usually wear sweatpants in public, ride the bus and don't have two nickels to rub together.
 

Did you ever find out if it was for sure real or fake?

I know people will argue this, But I have seen 14k(which a lot of times is actually 12k) look dark brown or black for whatever reason. It will usually clean right up though. I've even had a dark brown or Black looking 18k pocket watch case. No clue what it went through to make it dark, and it cleaned up really easy.

No, not platinum.

That type of clasp is used on gold. The copper look is a bad sign though. along with the pitting look. I would also guess fake.
 

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To be honest Nitric, I kind of gave up on it. I became so convinced it was fake, that I haven't even tried cleaning it yet. You say you've seen brown / black gold clean right up? That gives me a glimmer of hope. Tell me what method you used, and I'll try it. About the only thing I know for sure right now, is that it is NOT copper, even though it looks like it.

Thanks
 

How did you come to the conclusion that it is not copper?

It is copper or a copper alloy, imo.
 

xr7ator said:
How did you come to the conclusion that it is not copper?

It is copper or a copper alloy, imo.
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I ran it under the AT Pro. Maybe not the most scientific way to tell, but it rings up a 50, and has a moderate tone. Copper would be 80+, and higher pitched. Pre 82' pennies are always ringing up around 80-81, and they are 95% copper if I'm not mistaken.
 

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SweepNbeep said:
To be honest Nitric, I kind of gave up on it. I became so convinced it was fake, that I haven't even tried cleaning it yet. You say you've seen brown / black gold clean right up? That gives me a glimmer of hope. Tell me what method you used, and I'll try it. About the only thing I know for sure right now, is that it is NOT copper, even though it looks like it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

Yes, For some reason gold mixed with other metals, anything under 24k, will have a reaction to certain things. What? I have no clue! I believe it's the other metals reacting and not the gold. I have no clue what you found is or isn't. But I have seen it dark a few times. At first, when I was buying I was told gold won't tarnish. I learned later that that isn't true, and have bought gold items that others would pass on because of that belief. No idea what causes it to turn.

Anything! Baking soda, even a jewelry polish cloth. Like people have for their silverware sets. Usually it will come right off if it is gold. You could even use car polish that has a real fine grit. You can't really hurt it if it's gold. Just use something fine. Heck real fine steel wool will work too. It will just need a final polish after that. I've heard of people even using toothpaste. It shouldn't take much work to get it polished if it is gold. A few swipes. I also knew an older lady that cleaned her jewelry in tea. No clue what kind. :laughing7:

The quickest way to find out is take it to someone with nitric acid. Usually, jewelry makers or repair people, some coin shops, and maybe even a pawn shop. If they drip nitric on the copper looking areas and if it is copper? It will fizz and turn green. If that happens? Don't waste your time with it, It's fake. Sometimes repairs are done and clasps or rings get changed, never count on those as your indicator, have them check the actual chain. If I had to guess based on pics alone? I would guess that it's no good, but? That doesn't mean anything! I've seen some odd stuff. :laughing7:
 

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Thanks Nitric, I'll give it a try. Stay tuned, I'm going to post pics good, bad, or ugly. But it's going to have to wait a few days.
 

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