Hi Gang, Well here’s another “restarting” question. I finally got an
acid testing set-- something I never had back in the 70s & 80s. Now I
can test for 10, 14, & 18 KG plus Silver. Yay!
Here’s the question-- my Aunt sent me a large roll of wire which we
sort of think is some kind of binding wire my uncle had on hand.
However, my Aunt said she found it in one of his hidey holes where
he hid precious things-- such as gold, coins, silver, etc. (he has
since passed on-- rest his soul). The wire was both non-magnetic &
un-tarnished–.
Just in case it really might be a precious metal, I tested for
silver and eliminated that possibility. Then I used the 18k gold
testing acid and a scratch stone. The scratch made with the wire
remained untouched. Hmmm white gold, I thought-- my heart beating
faster. My husband kept saying it was probably aluminum. So I took a
piece of known aluminum and scratched the stone-- same thing. The
line looked a lot like the wire scratch line – and the acid did not
touch it. Awww…
Next day, my husband brought a friend’s ring home that needed a new
stone. He said the guy thought it was steel but didn’t know. It is
white metal, fairly heavy and thick-- and non magnetic. There had
been a stone in it but now only a depression remained. I assumed it
was costume-- as the stone hole did not go all the way through. My
logic here is simply that a good stone would require an open back–
and who would put a poor stone in a platinum, paladium setting?
I was able to gypsy set a stone into this band after expanding the
opening and drilling the hole all the way through. It was a bit
tough, but not so hard it could not be drilled. I’m thinking
aluminum would have bee very light & soft-- right? In any case, I was
able to push the metal around the stone, and with some effort, buff
it up.
And oh yes, this ring withstood the scratch test for 18kg – just
like the wire did, and tested out for non-silver.
Both of these things are a mystery to me. Does aluminum withstand
the acid test for gold? Any suggestions on how these things can be
identified? What sort of clues, process of elimination… etc. ?
Still hoping that roll of wire is really platinum–!!
Thanks & Cheers,
Carol / Austin