COPYRIGHT 1946 BY C. M.

HOKE

All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced
in any form without permission of the publishers.

To
The First Edition was originally published in S. W. H.
The Brass World—Plating—Polishing—Finishing
of New York

Parts of the Third Edition were published in

The Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone
of New York

PRINTED IN U. S. A.
 TESTING PRECIOUS METALS
Gold, Silver, Platinum Metals

Identifying - Buying - Selling

T HE J EWELERS T ECHNICAL A DVICE C OMPANY was founded in
1912, when platinum was first coming into use as a jewelry metal. A Handbook for the Jeweler, Dentist,
Its manager, Sam W. Hoke, was a pioneer in the technology of
platinum. He patented a series of oxygen-gas torches, used for Antiquarian, Layman
melting and welding platinum, soldering gold and platinum
jewelry, melting quartz glass, etc.
In 1912 the melting of platinum was possible in only a few By C. M. HOKE
plants in the whole world; today it is a commonplace in even the Author of Refining Precious Metal Wastes
smaller jewelry factories.
C. M. Hoke, the writer of this book, has a background of uni-
versity training in chemistry and biology, as well as experience in
the teaching of chemistry. For years she has devoted her time to
instructing jewelers and others in refining, melting, salvaging and
finishing the precious metals, and in developing equipment for
the control of compressed gases.
THIRD EDITION

T HE J EWELERS ’ T ECHNICAL A DVICE C OMPANY

New York, N. Y.
 The book does not discuss assaying (which is the chemical an-
alysis of a small weighed sample) and it gives only a few paragraphs
to the problems of the prospector. Its purpose is to assist the
jeweler, antiquarian, metal buyer and layman to identify precious Contents
metal articles and estimate their value. A knowledge of chemistry
is not required.
One chapter is devoted to quality stamps and karat marks. An- Foreword ............................................................................................ 7
other contains advice not only for the layman with some jewelry
to sell, but also for the jeweler or refiner who might buy it. It Chapter I. The Old Touchstone Method and the Yellow
outlines the evolution of the gold-buying industry, calls attention
Golds ........................................................................................... 11
to the laws under which it operates, and suggests the problems,
profits, and responsibilities that accompany it.
C. M. HOKE. Chapter II. Silver and Some Other White Metals ....................... 18
Palisade, New Jersey, 1945.
Chapter III. The Quality Stamp—”Let the Buyer Beware!” ..... 29

Chapter IV. The Platinum-Group Metals and the White

Golds .......................................................................................... 39
A. New Metals; Old Tests
B. New Metals; New Tests
C. Some Other Tests

Chapter V. Buying and Selling Old Precious Metals ................. 63

Chapter VI. Some Paragraphs for the Prospector ....................... 78

Appendix ........................................................................................... 83
A. A List of Equipment.
B. When Handling Strong Acids.
C. How to Determine Specific Gravity.
D. A Table of Metals, their Melting Points and Specific
Gravities, and their Responses to Acids and to the
Oxy-Gas Flame.
E. Some Definitions and Formulas.

Index ................................................................................................. 91
 Foreword

The precious metals are always interesting—even the prosaic

tasks of testing, refining, working, and selling them command a
perennial interest. For many years the writer has been concerned
with these matters, and the following pages are designed to answer
one group of questions that has arisen time and time again.
If you are handling precious metal articles, you will often need
to distinguish, for example, between a piece of 18-karat and a
piece of 14-karat gold, or to decide whether a given article is white
gold or platinum. If you are buying or selling old jewelry or den-
tal golds, you will often wish to know the approximate value of a
piece, without taking time for an assay, and possibly without in-
juring the article itself.
The purpose of this book is to describe methods, particularly
the touchstone method and its variations, that will give this in-
formation.
The idea of testing gold with a touchstone is very old. We are
told that the Lydians used it in 500 B.C., rubbing the metal against
a smooth stone, then comparing the streak with similar streaks
made by metals of known composition. When during the Middle
Ages men learned to make strong acids, the method became more
exact. During the last few years, with the introduction of the
many new metals and alloys and combinations that now character-
ize the precious metal industries, the method has been greatly am-
plified. In the hands of a careful worker it yields quickly a large
amount of useful information.
These chapters will first describe the touchstone method as used
on the ordinary yellow gold alloys that have been in vogue since
the days of our grandfathers. Then we shall cover silver, and the
white golds and platinum alloys that came into use at about the
time of World War I.
Some other methods of identification that do not employ the
touchstone will also be described, and full attention will be given
to those new alloys and combinations, including the ruthenium al-
loys, which appeared during World War II.
been affixed. The core is usually brass; occasionally it is a gold al-
loy of lower karat; and during World War II use was made of a
sterling silver core, instead of brass, because wartime regulations
forbade the use of brass for jewelry manufacture. Low-priced
novelties are apt to be electroplated and their surface film of pre-
cious metal is very thin indeed.
Most high-grade articles are flash-finished with a light electro-
deposit of pure gold, and when new may be further protected by
lacquer. While these latter films can be removed by a few strokes
of the file, the heavier coatings, such as those found in gold-filled
or rolled-gold goods, are pierced only by a deeply-filed notch. Ac-
cordingly, as we said, the experienced buyer always begins by
filing a deep notch.
NITRIC ACID
The first acid bottle contains chemically pure (C.P.) nitric acid,
full strength, which can be bought from a drugstore or supply
house. This acid attacks the majority of metals, and will destroy
skin, clothing, woodwork, and so on, and therefore must be han-
dled with care. If you should get acid on your skin or clothing, im-
mediately wash it off with much water—hold your hand under the
faucet and let the water run on it freely—and very little harm will
be done. If no running water is nearby, provide a basin of water
for immediate use if needed.
Note that the glass stopper of the acid bottle is extended into a
long tongue. With this tongue, apply a small drop of nitric acid
to each of your metal articles, on a clean surface or in a freshly-cut
notch, and watch the results, noting the color changes, if any. After
a half minute, rinse the acid off with plenty of water, dry, and see
if the metal has been attacked.
Brass or copper boils up instantly and the acid turns green. Gold
of 6-karat* or lower will be attacked almost as promptly, and will
show a green color, due to the copper with which it is alloyed; 10-k
will darken; ordinary gold of 12-k or better will show little or no
reaction.
* The term karat means a twenty-fourth part, and expresses the proportion
of gold in an alloy. Thus pure gold is 24-k; 6-k gold is 6/24ths (or ¼) gold, the
remaining 18/24ths being some other metal or metals. Pure gold is also de-
scribed as “fine” gold, or as being “1000 fine,” and 6-k gold is sometimes spoken
of as “250 fine.”
12
In general, any metal of the yellow color of gold that will stand
this nitric acid test, may be assumed to be gold or a gold alloy.
Note that we say of yellow color, for there are several white metals,
such as platinum and stainless steel, that resist nitric acid.
If possible, get a friend to hand you some unstamped articles of
whose quality he is sure; examine these “unknowns” and report
to him regarding their character, repeating the tests until you have
learned how the various metals and alloys respond to the acid test.
DETERMINING THE KARAT
When the acid test has convinced you that an unknown is indeed
a gold alloy, your next step is to determine its karat, using the
standard needles and the touchstone. Rub first one needle and
then another upon the stone, thus making a series of streaks upon
the smooth surface. Each streak is a thin layer of metallic mole-
cules—molecules of gold and molecules of base metals. Now with
the stopper of your acid bottle, draw a little nitric acid across each
streak.
As you would expect, the base metal molecules, thus exposed to
the acid, will dissolve promptly, while gold molecules remain un-
changed; hence, streaks made by the lower karat needles will al-
most disappear, but those of higher quality will show little or no
response.
Returning then to your unknown, rub it hard against the stone,
making a streak. Suppose you suspect that it is about 10-k quality,
maybe less. Beside the first streak make two others, one with the
10-k needle, another with the 8-k needle. With the stopper of
your acid bottle, draw nitric acid across the three streaks of metal.
13
 Watch the way in which the acid works. As soon as you find a
standard streak whose response is the same as that of your un-
known, then you have found the approximate fineness of the un-
known. By "response" we mean the speed and completeness with
which the streak is attacked.
But suppose your unknown is of such high quality that it is not
affected by plain nitric acid. We must now turn to the second
bottle, which contains chemically pure hydrochloric acid, and we
shall make up some aqua regia.
AQUA REGIA
Aqua regia is a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid.
The name means royal water, and was used by the ancients be-
cause the mixture dissolves gold, the noble metal. Practically the
same results are obtained by adding a little table salt to diluted ni-
tric acid. When aqua regia is first made up, chlorine is evolved, a
noxious gas which attacks metals and should not be permitted to
reach machinery, balances, and so on. Nor should the mixture
be kept in a stoppered bottle, for the evolving gas might break the
container.
Because of this (and also because it spoils on standing) aqua
regia should be made up only as needed. Mix it the same way
every time; the exact proportions are not important, but get ac-
customed to a certain mixture and continue to use it.
It is possible to mix the two acids right on the stone, after mak-
ing the streaks; that is, draw a little nitric acid across the streaks,
then add a little hydrochloric acid, letting the two acids run to-
gether. This is not good practice, however, because each stopper
becomes contaminated with the other acid, creating confusion.
A better plan is this: With a medicine dropper measure out ten
drops of nitric acid into a tiny bottle; add ten drops of water, pre-
ferably distilled; then using a clean dropper add two drops of hy-
drochloric acid. This gives you enough aqua regia for about a
dozen tests. Wash your medicine droppers after every usage.
Returning then to the streak that was not affected by plain nitric
acid, wash and dry the stone, and apply aqua regia with a small
glass rod or a clean medicine dropper. Even fine gold is attacked
by aqua regia. By comparing the response with first one standard
14
CHAPTER I
The Old Touchstone Method and the Yellow
Golds
T HE equipment for testing ordinary golds is shown in the
frontispiece, though most workers will add one or two more
acid bottles. There is the smooth, flat stone, of slate or fine-grained
basalt; there are the so-called needles—pointed bits of yellow gold
of various finenesses,each marked with its quality; a small triangu-
lar file; and the acid bottles. The gold buyer will need in addition
a scale and a set of weights.
Our first task is to make sure that the article to be tested really
is gold. We then determine its quality by rubbing it upon the
stone so as to make a mark or streak, and comparing this streak
with streaks made by the standard needles. This in one paragraph
is the whole story of the touchstone tests.
Let us first acquaint ourselves with the ordinary, old-fashioned
gold alloys of a golden color, postponing our examination of white
golds, silver and the platinum metals until later. For your first
step, obtain several articles of different types, but of whose qual-
ity you are sure; for example, a genuine gold coin or a piece or two
of high-grade jewelry made and stamped by a reputable manufac-
turer; some moderately-priced articles; a handful of very cheap
novelty jewelry that is finished to look like gold; and finally, for
comparison, a piece of clean brass. The more articles, and the
larger their variety, the more quickly you will learn to identify and
appraise the “unknown” articles that will come to you.
THE FILE
The experienced gold-buyer always begins by filing a deep
notch in the article, in order to penetrate any outer layers, and he
may learn immediately that the gold is only skin deep. Medium-
priced jewelry—rolled-gold or gold-filled goods—consists of a core
of inexpensive metal to which an outer layer of karat gold has
11
valuable than they are. Therefore, we repeat, when testing green solder as used in dentistry; it may refer to a gold alloy of high value,
golds, use standard needles made with green gold points. used to join together the parts of a denture.
RED GOLDS The tendency today is away from the conspicuous yellow golds
and toward the white alloys—white golds and alloys containing
These alloys contain more copper and less silver than the yel- platinum-group metals—which will be discussed fully in a later
low golds of the same karat, and respond slightly more rapidly to chapter.
aqua regia. Dental golds do not carry the quality stamps that are commonly
WHITE GOLDS found on jewelry, hence gold buyers who distrust their own ability
A white gold is an alloy that contains enough of some white to appraise metals often refuse to quote on dental alloys. For that
metal to destroy the yellow color. There are two whiteners in gen- reason the buyer who can appraise properly, will find excellent op-
eral use—nickel and palladium. portunities in this field.
Most inexpensive white golds consist primarily of gold and * * *
nickel, to which copper and zinc may be added, sometimes other
metals. When testing them, use the same procedure as with yel- Clean the stone frequently to remove all marks, perhaps by rub-
low golds, but it is wise to use standard needles made with points bing it with fine pumice, or by covering the spots with a little aqua
of white gold. regia. Wash it free of acids before putting it away, or the traces of
Many better quality white golds consist of the same elements, today’s tests may confuse you tomorrow.
gold, nickel, and small amounts of other base metals. However,
many white golds of especially fine quality, including many dental * * *
alloys, are whitened with palladium. A list of the equipment used in these tests will be found in the
Now there is considerable difference in the value of gold-nickel Appendix.
and gold-palladium alloys, assuming that the proportion of gold
* * *
is the same. Hence your concern, after deciding that a given ar-
The Appendix also contains a table of metals with their melting
ticle is white gold, is to learn what kind of white gold it is—nickel-
points and specific gravities, as well as their responses to nitric
gold or palladium-gold. This takes us to a later chapter of this
acid, to hydrochloric acid, and to the oxy-gas flame.
story, in which we cover palladium and nickel.
DENTAL ALLOYS
There are dozens of dental alloys in use, ranging in value from
iridio-platinum pins, through the wrought and casting golds and
high-karat solders, down to the amalgams, base metal “technic”
alloys, and occasional pieces of stainless steel and aluminum that
may find employment in dental work.
Some dental fillings are almost pure gold. If a piece of yellow
metal has been in use in the mouth for some time and still presents
a tarnish-free surface, it probably is gold of good quality, and
should respond to the acid and touchstone tests in much the same
manner as the jewelry alloys. Do not be deceived by the word

16 17
 needle, then another, you can determine the quality of your un-
known.
This test differs slightly in principle from the nitric acid test, in
CHAPTER II that aqua regia dissolves the gold molecules as well as those of most
base metals.
Silver and Some Other White Metals Some workers make up their aqua regia with even more water
than above, because the reactions proceed more slowly with the
T HIS is the group that offers the greatest challenge to the pre-
cious metal buyer, and can offer him the greatest profit. It
includes on one hand the silver alloys, the white golds and the
dilute mixture and therefore are easier to compare. Some workers
use a different proportion of hydrochloric acid.
Note the color changes. Fine gold when dissolved gives a yellow
platinum metals, and on the other hand a vast array of alloys like
color, but this is usually masked by the green color of the copper
stainless steel, which, though handsome and useful, are not pre-
that is almost always present in gold alloys. Nickel, used in most
cious metals. The purchaser wants to be able to separate out,
white golds, also gives a green color. Silver when treated with
from a trayful of white metal articles, precisely those that are valu-
aqua regia, forms a cheesy white substance on the stone which may
able to him, and to do it with speed and assurance. These chapters
well confuse a beginner. Because of the influence of the alloying
will present him with tests that should give him this assurance.
elements, it is well, if possible, to use yellow gold standard needles
There are about seventy metals known to science (the number
when testing yellow gold unknowns, green gold needles with green
is uncertain because some are on the borderline between metal
gold unknowns, and so on.
and non-metal), and of this number all except gold and copper are
described as white. When the student contemplates all the possi- GREEN GOLDS
bilities of composition and value that are presented by the words Green gold alloys, especially those of high quality, contain con-
“a white metal” he must realize that the task calls for care, knowl- siderable silver and little or no copper. The response of silver to
edge, and patience. aqua regia is peculiar, as we shall find in a subsequent chapter.
Fortunately for our purpose, most of the seventy-odd white Green golds respond more slowly to aqua regia than yellow golds
metals are quite unsuited to jewelry making. Thus mercury is of the same karat, and may lead you to think that they are more
liquid at ordinary temperatures; tin is much too soft; potassium
reacts violently with plain cold water; radium gives off rays that
destroy the flesh; and so on.
Our attention therefore will be placed primarily upon those
white metals that are precious, and upon those that are associated
with them, or are apt to be confused with them.

THE MAGNET AS A DETECTIVE

Gold buyers often use a magnet to locate such things as steel
springs in bracelets. If a piece of metal is strongly attracted to a
magnet it is probably iron or steel. However, certain nickel and
cobalt alloys and some kinds of white gold also respond to the mag- Standard needles for testing the quality of
net, which therefore should not be relied upon too implicitly, es- white golds and green golds.

18 15
 Molten palladium absorbs very large volumes of gases, and if
the flame is removed suddenly the gases are expelled violently. The
button that remains will be distorted and honeycombed with
bubbles.
Low grade platinum alloys when heated strongly will darken,
in proportion to the base metal present.
Fine gold, heated to redness, will cool without changing color.
But if even small amounts of base metal are present, the surface
after cooling will show a film of oxide.
The oxy-gas flame, if properly handled, is thus one of the most
illuminating of all quick tests, and the air-gas flame is almost as
useful. This test will be discussed again in Chapter IV, and a
chart showing the responses of several metals to the oxygen flame is
given in the Appendix.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
In general the precious metals are heavier than base metals, and
the experienced worker can obtain a hint as to the value of an
article merely by “hefting” it in his hand. This ratio between the
bulk and the weight of a substance, called its density or specific
gravity, is often helpful in identification. The student soon ob-
serves that platinum and its high grade alloys are somewhat
heavier than the white golds; while steel, nickel, silver, and most
of the base metals are so much lighter than platinum that there
is small excuse for a mistake.
Tungsten and tantalum are two base metals of very high specific
gravity, comparable with that of platinum. However their leaden
color, and the fact that they ignite under the oxy-gas flame and
form colored oxides, reduce the chances of confusion.
This method of identification, which has both its advantages
and its limitations, will be discussed again in Section C of Chapter
IV, and in the Appendix.
HOW SILVER REACTS
As in Chapter I, the first step is to provide yourself with several
articles of whose composition you are sure, then apply to them the
various tests, in turn, and observe the results. Obtain a piece of
good quality sterling silver, something made recently and stamped
20
by a reputable manufacturer; a silver coin; perhaps a bit of some
lower-grade silver alloy; and some stuff that you know to be silver-
plated.
First remove any surface coat, such as lacquer, and to each ar-
ticle apply a drop of nitric acid. Let it remain for thirty seconds
or so, then rinse it off and see if the surface of the metal were at-
tacked. You will find that nitric acid reacts with silver, even the
highest grade, turning dark and making a gray spot on the metal.
Fine silver, when dissolved in nitric acid, gives a colorless solu-
tion that darkens after exposure to light. Sterling silver and coin
silver show some green color, the green being due to the copper
with which they are alloyed.
To confirm silver, place a fresh drop of nitric acid on a clean
surface, let it react for a half minute, then with the point of a pen-
knife drop in a single small grain of table salt. A white substance
will appear—silver chloride—of a cheesy consistency. This is char-
acteristic of silver. Instead of the grain of salt you could use a tiny
drop of dilute hydrochloric acid.
In effect this is almost the same as applying a drop of aqua regia.
We think of aqua regia as a powerful solvent since it will dissolve
gold. However, it is surprisingly slow to attack silver. Make the
test and see; note that the nitric acid in it will eat into the surface a
little, but very soon the white cheesy stuff forms, and protects the
metal from further attack. Wash the metal and you will find that
a whitish spot remains, difficult to remove.
This will help to explain why green gold, which contains much
silver, responds more slowly to aqua regia than does yellow gold
21
of the same karat. Some of the high-karat green golds are almost
insoluble, even in hot aqua regia.
Here is another way to establish silver: In another bottle mix
up nitric acid and a few crystals of potassium dichromate. Place
a drop of this solution on the suspected article (after getting rid
of lacquer, etc.) and note the color effect. Silver will show a very
strong, definite red, through the formation of silver dichromate.
SILVERPLATED GOODS
The recognition of silverplated ware is usually easy. File a deep
notch and apply nitric acid to the cut, and note the difference in
appearance and behavior of the silver surface and the base-metal
core. The favorite core material is a copper-nickel-zinc alloy
which is called “nickel silver” or “German silver,” but which con-
tains no silver at all. Sometimes a brass core is found. Both of
these core materials react quickly to nitric acid, causing it to bub-
ble and turn a deep green.
Ordinary silverplated ware is of such small value that refiners
and gold buyers normally refuse to buy it, so it is important to be
able to recognize it every time.
GOLD-ON-STERLING
In Chapter I we mentioned “gold” jewelry which was found to
consist of a sterling silver core to which a thin surface layer of
gold has been applied. The wearer may think of such jewelry as
gold, but to the buyer it is silver. At present silver prices it is not to
Thin sheets of karat gold are welded to one or more surfaces of a thick
billet of less expensive metal—usually brass or a nickel alloy, sometimes
sterling silver—and the whole is then rolled very thin. The resulting thin
sheet is used in making gold filled or rolled gold plate jewelry. In order to
meet U. S. standards the gold layer must be of at least 10-k quality. If the
weight of the karat gold is more than 1/20 of the total weight, the jewelry
may be stamped “gold filled” The term “rolled gold plate” is used when
the gold layer is thinner.
22
pecially as some of the stainless steels are attracted only feebly or
not at all.
Other metals besides iron respond to
the magnet; some stainless steels do not.
THE FLAME TEST
If you can turn the flame of an air-gas or oxygen-gas blowpipe
on a piece of suspected metal, you can, within a few seconds, ob-
tain an excellent idea of its nature. Nickel, chromium, brass, and
most other base metals promptly turn black. Most base metals
will melt, forming oxides of characteristic color and form. White
gold alloys will melt promptly in the oxy-gas flame; more slowly in
air-gas. Or, if the flame is removed before actual melting occurs, a
definite darkening is visible. This is also true of sterling silver.
Fine silver when molten absorbs oxygen, and on cooling expells
it with violent spitting and “crabbing”. This tendency is less con-
spicuous with sterling and coin silver.
Stainless steel soon shows a darkening; if heated further it will
ignite and burn with a hissing and sparkling flame; the final result
will be a shapeless lump of black oxides.
Tungsten, tantalum, and molybdenum change color at low tem-
peratures, and soon begin to burn in the oxy-gas flame, though they
will not become actually molten.
The response of platinum and its high grade alloys to a flame
is highly characteristic. (By high grade alloys we mean iridio-
platinum, or others in which only precious metals are present.)
Suppose you bring the metal to a brilliant red heat, then remove
the flame. There will be no darkening whatever. Heat it still fur-
ther using an oxy-gas flame, and melt it; it melts smoothly and
cleanly, without forming any oxide or crust. When the button
cools, it will be white and smooth. Base metals, treated in that
way, become a mass of clinkered oxides.
Palladium and alloys rich in palladium show colored oxides at
about 400° C, but when heated further these disappear, and if
the metal is cooled quickly they will not have time to form again
and the cooled button will be free from tarnish.
19
tween sterling, coin and lower grade silver alloys, but most ob-
servers have found that it cannot be done with the same assurance
and satisfaction as with the gold alloys. Sterling silver and coin
silver differ by only 25 parts per 1000, or 2½ percent, and when we
recall that both the silver and the copper are soluble in nitric acid,
we can see why the acid test has its limitations. However, by hav-
ing both surfaces clean and smooth, and by applying equal
amounts of acid to both surfaces and exposing both together to
the light for the same length of time, and noting the color changes,
the difference is detectable.
Silver of lower grade, if alloyed with copper, can easily be dis-
tinguished from sterling silver in the same way. Unfortunately,
these lower grade silvers may contain a variety of alloying elements
—more or less nickel, or zinc, or cadmium—to fit them for different
purposes, and unless you have some knowledge of the alloying ele-
ments, these simple spot tests can be misleading, and experienced
workers advise against their use.
SILVER SOLDERS
Silver solders, also called silver brazing alloys, are of many
formulas, containing from five percent to about eighty percent
silver, the balance being copper and zinc and perhaps some cad-
mium. Large amounts of these alloys have been consumed in
recent years, in dozens of applications, not only in the manufac-
ture of jewelry, but also in such jobs as the assembling of incendi-
ary bombs, the repair of ice-cream freezers, the construction of
equipment for the chemical industries, and many others. While
not of high intrinsic value, these silver brazing alloys should not
be ignored by the metal buyer, especially as they may often be
found in large quantities.
SOME WHITE BASE METALS
Many base metals are attacked and dissolved by nitric acid, but
by no means all. Obtain scraps of various metals, such as lead,
tin, pewter, Britannia metal, tungsten, stainless steel, aluminum,
chromium-plated and nickel-plated ware, and so on. Clean them
well to remove any surface grease or lacquer, then touch each with
a drop of nitric acid. Let it act for a half-minute or so, while you
24
observe any color changes, then wash well and notice if the surface
were etched or spotted. To describe all the effects fully would
take more space than is here available; moreover, a few minutes
spent at such tests will teach you more than hundreds of words. So
we repeat: practice with pieces of metal of whose nature you are
sure, exposing them to various tests and comparing results.
For instance, we suggest that you try the dichromate mixture
mentioned above, on other white metals beside silver. Lead shows
a yellow color; Britannia metal turns dark. Platinum is not affected
in the least, nor is high-grade white gold, but palladium will be
darkened and will show a spot.
NICKEL-SILVER
The terms “nickel-silver” and “German silver” are applied to
an important series of white alloys in which copper, nickel and
zinc are the principal components. Both terms are highly mislead-
ing, since no silver at all is present, and many other names have
been suggested, including “nickel-brass” and synthetic words like
“Cunizin” and “Nicuzin,” none of which have received general
favor.
Tableware and hollow-ware made of nickel-silver and electro-
plated with silver, nickel, or chromium, have been made in enor-
mous quantities. Rolled and filled gold jewelry, especially that
whose outer layer is white gold, is generally made on a nickel-silver
base; and there are dozens of other applications.
Accordingly it is important that the gold buyer be able to recog-
nize these nickel-silver alloys wherever found. They are attacked
vigorously by nitric acid, showing a strong green color because of
the copper and nickel content. When heated strongly they
darken; under the oxygen flame they ignite and burn to a black
clinker, meanwhile conferring a green color to the flame.
STAINLESS STEEL
This handsome but inexpensive alloy, stainless steel, has had
quite a vogue for sports jewelry, men’s belt buckles, wrist watches,
etc. In appearance it resembles white gold or platinum. Oddly
enough it is not readily attacked by nitric acid nor by aqua regia,
25
and for that reason it has occasionally deceived unwary appraisers.
As we have indicated, some kinds are attracted to the magnet, some
are not.
It is considerably lighter in weight than either white gold or
platinum, and most jewelers will at once notice this lack of “heft”.
As we mentioned above, it darkens under the oxy-gas flame, then
ignites and burns to a dark clinker.
But if you are in doubt about any article of white color and
noticeable hardness, which resists the action of nitric acid and of
aqua regia, pause a moment and then test it with plain hydro-
chloric acid.
If possible, heat either the article or the acid somewhat; hydro-
chloric acid attacks the stainless steels promptly, making a definite
spot or dissolving the streak in a short time. Sulphuric acid also at-
tacks stainless steel; so does a solution of ferric chloride. None of
these affects white gold or platinum.
RESISTANCE ALLOYS
There are dozens of more-or-less white alloys on the market,
which though not stainless steels by definition (since they contain
little or no iron) are often confused with them. We refer to those
heat- and corrosion-resisting alloys of which Stellite, Nichrome
and Illium are only three examples of a long list. Chromium,
cobalt, nickel, tungsten, silicon, manganese and other elements
may be present, and the number of formulas is legion. Occasion-
ally such alloys present an appearance that might confuse the
metal buyer, and many of them resist nitric acid surprisingly well.
But mostly they are lighter in weight than platinum or white gold,
and their crystalline structure and their “feel” under the file give
sufficient warning. Their melting points are high, but under the
strong heat of the oxy-gas flame they will ignite and burn, after the
manner of other base metals.
SOME LESS COMMON METALS
Tungsten, tantalum and molybdenum are three of the semi-rare
metals that have found growing commercial importance during
26
be ignored, and sometimes there is enough gold present to add a
little to the buyer’s price.
This combination is normally recognized in the preliminary
tests involving nitric acid and a deeply-filed notch. Fresh, well-
made goods present a handsome gold-like appearance, but if the
gold film is thin, the silver soon tarnishes underneath the gold.
This combination attained special vogue during World War II
at the time when silver and fine gold were available, while copper
and nickel—the metals so generally used in the cores of inexpensive
jewelry—were subject to wartime restrictions. The fact that silver
responds only feebly to aqua regia has led some careless buyers to
misjudge the value of this combination, to their loss. Fortunately
for them, it is apt to be clearly stamped “Sterling.” Sometimes
the outer layer of gold is of sufficient thickness and quality to class
the goods as “rolled gold” or “gold filled”; but these goods are
generally stamped with a quality mark; e.g., “Rolled Gold Plate on
Sterling” or “Sterling + 1/20—12K.”
THE VARIOUS SILVER ALLOYS
Pure unalloyed silver, called “fine silver,” is so soft that it has
few practical applications. The most important alloy is sterling
silver, which contains 925/1000ths fine silver, the remainder us-
ually being copper. The word “sterling” goes back to the twelfth
century; it seems that five towns in eastern Germany were banded
together in the so-called Hanseatic League; they were free cities
and maintained their own currency. The British soon learned
that their coins, called the coins of the Easterlings, were depend-
able; hence the term “sterling” as a stamp of quality.
Coins of the United States of America are 900/1000ths silver, the
remainder being copper. Much jewelry and tableware used to be
made of this alloy, and may be stamped “Coin” or “Coin silver.”
Alloys of lower silver content are often encountered, not only
in the coinage of several foreign countries, but also in articles of
commerce, but the designation “silver” cannot now be used legally
in connection with them in the United States. Imported goods
may be encountered, stamped “Silver,” which on assay may prove
to be of very poor quality indeed.
It is sometimes desirable to make simple tests to distinguish be-
23
 RHODIUM PLATE
Rhodium plate is also deceptive. Rhodium is a metal closely
related to platinum, costing more per ounce than platinum itself.
It can be deposited electrolytically in a very thin layer, on silver or
base-metal articles, to give them a handsome appearance, free from
tarnish. Rhodium is not attacked by nitric acid, aqua regia, nor
any other single acid. It is fairly hard to the file—almost as hard as
chromium plate. But the deposit is always so thin that a few
strokes of the file will expose the metal below. For that reason it
should not cause any great confusion to the buyer of precious
metals.
WHITE GOLDS
The tests described so far, when applied to most white golds, will
be suggestive, but not always conclusive. You may still be uncer-
tain as to whether the unknown is white gold or a platinum metal
alloy of some kind. We shall therefore return to the white golds
in a later chapter, with conclusive tests.
THE PLATINUM METALS
These metals and their alloys are so important, not only in
jewelry and dentistry but in many other applications, that an en-
tire chapter will be given over to them.
For the moment we shall content ourselves with remembering
the facts we have recently noted: that platinum is not attacked by
nitric acid nor by hydrochloric acid; that its melting point is very
high; that it melts cleanly under the oxy-gas flame and cools
again without the formation of visible oxide; and that it is notice-
ably heavier than most other white metals.
Palladium is the one metal of the platinum group that is at-
tacked by nitric acid. It dissolves promptly to give a deep brown
solution. It is much lighter in weight than platinum. Palladium
electroplate is sometimes used to give a handsome non-tarnishing
finish to jewelry or scientific instruments. Alloys in which gold
and palladium are the main constituents are important in dentis-
try, also they form one kind of white gold. All of these, and others,
will be discussed more fully in Chapter IV.
28
CHAPTER III
The Quality Stamp—“Let the Buyer Beware!”
Since gold and silver have been used in coinage for many cen-
turies, it is natural that their stamping or marking should be reg-
ulated by law. Such laws are not only a protection to the pur-
chaser, but are of equal value to the manufacturers because they
sustain public confidence in the industry. Regulations for the
platinum metals are of more recent date.
Everyone who handles precious metal articles should under-
stand these laws thoroughly. Thus the manufacturer must keep
his alloys high enough to meet the law, but not so unduly high as
to jeopardize his profits. The retail jeweler, who is equally liable
before the law, does well to check the goods he sells and to give
attention to the reputation of the manufacturers from whom he
buys. The metal buyer, in his turn, has good reasons for observ-
ing and interpreting the various stamps. For example, if an ar-
ticle is marked “10-k,” he need not waste time testing it against
the 12-k needle. Also, he should familiarize himself with the
trademarks of the various manufacturers, and observe which, if
any, are associated with sub-standard goods. Finally, all groups
must understand the meaning of “tolerance” in marking, which
will be explained shortly.
BRITISH HALL MARKS
The marking of gold jewelry began in England in the four-
teenth century. The Goldsmiths’ Company, incorporated in 1327,
and certain other Guilds, found it necessary to organize for the
protection of their craft and of the public against fraud. They
had, among other functions, that of testing gold and silver articles
at their several Halls. A small sample was cut from each piece
and assayed, and the article then received four or more stamps,
including the quality mark, a town mark, a date letter (changed
each year) and a maker’s mark. Various symbols were used, such
29
as a leopard’s head, a crown, a lion, and the like. Goods made
between 1784 and 1890 also carried a duty mark indicating that a
certain tax had been paid. Stamping was not compulsory, and
small articles were not always marked. It should be noted that
Some British Hall marks. These were used
by the Birmingham Assay Office.
these marks were impressed not by the maker, as in the United
States of America, but by the Guild Halls, after assay. Hall mark-
ing has been the subject of a considerable literature, which is well
worth the study of the antiquarian and historian.
AMERICAN LAWS AND STANDARDS
In this country the manufacturer himself, subject to law, is per-
mitted to affix quality marks and trademarks to his goods. The
United States National Stamping Law, covering falsely or spur-
iously stamped articles made of gold or silver or their alloys, was
enacted June 13, 1906. The text may be found in almost any law
library or big public library. (Ask for Rev. Stat. U. S., vol. 34, pt.
1, p. 260, 59th Cong., 1st Sess., Public Law 226.)
Handy and Harman, silver dealers at 82 Fulton Street, New
York, sell a reference book called Handy Book for Manufacturers,
which contains, among other useful facts, the full text of the law
just mentioned, as well as summaries of the laws affecting plati-
30
recent years. In color they are somewhat dark, and are tough,
heavy, strong and hard. Their carbides are extremely hard, and
are compacted and sintered into points or blades for drills, cutting
tools and the like, for which purpose they rival the diamond.
These metals all possess remarkable resistance to nitric acid,
aqua regia, and most other reagents, and accordingly have some
times been confused with the platinum metals. But above red
heat they all oxidize readily, and under the oxy-gas flame they ig-
nite and burn to form colored oxides.
CONTACT POINTS
Electrical contact points must have high heat and electrical
conductivity, hardness, strength, and resistance to corrosion at
the high temperatures of the electric arc. Many metals and alloys
are being used in their manufacture—silver, copper, platinum-
group metals, tungsten, tungsten carbide, cobalt, and others. Some-
times a point consists of two alloys welded together, the combina-
tion then being brazed or welded to the device of which it is a
part, and many of the alloys involved are quite complex.
Old contact points can be quite a problem to the metal buyer.
Knowing that much platinum and iridium go into this market, he
is tempted to buy the things, even after experience has taught him
that he is more apt to lose than to profit when handling them.
The task of appraising them and recovering the precious metals,
if any, is difficult, and many professional refiners refuse to buy
them. Accordingly the beginner is advised to approach this
market with caution.
CHROMIUM PLATE
Chromium is a hard white metal, unusually resistant to most
corrosive agents. Chromium plate, when properly applied, is a
handsome finish and sometimes is used on cheap white gold
jewelry, as well as on many base metal articles.
It resists nitric acid, and therefore is sometimes mistaken for
white gold or platinum. However, it is attacked readily by hydro-
chloric acid, and by sulphuric acid. When heated under the air-
gas or oxy-gas flame, it blackens promptly.
27
Watch Cases and Flatware ............................. .003 less than stamped quality.
Other articles, not including solder ................... .0208 (i/2 karat) less than the
stamped quality.
“However, the assay of a complete article, including solder, must not be
more than .0417 (1 karat) under the stamped fineness per karat.
“For example, the gold in a 14-karat watch case, free from solder, must
be at least .5803 by assay. The entire case, including solder, must assay at
least .547 (13 karat). A gold ring, not soldered, stamped ’14-K’ must assay
at least .5625 (13½ karat). The gold in a brooch stamped ’10-K’ must as-
say at least .3958 (13½ karat) and the entire brooch, solder and all, must
assay at least .3750 (9 karat).
“The silver in any article stamped ‘Sterling Silver’ should assay .925,
and the silver in an article marked ‘Coin Silver’ should assay .900. The
silver in an article, not including solder, must not be less than this by
more than .004. For example, an article marked ‘Sterling Silver,’ free from
solder, must assay at least .921.
“Soldered parts must not reduce the assay of the entire article, includ-
ing solder, by more than .010 under the standard assays of .925 and .900,
respectively, for sterling silver and coin silver. For example, an article
marked sterling silver when melted, including solder, must assay at least
.915.”
Most manufacturers make their goods as close to the limit of
tolerance as they dare. Many of them, either wittingly or unwit-
tingly, go below this tolerance. The buyer must keep this pos-
sibility in mind when he is calculating the value of a precious metal
article.
LAWS FOR STAMPING PLATINUM
For some years after the introduction of platinum as a jewelry
metal there was confusion regarding its marking, and much mis-
branding, adulteration and fraud took place. Three of the States
in which considerable platinum jewelry was manufactured—New
Jersey, New York, and Illinois—passed laws regulating the stamp-
ing of platinum and its alloys. And finally, on June 20, 1938, the
National Bureau of Standards made effective a series of regula-
tions, based on these State laws, that cover the entire nation. The
full text of the New York State law will be found in the Handy
Book. Copies of the new National Standard, known as Commercial
Standard 66-38, may be obtained from the Superintendent of Doc-
uments, Washington, D. C, for 5¢. Briefly its main provisions
are as follows:
32
Articles may be stamped “platinum” or “plat,” provided all parts of
the article purported to be of platinum shall constitue at least 985/1000
parts platinum. If platinum assaying 985/1000 parts pure has been com-
bined with gold the article must be stamped with the karat mark indicat-
ing the fineness of the gold in conjunction with the word or abbreviation
of platinum, as “14K & Plat.” When platinum is alloyed with iridium,
palladium, ruthenium or osmium, these articles must be marked in
fractions designating the content of these metals. Merchandise bearing
quality marks must also be stamped with a registered trade mark.
Since the rules regarding the stamping of platinum alloys are
new, a great deal of platinum jewelry now in use was made before
these controls were drafted. Accordingly some of the marks on
platinum jewelry are misleading now. For years palladium was
more expensive than platinum; therefore it was accepted practice
to use palladium with platinum, without mentioning the fact.
Later the price of palladium fell below that of platinum, and a
metal that had once enhanced the value of an article became a
cheapener. This situation is only one of the reasons why the pur-
chaser should test platinum articles with extra care.
OTHER COMMERCIAL STANDARDS
The National Bureau of Standards, in co-operation with the
precious metal industries, has formulated several other “Com-
mercial Standards” that may be of interest. These Standards have
their origin in the Bureau, rather than in the legislative halls,
and are a crystallization of trade practices. They are subject to
amendment when an interested industry feels that changes are ad-
visable, and they are enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.
Copies may be obtained from the Superintendent of Documents,
Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C, at five cents each.
Other standards may possibly be adopted in the future. The fol-
lowing are now effective:
Marking articles made of silver in combination with gold—Com-
mercial Standard 51-35.
Marking articles made of karat gold—CS 67-38.
Marking of gold filled and rolled gold plate articles other than
watchcases—CS 47-34, with amendments of February 25, 1939. Bul-
33
letin TS-1942, of July, 1933, defines the terms “Gold filled” and
“Rolled gold plate.”
Marking of jewelry and novelties of silver—CS 118-44.
ENFORCEMENT
While the marking of precious metals has, as we see, been sub-
ject to law for centuries, obedience to these laws is not yet perfect.
But the fight for honesty in marking and in advertising is being
carried on actively by a number of organizations, some of them
maintained directly by the precious metal industries. The reader
who finds instances of fraud or misrepresentation would report
them at once to the Better Business Bureau of his city; or, he or his
jeweler should communicate with the Jewelers Vigilance Commit-
tee, Inc., New York 19, N. Y. These groups, in co-operation with
the Federal Trade Commission and the National Bureau of Stand-
ards, have accomplished much, not only in the enforcement of
penal laws, but also in obtaining official condemnation of various
borderline cases. Also the American Gem Society of Los Angeles,
through its members, has done a great deal toward clarifying the
advertising and labeling of diamonds and other gem stones.
STANDARDS IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES
Each nation has its own standards, not only for the alloys used
in coinage, but also for silverware and jewelry. In Chapter II we
observed that the word “silver” on a piece of jewelry does not mean
the same thing in all lands. To give the details of all these varying
standards would not be profitable here, inasmuch as the buyer
rarely is sure of the origin of the old metal he buys. The wise prac-
tice is to confirm all stamps by one or another of the methods de-
scribed in these chapters.
“LET THE BUYER BEWARE!”
If every article made of precious metal was truthfully stamped,
there would be little need for a book like this. But many articles
are never marked at all—dentures and chemical ware, for example.
And the antiquarian handles articles made before the present laws
were framed. An article can be truthfully marked when made,
34
num, of the several Commercial Standards which now have the
effect of law, and of the Canadian law applying to the marking of
precious metals. Another most useful volume is Trademarks of
Jewelry and Kindred Trades, published by the Jewelers’ Circular-
Some American stamps. They consist of the quality stamp
and the maker’s registered trademark.
Keystone, 100 East 42nd Street, New York. This book illustrates
several hundred trademarks, and in addition summarizes the
stamping laws and explains their application.
The manner in which the various silver alloys may be stamped
has already been discussed in this book—see Chapter II.
“TOLERANCE”
Our lawmakers have assumed that jewelers and silversmiths are
subject to human error, so they allow a “tolerance” between the
quality indicated by the stamp and the actual quality as deter-
mined by an assay. The law also allows for solder, and requires
that the article, solder and all, must approach within a certain
percentage of the stamp. Thus the law of June 13, 1906, as sum-
marized in the Handy Book, provides that:
“If an article is made of gold and is stamped gold, it must also bear a
quality mark such as ’10 karat’ (10-K), ’14 karat’ (14-K).
“If an article of gold is given a quality mark, the fineness by assay must
not be lower than:—
31
with lead which has been melted and poured in. Sometimes the
base alone is loaded. This same scheme has been used with
heavy link bracelets, etc., and has occasionally deceived the in-
experienced observer.
Rolled or filled gold requires special care. It consists largely of
base metal such as brass, with a thin layer of karat gold on the
outside. Usually this outer layer is 10-k or 12-k. You may find a
stamp reading “1/10 12-k.” Analyze this stamp and you will
realize that this article when new assayed only one-twentieth fine
gold, as the 12-karat alloy is only half fine gold, and the karat gold
shell is only one tenth of the total weight of the article. After
years of usage the outer gold layer, originally very thin, may be
worn down to almost nothing. Therefore, when estimating its
value, “let the buyer beware.” Some professional gold buyers re-
fuse to handle this material.
ANTIQUES
Very old gold jewelry is sometimes worth more than you would
think. Years ago when platinum was cheaper than gold, it was
sometimes used as an alloy. It cheapened and stiffened the gold,
without increasing its tendency to tarnish, and in rare cases was
used in sufficient amount to increase the value of the article. On
the other hand, much old jewelry is dishonestly marked, and some-
times you will find that an antique with a handsome exterior is
nothing but soft solder inside.
FRAUD
Deliberate fraud occurs too often to be ignored. The Jewelers’
Circular-Keystone, in its issue of September, 1943, reports one in-
stance. A customer complained that a certain ring, stamped and
sold as 14-k gold, blackened his finger. The retailer tested it
hastily (by rubbing an edge on the stone and testing the streak)
and it seemed to be a full 14-k. But further examination dis-
closed that about nine tenths of the ring was silver, lightly gilded.
Thin circles of 14-k gold wire had been soldered to the top and bot-
tom edges of a heavy silver ring, so that if a touchstone test were
made in haste, only gold would rub off. The moral of this is: file
36
a deep notch if possible, and test more than one surface. Inci-
dentally, the buyer might have been warned by the fact that while
this ring bore a karat stamp, there was no maker’s trademark—al-
ways a suspicious circumstance.
A poorly disguised fraud. Circles of thin gold wire were soldered to the
edges of a heavy silver ring, and the combination was gold-plated. The
quality stamp was not accompanied by a trademark. Part of the silver ring
and part of one gold circle have been cut away.
DENTAL ALLOYS
Metals that have been used in dentistry carry no stamp, and
their purity and suitability depend upon the integrity and knowl-
edge of the dental technician. Much dental gold is of high qual-
ity, especially inlays and crowns, but in the construction of a den-
ture it is often necessary to use considerable solder, which may be
16-k, 14-k, or even lower. Parts of metal that are covered by vul-
canite or porcelain may be of low grade gold or even of base metal,
and sometimes rivets of copper or silver are used, then covered
over with gold solder.
Old fashioned false teeth were, in many cases, provided with two
small pins of high-grade iridio-platinum. Much of the work done
today, while more satisfactory to the patient, may contain no
precious metal at all, so each job must be considered individually.
SCIENTIFIC APPARATUS
Enormous amounts of precious metals have been made up into
instruments and equipment for the various scientific industries
and professions. The laws applying to jewelry apply equally well
37
to these instruments, and quality stamps and makers’ trademarks
should always be looked for. In other chapters we learn that in
these fields the precious metals may be alloyed with or combined
with each other, or with the base metals, in such a profusion of
forms that the beginner may well be discouraged. However, no
other field is potentially more profitable to the buyer of metals.
TREASURE HUNTING IS STILL FASCINATING
These paragraphs may have suggested that this business of buy-
ing and selling old precious metals may be as interesting as it is
profitable. To find value in a piece of unattractive, unwanted
metal brings a thrill of satisfaction over and above the mere gratifi-
cation of the profit motive. To solve the question of its worth
may be as full of unexpected twists as any other puzzle. For in-
stance, we once had occasion to buy a heavy old-fashioned watch-
chain. Its appraisal seemed to be as simple a task as could be
found. We exposed the metal to the oxygen flame; all the links
glowed, but three of them glowed with a difference. On closer
examination we found that those three links were silver—carved
exactly like the others—apparently the result of some old repair
job, long since forgotten. On another occasion one section of a
discarded penholder, when scraped clean of encrusted ink, turned
out to be 18-k gold. . . . Incidents like these help to make this
work a constant adventure.
38
then, perhaps because its thin outer layer is worn off, or because
some repair job added considerable solder or even an additional
part of a different composition, the old mark may have become
misleading. Finally there is always the possibility of fraud. Thus
it is clear that the buyer of old precious metals must indeed be
wary. One well-known buyer says, “Never believe a karat mark
unless it is accompanied by a reputable trademark, and sometimes
not even then.” If there is no trademark, the stamp may well be
quite meaningless.
Chains and mesh are probably the worst offenders. It is recog-
nized that considerable solder is needed in making some kinds of
chains, and the wise buyer will assume that even more than that is
present. Links that test say 12-k on the stone, when melted down
and assayed may turn out to be 10-k or less; chains that test 10-k
on the stone may assay 8-k. And so on.
SOME PRECAUTIONS
If an article consists of more than one part, like the old-fashioned
watchcase with front, back, bezel and bow, test each piece sep-
arately, as those less exposed may be of lower value. Lockets and
big cuff links sometimes are re-inforced by a base-metal disk inside.
Examine the pin and safety catch on brooches. Do not hesitate to
file deep notches, maybe two or three, on different surfaces of each
piece. Remember that an old article may have been repaired,
with the addition of much solder or even a new low-karat segment.
Articles such as candlesticks are often made of a hollow metal
shell which is filled or loaded, sometimes with pitch, sometimes
All parts should be tested.
35
old jewelry buyer. These include the two or three kinds of “hard”
platinum that form the foundation of the platinum jewelry in-
dustry; those alloys of palladium that have found favor in jewelry,
including the white golds, and a few of the alloys in which base
metals are present by accident or design. Because of their resem-
blance to the alloys used in jewelry, a number of dental alloys will
also be included.
WHAT WARS DO TO JEWELRY METALS
When platinum jewelry first came into fashion, early in this
century, the alloys generally used were the simple iridio-plati-
nums. (Pure platinum is almost as soft as fine gold, and must be
hardened and stiffened for most purposes. The addition of 5
percent to 10 percent iridium gives an ideal alloy for jewelry pur-
poses.) Careful assay of jewelry made at that time may show other
elements, but these probably got there by accident because knowl-
edge of how to purify these metals was then far from complete.
World War I clamped an interesting economic pincer on plati-
num. Russia was the main source of supply, and it was cut off by
war. At the same time demands increased hugely, both because
platinum is used in making chemicals for the munitions industries,
and also because the public wanted jewelry made of platinum and
did not care how much it cost. Accordingly prices skyrocketed.
This situation so stimulated the ingenuity of metal workers that
many substitutes and new alloys were devised. Some of these have
found honored places in the world of metals, for example, some
of the palladium and ruthenium alloys. Some others, in which
nickel and other base metals were used, had poor working quali-
ties, and in addition were economically unsound since their comp-
lexity caused enough trouble in refining and remelting the scrap
to counterbalance the original saving.
The fact that we then had no regulations to cover the platinum
group served to increase the confusion and to encourage fraud.
One of the by-products of the great demand for white jewelry
was white gold. The first white golds were gold-palladium alloys,
followed shortly by a variety of alloys in which nickel served as
whitener. The fact that these alloys came under the gold stamping
40
laws tended to reassure the careful buyer, and doubtless con-
tributed to their popularity.
In England a considerable quantity of palladium jewelry was
made during World War I, even though at that time its price was
higher than that of platinum.
World War II, in its turn, placed restrictions upon most of our
metals, and again challenged the ingenuity of the precious metal
metallurgist. One expedient, rolled gold on a silver base, was
mentioned in Chapter II. During the long Armistice, our chem-
ists and refiners had learned much about the properties and puri-
fication of the six members of the platinum group, and supplies of
most of them had increased considerably. As a result, alloys and
combinations that had been standing unnoticed in the laboratory
were escorted forth to make their debut upon the stage of fashion.
Thus, when iridium went to war, ruthenium came forward,
and the useful ruthenio-platinum was introduced to the jewelry
world. In working qualities it so nearly resembles the classic iridio-
platinum that its future as a jewelry alloy seems assured. How-
ever, “Ruth-Plat,” as it is designated by the commercial standard
which by this time had been formulated for the platinum group,
was in its turn a war casualty when platinum came under restric-
tion. Rhodium also was called to the colors. Finally certain
palladium alloys in which ruthenium serves as hardener, received
their opportunity, and “jewelry palladium” came into use.
When in our mind’s eye we review this parade of alloys across
the stage of history, we realize that the task of identifying them has
become more and more complex. We see why the itinerant gold
buyer became confused and decided that it was better for him not
to bother with the white metals at all. We see why identification,
though more difficult, is far more interesting, and when properly
carried out is correspondingly more profitable. (Incidentally, this
review brings the practical suggestion that a hint as to the compo-
sition of a piece of “platinum” jewelry may sometimes be found in
the date at which it was made.)
SAMPLES NEEDED FOR TESTING
When we were examining silver and some other white metals in
Chapter II, we provided ourselves with samples of as many differ-
41
ent metals as possible. The serious student will now provide him-
self with as many samples of platinum-group metals and their al-
loys as possible. Sets of standard platinum needles, much like the
standard gold needles, are on the market, and are useful. These
are brass points, tipped with bits of pure platinum, pure palla-
dium, several of the platinum-palladium alloys and an iridio-
platinum alloy.
Standard needles for testing platinum-group alloys.
In addition to these, however, or in place of them, you should
obtain from a reputable source several sizable pieces of metal—a
pennyweight or so of each will be enough for the careful worker—
which you will feel free to heat to redness, and from which you can
cut off portions to be dissolved in acids, and to which you can apply
the various reagents. By all means have pieces of pure platinum,
pure palladium, and fine gold. If you plan to distinguish between
iridio-platinum and ruthenio-platinum, buy samples of both al-
loys. The highest grade white golds, which consist of about 85
per cent gold with 15 per cent palladium, more or less, are usually
thought of as gold alloys, though they can with equal propriety be
called palladium alloys. It is well to have samples of one or two
of these. The more samples you have to compare, the greater will
be your skill and assurance in identifying unknowns.
Mark each sample carefully by stamping or engraving on it
some symbol or number. One plan is to have each piece a different
shape—square, or oblong, or triangular, or the like—and to make
careful record of the composition of each piece.
42
CHAPTER IV
The Platinum-Group Metals and the White
Golds
SECTION A. NEW METALS; OLD TESTS
W HEN platinum first came into vogue, it was natural to apply
to it he same tests that we use on gold and silver. As we have
learned, the old acid and flame tests, described in Chapters I and
II, are extremely useful, but they do not always tell the observer as
much as he wants to know. Accordingly it is our purpose now to
expand these tests, then later to add some new ones, to permit the
recognition of many of the alloys of the platinum group that are
now in use in the arts and industries.
It is only fair to point out while some of these white metals are
promptly and easily identified, this is not true of all of them. How-
ever, all these tests are well within the powers of the layman who
will follow instructions, who is willing to obtain indubitable
samples of the various metals, and who will practise with these
samples until he learns their characteristics.
THE SIX SISTER METALS
Platinum, palladium, and iridium are the more plentiful mem-
bers of the platinum group, and the ones of greatest general inter-
est. The other three, osmium, rhodium, and ruthenium, are much
rarer but are finding increased usefulness as time goes on.
These six metals share certain characteristics, notably rarity,
white color, density, resistance to corrosion, high melting points,
and many chemical peculiarities; but, like human sisters, each has
an individuality of its own.
Many combinations of two or more of these six, with or without
additional metals from other groups, have found employment in
jewelry, in many industries, and in the sciences. To explore all
such combinations would require much more space than is here
available. These chapters, therefore, will concern themselves
mainly with those alloys that are of interest to the jeweler and the
39
that reason the professional metal buyer normally makes this
test the first order of business. For that same reason the estab-
lished jeweler or dental technician, who has a torch and knows
how to use it, is better equipped to buy old precious metals than
is the most energetic house-to-house buyer.
One kind of small oxygen-gas blow-pipe.
Much can be learned about a piece of metal by heating it to its
melting point—by making it actually molten. For example, iridio-
platinum is slower to melt than soft platinum; the more iridium
the higher the melting point. If base metals are present, even in
small amount, the button that forms on cooling will show a dark-
ened surface and probably will be brittle. An experienced melter
can identify the impurities by the stains that form on the crucible.
Palladium responds to the flame rather oddly. If you start with
cold metal and heat it gradually, you will see films of peacock-
colored oxides play across the surface when the metal reaches about
400° C. At about 8oo° C. these disappear, and if you quench the
hot metal in water at the right moment, it will cool before the
oxides have time to form again, and the button will be clean and
white. The melting point of palladium, 1554° C, is higher than
that of gold, lower than that of platinum. Molten palladium ab-
sorbs large volumes of gas, and the button swells and puffs; then
when it solidifies again the gas is expelled with much spitting and
“crabbing.”
But it is not always possible or convenient to heat your unknown
44
metals to the molten stage. Sometimes, in fact, you will wish to
damage their appearance as little as possible. That brings us to
the second section of this chapter, to a series of tests in which a
minute quantity of the unknown metal is dissolved in a drop of
aqua regia, then treated with some chemical that will reveal its
nature.
SECTION B. NEW METALS; NEW TESTS
If the student has not already done so, he should at once assem-
ble his samples of platinum, platinum alloys, palladium alloys,
white golds, and so on, and apply to them the traditional acid tests
—first nitric acid, then aqua regia.
Porcelain or glass plate with cavities. Small glass rod.
Dropping bottles.
Let us make one change, however, in the old technique. Instead
of the traditional black stone, let us use a white surface, on which
these tests are much more accurately observed. Some workers use
a piece of old china from which the surface glaze has been etched.
But undoubtedly the handiest device is a porcelain or glass plate
bearing small cavities or depressions. It is called a spot plate,
and costs about a dollar at any chemical supply house.* (The spot
plate needs a bit of preparation; rubeach cavity with some emery,
to remove the glaze and leave a smooth dull surface.)
* A list of all chemicals and equipment used in these tests will be found
in the Appendix.
45
 So, let us now with our samples of metals and alloys of known
composition, make metallic streaks in the cavities of the spot plate,
rubbing hard with the hard metals, more gently with the soft ones.
Next we shall treat the streaks with nitric acid, then with aqua
regia. Following that, whenever such tests do not tell us all we
want to know, we shall add some new and additional chemicals,
thus carrying out the new tests that have been developed in step
with the development of these new alloys.
NITRIC ACID AND PALLADIUM
Palladium is the only member of the platinum group that dis-
solves in nitric acid. Make a streak in a cavity of the spot plate,
add a drop of nitric acid, and observe the deep brown color of the
solution.
Pure palladium is too soft for most commercial purposes. Alloys
stiffened with a little ruthenium and rhodium have working qual-
ities suitable for jewelry, and attained a mild vogue during the
long Armistice. When, during World War II, restrictions were
placed on rhodium, platinum, and ruthenium, the so-called
“jewelry palladium” came into quite general use. Several formulas
were used, in most of which ruthenium had the role of hardener
(with or without the addition of other elements), and some hand-
some palladium jewelry was made. In most of these alloys the
proportion of palladium is so high that nitric acid attacks them
at once, showing the brown color. Later in this chapter confirm-
atory tests for palladium will be described.
The inclusion of even a little platinum in a palladium alloy
greatly reduces its solubility in nitric acid. Thus the alloy 98%
palladium with 2% platinum reacts on the stone like 14-k gold;
and the alloy 90% palladium with 10% platinum resists the cold
acid completely.
Clean the spot plate after each using, dissolving any stain with
nitric acid or aqua regia, then rinsing well with plenty of water.
AQUA REGIA AND THE PLATINUM METALS
Again make streaks in the cavities of your spot plate, using your
platinum-group metals and alloys, your samples of white golds and
dental golds, and if possible including several samples of low-
46
THE ROUTINE OF TESTING
Let us assume that we have some white metal articles and wish to
pick out those made of precious metals and to determine as much
as we can of their composition.
First we employ the tests described in Chapter II. If the student
is not already familiar with these, he should read that chapter
again, noticing carefully the references to the platinum metals and
the white golds. Thus we use the magnet; we use the air-gas or the
oxy-gas flame; we observe the specific gravity or “heft” of the ar-
ticles; we file deep grooves and apply nitric acid: sometimes we ap-
ply plain hydrochloric acid, or plain sulphuric acid, or a grain of
table salt. Probably by this time we have separated out the base
metals and discarded them, and quite possibly we have formed
excellent guesses as to the composition of the more resistant arti-
cles.
If in doubt, we subject our samples to the same tests, and observe
results.
THE AIR-GAS OR OXY-GAS FLAME
All manufacturing jewelers, all jewelers who do repair work,
and all dental technicians, have air-gas or oxy-gas torches of one
type or another. Such a torch properly used is one of the best, as
well as one of the quickest devices for the identification of precious
metals. As we have suggested in Chapter II, a few seconds spent in
bringing a suspected metal to red heat may answer all your ques-
tions. The flame will spot the base metal articles for you, and may
give you valuable clues to the composition of the precious metal
articles.
The use of oxygen from a tank, instead of compressed air, has be-
come increasingly common not only for making platinum jewelry,
where it is essential, but also for making gold or silver jewelry.
For our purposes the oxy-gas flame is preferred. Oxy-acetylene
flames are almost as good, but are so hot that they must be used
with caution.
We have learned in Chapter II that platinum and its precious
metal alloys, if brought to white heat and then allowed to cool in
air, will show no tarnish whatever, differing therein from most
white golds, from sterling silver, and from all the base metals. For
43
 To hasten matters, heat the plate until it is uncomfortably hot
to the hand, possibly by placing it on steam pipes, or on an asbestos
pad resting on an electric hotplate; or grasp it with tongs and slip
it into a pan of hot water.
We spoke just now of lower-grade platinum alloys—those con-
taining base metals. Compared with iridio-platinum and ruth-
enio-platinum, these may dissolve readily in aqua regia, therefore
may be confused with certain high-grade alloys in which palladium
or gold is present. On the other hand, low-grade alloys containing
much silver may be as slow to react as the very valuable “hard”
platinums. Thus we see that the mere rate of solution gives only
partial information as to the value of an alloy; thus copper or pal-
ladium hastens action, while silver, iridium, or ruthenium slows it
down, and observations based on speed alone can be quite mislead-
ing.
This brings us, then, to the modern extensions of this method,
whereby it is easy to detect palladium or gold (or both) in a plati-
num alloy; also to detect platinum, palladium or nickel in a white
gold or dental alloy; and to distinguish between iridio-platinum
and ruthenio-platinum. First we make a streak with our unknown
metal and dissolve it in aqua regia. Then we add certain chem-
icals to the drop, and by noting the color changes we learn the
composition of the unknown. That is the whole story in one par-
agraph.
STANNOUS CHLORIDE TESTING SOLUTION
This solution, often called “Testing Solution A,” is extremely
useful. Rightly handled it reveals the presence of gold, silver,
platinum, iridium and palladium in solution, and suggests the
proportions in which they are present. It is easy to prepare and
the ingredients are inexpensive.
From your supply house purchase an ounce of stannous chloride
crystals, and an ounce or less of pure tin metal—mossy, granular, or
foil—but it must be pure tin. You will also need some hydro-
chloric acid, and by far the best container to use is a dropping
bottle, similar to that mentioned above. These quantities will
provide several hundred tests.
Make up only a little of Testing Solution A at a time, as it does
not keep well. Take about a pennyweight or less of the stannous
48
chloride crystals (also called tin salts) in the dropping bottle, add
a half pennyweight or so of tin metal, and fill the bottle three-
fourths full of water. Tap water will do. Now add about 20 to
30 drops of hydrochloric acid, more or less, to a 30 cc. bottle. This
gives a milky liquid that is ready to use. The tin metal will dis-
solve very slowly, and it serves to keep the solution in good condi-
tion. Label the bottle “Testing Solution A.”
As we said, Testing Solution A when properly used shows the
presence of precious metals in solution. In order to get acquainted
with the color-changes involved, you should first make up some
solutions containing these precious metals. You should have a
solution containing gold, one containing platinum, and other con-
taining palladium. This method is so useful and fascinating that
most users wind up with a whole series of standard solutions, so
perhaps you might as well get a half-dozen dropping bottles in the
first place.
STANDARD SOLUTIONS OF GOLD, PLATINUM, PALLADIUM
To make up a standard solution, simply dissolve a small piece
of metal in a little aqua regia, then add water. For instance, take
exactly a grain of pure platinum wire; dissolve it in a little aqua
regia, using a small porcelain dish and heating gently until all the
metal dissolves. Use as little aqua regia as will do the work. Wash
the solution with water into a glass-stoppered two-ounce bottle,
and fill the bottle up to the mark with water. Label this bottle
“ONE GRAIN PLATINUM IN 2 FLUID OUNCES OF SOLUTION.”
(When your only object is to become acquainted with the vari-
ous solutions, it is not necessary to use exact measurements. But
later on, when trying to approximate the amount of precious
metal in a solution, it will be extremely helpful to have standard
solutions made up with a definite weight of precious metal in a
definite volume of liquid. Therefore it saves time to make up
your solutions in the beginning according to a definite plan.)
STANNOUS CHLORIDE TESTING SOLUTION WITH PLATINUM
Let us become acquainted with Testing Solution A. Take the
spot plate and drop one drop of the standard platinum solution
into a cavity. Notice the pale yellow color. Add a drop or more
49
of Testing Solution A. If properly prepared the two will react in-
stantly to give a deep yellow or brown color. If too concentrated,
the color will be almost black; in that case, dilute the platinum
solution with an equal volume of water. This deep yellow color
with Solution A is a characteristic of platinum and iridium.
WITH GOLD
In another cavity, place one drop of gold solution, and add a
drop of Solution A. After several moments add several more drops
of Solution A. Note the first intense dark color, deep purple or
black. This is characteristic of gold. After it stands a few minutes,
notice the purple stain on the white porcelain.
Do not let the liquids dry on the plate. Wash it promptly after
each test, removing any stains with a drop of aqua regia and rins-
ing well.
Now, in another cavity, take just one drop of your gold solution,
and dilute it with five drops of plain water. Take one drop of
this dilute gold, in another cavity, and add a drop of Solution A.
Note that the color is still definite. Dilute with five more drops of
plain water, and try again. See how dilute this gold solution
must be before it becomes so weak that you cannot detect a change
with Testing Solution A. If you figure this out, you will find that
this is a delicate test, one that will reveal the presence of a very
small percentage of gold.
WITH PALLADIUM
In the same way, learn the color-changes shown when mixing
standard palladium solution with Testing Solution A. This color-
change is even more interesting than the others. When the two
drops are first admixed, you see a deep yellow, not unlike the ef-
fect produced by platinum. After some minutes the yellow turns
blue-green. This blue-green color is characteristic of palladium.
WITH SILVER
Silver solutions, such as silver nitrate, do not give any color-reac-
tion with Testing Solution A. What you will see when the two
are mixed is a white cheesy precipitate of silver chloride, similar
50
grade platinum alloys—alloys containing copper or nickel or silver,
with or without gold or palladium.
Mix up some fresh aqua regia. For this work a good mixture is
one part nitric acid to four parts hydrochloric acid, and the best
container is a dropping bottle. The sketch shows one type of drop-
ping bottle. Notice the grooves on the stopper and in the neck of
the bottle; when these coincide you can easily pour out one drop,
or as many as you wish, without fumbling or waste.
One kind of dropping bottle.
The stopper is grooved, and
there is a channel in the neck
of the bottle.
Never close tightly any bottle that contains aqua regia. Keep
the stopper turned so that the grooves coincide and the gases that
evolve may escape. If dropping bottles are unobtainable you can
manage with ordinary glass-stoppered bottles and a handful of
medicine droppers or small glass rods; but the dropping bottles
are much the better arrangement.
Add about four drops of aqua regia to each metallic streak, and
await results. With some streaks the acid goes to work at once.
With others the action is so slow that the hasty observer will con-
clude that they are not dissolving at all. But sooner or later, de-
pending upon the nature of the alloy and the temperature of the
plate, the aqua regia will take on a deeper color and the metallic
streaks will disappear.
In a notebook write down the order in which the streaks are at-
tacked.
47
 Next, rub pure platinum in a cavity, and make a few rubs in the
same cavity using a bit of fine gold. Suppose you make fifteen
rubs with platinum, and three rubs with gold. Again warm the
plate, dissolve the streaks in aqua regia, and test with Solution A.
Can your eye detect the presence of that small amount of gold?
Also, can your eye detect the presence of all three metals—gold,
platinum, and palladium—at the same time, in a single drop of
solution?
Your eye may not be able to do this the first time. But after a
little experience, you will know which metals are present and
roughly the proportion of each.
Skill in appraisal comes with practice—practice in studying the
behavior of alloys of whose composition you are certain, exposing
them to the various tests and comparing them with each other and
with unknowns handed to you by some friend who can check your
reports.
If a spot plate is not obtainable, it is possible, though not con-
venient, to use other plans. Thus, get a minute amount of your
unknown metal into solution in some other way, perhaps by
cutting off a scrap with a file or saw and dissolving it in aqua regia
in a tiny test tube or small watch glass. Soak up the solution in
clean white blotting paper or filter paper. Now drop one drop of
Testing Solution A onto the stain. Colors will appear and spread
through the paper handsomely. If two precious metals are pres-
ent, say gold and palladium, the characteristic colors of both will
appear.
IF THE TESTS ARE NOT CONCLUSIVE—
The beginner sometimes gets confusing results. Sometimes the
colors refuse to appear. This may be due to the fact that one solu-
tion or another has lost its potency. More likely it is because you
have used too much acid.
Remember that aqua regia weakens on standing. Remember
that Testing Solution A spoils on standing. Both must be mixed
afresh from time to time. The standard solutions do not spoil.
If properly kept in glass-stoppered bottles they will keep for years.
But when you make them up, do not use an excessive amount of
acid to dissolve your bits of metal. If too much aqua regia is used,
the tests will be weakened or even destroyed.
52
The excess acid can be driven off by evaporating the solutions
gently until sirupy, then adding a little water. In dissolving the
streaks made on the spot plate, you sometimes use more aqua regia
than is wise. There again you can remove the excess by warming
the spot plate gently; if the drop should go entirely dry, add plain
water to bring your substances again into solution.
Another situation that may confuse the beginner is to find an
alloy containing much platinum and very little palladium; or
much gold and very little palladium. He finds that the palladium
color is obscured by the intense reactions of the platinum or the
gold. As his eye becomes skilled he can detect smaller and smaller
proportions; however, he will be glad to know that there is another
solution that is especially valuable in detecting small amounts of
palladium.
DIMETHYL GLYOXIME SOLUTION
This solution has the added virtue of showing up nickel, even in
small amounts. It will show up nickel in a platinum alloy; in a
white gold alloy; in a dental alloy; or in a solution. It will show
up palladium and nickel when both are present in small amounts
in an alloy that is largely platinum or gold.
Purchase a gram of dimethyl glyoxime . One gram will be
enough for several hundred spot plate tests. Be sure to get a good
quality product. It is a white or pale yellow powder. The name
is pronounced “dye-methyl glyoxeem,” but no one will blame us
if we refer to it as DMG.
Dissolve this gram of DMG by bringing it to a boil in about 100
cc of water—about 4 fluid ounces. The powder dissolves rather
slowly. Let it cool and if possible let it stand overnight; then
filter. It is important that the solution be clear and free from
sediment or crystals. It is now ready to be placed in a dropping
bottle, which should be labeled DMG. It keeps quite well for years,
except that you may have to filter it again.
Let us get acquainted with DMG. Its most interesting charac-
teristic, as we said, is to show up palladium and nickel, in the pres-
ence of other metals and in the presence of each other.
53
 DMG AND PALLADIUM
First, place a very small drop of the standard palladium solution
in a cavity of the spot plate. Or, better, take one drop and dilute
it with several drops of water to obtain a pale yellow solution;
then place one drop of the pale solution in a clean cavity.
Do the same thing with a drop of your standard platinum solu-
tion, and with your standard gold solution; a drop to a cavity. All
three have a pale yellow color.
Now add a drop or two of DMG to each cavity. Note the PRECIP-
ITATE that forms, and its color. Note that the pale yellow colors
do not change, but that in the cavity containing palladium you
will see a PRECIPITATE , or sediment. Note carefully that while
Testing Solution A gives prompt changes in color, DMG distin-
guishes between palladium and the other metals by forming a pre-
cipitate.
You can see this more clearly by making similar tests in small test
tubes. Make one test with an extremely dilute palladium solution,
adding DMG and noticing that even very small amounts of this
yellow precipitate are visible.
Be sure in the beginning that all your test solutions are clear and
free from precipitates or flocculence; otherwise you will be de-
ceived.
DMG AND NICKEL
Scratch on the spot plate with a five-cent piece. Dissolve the
streak with a drop of nitric acid or aqua regia. Add a drop or two
of DMG. Nothing special will happen.
Now, add a big drop of ammonia. If you used enough ammonia
to kill the acid, you will see a very beautiful and characteristic color
change.
From one point of view it is a waste of time to describe these
color changes, since they become of value only through being seen
by each observer. However, for the sake of the record we may say
that this color, produced by DMG, nickel, and ammonia, is a
striking rose-red. And the precipitate produced by palladium and
DMG in acid solution is canary yellow.
Note this particularly: The test for palladium appears only in
ACID solution; the test for nickel must be made in AMMONIACAL
solution.
54
to that obtained when table salt is added to a silver nitrate solu-
tion.
WITH BASE METALS
Solutions containing only such base metals as iron, copper, zinc,
nickel and cadmium give no color change with stannous chloride.
Lead may give a white precipitate that looks like silver chloride,
but if you employed the dichromate test in Chapter I this will
cause you no confusion.
STANNOUS CHLORIDE TESTING SOLUTION WITH UNKNOWNS
You should now be ready to examine metals of whose composi-
tion you are ignorant. Take an article that you suspect of being
platinum or some platinum alloy. Rub it hard to make a good
streak in a clean cavity of your spot plate. Dissolve the streak in
aqua regia, noting whether or not it is necessary to heat the plate;
and making up for evaporation if you do heat it.
Add a drop of Solution A and note the color change.
Repeat with a piece of what you believe to be a good gold alloy.
Repeat with something you believe to be palladium. Finally ask
some friend to hand you pieces of metal, preferably pure metals
or simple high-grade alloys, test them and check your reports with
him.
(Testing Solution A must be made up freshly from time to
time. It loses its virtue completely in a few days. Therefore, be-
gin the day’s work by checking your Solution A against a drop of
standard gold solution; if it fails to respond, throw it away at once.)
DETECTING GOLD, PLATINUM, AND PALLADIUM, IN THE PRESENCE
OF EACH OTHER
The next step is to detect palladium in metal that is mostly
platinum. This is especially valuable when testing dental alloys
or buying metal that may be contaminated or of low grade. If you
have a standard needle of a platinum-palladium alloy, rub it on
your spot plate, warm the plate, dissolve the streak in aqua regia,
and test the solution with Testing Solution A.
Can your eye detect the difference between that effect and the
effect produced by pure platinum?
51
combination of metals, which you suspect may resemble your un-
known x. For example, you might make fifteen scratches with
pure platinum and five scratches with fine gold. Call this alloy b.
In the fourth row it might be useful to make scratches of some
further combination which may or may not resemble x. For ex-
ample, make fifteen scratches with pure platinum and five scratches
with a piece of pure nickel. Call this c. Your spot plate will now
look like this:
xo ao bo co
xo ao bo co
xo ao bo co
The next step is to dissolve every one of these streaks in aqua
regia. With platinum alloys you must heat the plate. Into each
cavity drop exactly the same amount of aqua regia. Give the
streaks time to dissolve; indeed, you can gather considerable in-
formation regarding your unknown by noticing the promptness
with which it dissolves in aqua regia. In some cases the color
may prove helpful; you will recall that both copper and nickel
give green solutions; unfortunately gold, platinum, palladium and
iridium all give the same color here—yellow.
After the streaks have all dissolved, begin your tests. Starting
at the top, place about three drops, more or less, of Testing Solu-
tion A in each of the four top cavities. Now, to the middle row
of four cavities, add two or three drops of DMG. Use the same
number of drops in each cavity of a row. In the bottom row,
add first a big drop of ammonia, then one or two drops of DMG.
Compare the way in which your unknown responds to these
tests, with the reactions caused by alloys or mixtures whose nature
you are sure of. Sometimes it helps to let the spot plate stand a
while—half an hour, or overnight. New colors may appear.
If your unknown is strikingly different in its reactions from your
knowns, then start in all over again, after cleaning your spot plate,
using another set of knowns.
These suggestions will readily bring to mind other possible ar-
rangements. The success of this method lies in practice, care, a
good memory and a good light. Also in keeping your spot plate
clean.
56
TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN IRIDIO-PLATINUM AND
RUTHENIO-PLATINUM
In some ways this test is more difficult than most; hence it is es-
sential to practise with samples of both alloys until you are sure
of the method. You will use the spot plate, aqua regia, some full-
strength C.P. ammonia, and a few crystals of sodium thiosulphate—
also called “hypo” and obtainable from any photo or chemical
supply shop.
First make thirty scratches in a cavity of the spot plate with the
iridio-platinum. In another cavity make thirty scratches with the
ruthenio platinum. Heat the plate as usual, and dissolve the
streaks in aqua regia. However, since these alloys are so slow to
react, you probably will have to add more aqua regia, a drop at a
time, to make up for evaporation. Do not let the cavities go dry; it
may help to add a drop of water.
It usually takes about ten minutes for the streaks to dissolve.
Sometimes the particles of metal float loose from the porcelain
before they really dissolve. Keep the plate hot.
When all the metallic particles have dissolved, add to each cavity
two or more drops of ammonia—enough to make the solution defi-
nitely ammoniacal. Warm again, being careful not to let the spots
go dry, adding a drop of water or of ammonia to keep things in
solution.
Finally, add to each cavity a small crystal of sodium thiosulphate
(hypo). In the ruthenium solution you will see a red or pink color
within two or three minutes. Compare it with the iridio-platinum
solution, which shows almost no color change.
That is all there is to the test. Its only difficulty is that these
alloys dissolve so slowly, even when the plate is hot, that some ob-
servers lose patience and give up before the test has had time to act.
Also, it is necessary to keep the spots from going dry, and this re-
quires some watchfulness.
This reaction was reported first by Carey Lea, and its use for this
purpose was suggested to the writer by Raleigh Gilchrist of the
United States National Bureau of Standards.
57
 SECTION C. SOME OTHER TESTS
There are many other tests used by chemists and metallurgists
for the identification of metals. Those already given will serve
most purposes. The following tests, however, are included in
this chapter because of their long usage and for their value in spe-
cial applications.
IODINE TEST FOR PALLADIUM
Place a drop of tincture of iodine, the kind found in most family
medicine kits, on a piece of palladium or an alloy that is rich in
palladium. Heat with a small flame—-a match will do—until the
alcohol in the tincture takes fire and the liquid dries. A black
stain of palladium iodide will remain, to be removed only by vig-
orous rubbing. Repeat, using platinum or a nickel-gold; while a
stain will form, it is less deeply colored and can be easily rubbed off.
THE GLOW TEST
One peculiarity of the platinum group metals is their ability to
soak up gases. This is utilized in one kind of cigarette lighter, in
which some finely-divided palladium can be exposed to naphtha
fumes; it soaks up the fumes and in so doing becomes hot, and
finally the fumes ignite. This phenomenon can be used as a test
for platinum group metals in some cases. However, many sub-
stances inhibit the test, while others (such as copper) may produce
a false glow, so the test has fallen into disuse, and is not recom-
mended for our purposes.
ANOTHER TEST FOR GOLD
Ferrous sulphate (also called copperas) is often used as a test
reagent for gold in aqua regia solution. Before making the test,
heat the solution gently almost to dryness and add a little plain
hydrochloric acid, then again evaporate almost to dryness. This
is to remove all excess nitric acid, whose presence interferes with
the test. Now add a little water and a crystal of the pale green fer-
rous sulphate, and after a few seconds a dark cloud of finely divided
metallic gold will appear.
58
This is very handy. Thus, suppose you have a piece of so-called
platinum as an unknown, and you suspect that it may contain
both nickel and palladium. First make the streak on the spot plate
and get it into solution with aqua regia. Then add DMG. If pal-
ladium is present you will see the copious precipitate, canary yel-
low in color. Now add enough ammonia to make the mixture
smell faintly. If nickel is there, you will at once see the beautiful
rose-red. All in one cavity of your spot plate.
Continue to test various scraps of metal, such as cheap white
gold, (which is almost sure to contain nickel) and high-grade
dental alloys, (which are almost sure to contain palladium). These
tests are so fascinating that it will be no hardship to practice until
your eye is quite thoroughly trained.
THE SPOT PLATE AND AN UNKNOWN
With the facts already learned, the clever observer is now ready
to test a wide variety of unknown metals. Suppose you have a
piece of jewelry, and you suspect it of being palladio-platinum,
possibly containing gold and nickel. Let this diagram represent
the cavities in the spot plate:
o o o o
o o o o
o o o o
Now make scratches with your unknown in the three cavities to
the left. Make from 10 to 25 scratches in each cavity; with soft
metals a few scratches are enough; with hard ones use more. Count
the scratches, so as to use the same number every time in a given
test.
In the second row of cavities, make scratches with some metal of
known composition, whose nature you believe to be similar to your
unknown. Let us call this alloy a; the unknown will be called x.
Thus, suppose you suspect your unknown of being approximately
20-80 palladio-platinum. In that case, the second scratches should
be made with a needle of that composition.
In the third row of cavities, make scratches with some other
55
liquid) we can roughly estimate the weight of metal in a given
volume of unknown solution. This calls for skill and patience, the
drop-size samples being diluted with one or more drops of water
until the intensity of the color-reactions of the unknown solution
approximate the intensity of the color-reactions given by the
Standard Solutions. This problem, which is hardly one for the
beginner, is discussed in more detail in the book Refining Precious
Metal Wastes, by C. M. Hoke, published by the Metallurgical Pub-
lishing Company, 123 William Street, New York.
TESTING ALKALINE SOLUTIONS
You will observe that in the tests so far described, the solutions
have been mildly acid or neutral. Never strongly acid—excess acid
will weaken or even ruin most of them—nor alkaline, except in
those cases where an ammoniacal solution was used. Testing Solu-
tion A will not work at all in alkaline or cyanide solutions, until
the alkalinity is destroyed. Thus, suppose you have an old cyanide
gilding solution, and wonder if it contains dissolved gold: Take
about five drops of the suspected liquid in a small test tube or
tiny dish, stand near a window or an exhaust fan, and carefully add
four or five drops of hydrochloric acid. The fumes evolved are ex-
tremely poisonous—hence the need for working near an exhaust.
Bring the mixture cautiously to a boil; this drives off the cyanide.
Let it cool, and you can now use Testing Solution A or ferrous sul-
phate the same as usual.
Success with all these tests calls for practice, patience, and a good
light. It also requires keeping your spot plate clean.
ELECTROGRAPHIC TESTS
A clever electric method for detecting gold, chromium, and some
other metals in alloys or electrodeposits has been worked out by
J. A. Calamari, Robert Hubata, and P. B. Roth of the New York
Medical Laboratory in Brooklyn. The test is easy to perform,
need not injure the article, and requires only simple equipment.
The article to be tested is wired to the positive pole of a battery, 6
to 9 volts, and a pad of filter paper or white blotter, wet with a solu-
tion of sodium nitrate and hydrogen peroxide, is laid on it. A
graphite rod connected to the negative pole is touched to the wet
paper.
60
If the paper is in contact with gold, a purple spot appears. Most
base metals give no reaction, but chromium gives a blue spot, silver
a black spot, and so on, and the intensity of the color may suggest
the karat or composition of the surface layer. The method is de-
scribed fully in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry , July 16,
1942.
For our purposes this method has the disadvantage of centering
attention on the surface of the article, which as we know may be
quite different from the bulk of the piece. But when properly ap-
plied and understood, it is very useful.
SPECIFIC GRAVITY
Even in prehistoric days people noticed that some metals were
heavier than others, and that the precious metals in general are
heavier than the common ones. These differences are utilized in
many ways; thus the prospector shakes the gold-bearing gravel in a
pan, with water, and the heavier gold particles settle to the bottom.
These differences have also been used, for centuries, in identifica-
tion and appraisal.
The story is that Archimedes, a Greek mathematician of the
third century B.C., was asked by his king to determine if a crown,
purporting to be gold, did not actually contain some silver—a
problem of precisely the type that confronts the readers of this
book. Archimedes was puzzled, until one day as he stepped into
his bath and saw some water overflow, it came to him that the
excess of bulk caused by the introduction of a lighter alloying
element could be measured by putting the crown and equal
weights of gold and of silver, separately, into a bowl of water, and
noting the difference of overflow. The story continues that Archi-
medes was so overjoyed at this happy thought that he ran home
without his clothes, shouting “Eureka! Eureka!,” meaning “I have
found it!”
This ratio between the weight and the bulk of an article is called
its density or its specific gravity—”specific” because each pure ele-
mental material has its own unique and specific ratio. The pro-
cedure for determining it is given in the Appendix.
Pure water is commonly used as a standard of comparison, with
the specific gravity of 1.00. A cube of water measuring 1 centi-
61
meter on a side weighs 1 gram. A cube of gold of the same size
weighs 19.32 grams, and has a specific gravity of 19.32. Silver,
lead, palladium and mercury occupy a middle group with gravities
running from 10 to 13. Tin, zinc and steel are all close to 7; alumi-
num is 2.7; platinum is 21.37. Gases, and things like cork that
float on water, have specific gravities of less than 1, usually repre-
sented by a decimal.
Alloys have densities that range between those of the compo-
nents. Thus a palladio-platinum alloy will come somewhere be-
tween pure platinum and pure palladium, and its specific gravity
will suggest its composition. Sterling silver can be distinguished
from silver alloys of lower grade. Iridio-platinum can be distin-
guished from ruthenio- or palladio-platinum. High karat golds
are heavier than low karat. And so on.
However, the method has its limitations. For example, by
manipulating the components it is easy to make up several alloys
of the same density but different compositions. If a bar contains
bubbles or blow-holes its density will be less than that of a homo-
geneous bar. If such a bar were drastically rolled its specific gravity
would increase. If a piece of jewelry contains stones, these must
be removed before a significant specific gravity determination can
be made. In general, the smaller the article, the less accurate the
determination.
* * * to identify unknowns.
In the Appendix will be found a list of metals with their den-
sities and melting points, as well as their responses to nitric acid,
to hydrochloric acid, and to the oxy-gas flame.
62
ANOTHER TEST FOR PLATINUM
In the refining and purifying of platinum, it is customary to
add ammonium chloride to an aqua regia solution of the metal,
and a yellow powder will precipitate out. This powder, whose
color ranges from canary yellow to deep orange, is platinum-am-
monium-chloride. It is collected and converted back into metal-
lic platinum.
This same reaction can be used to identify platinum. Dissolve
a scrap of metal in a little aqua regia. Dissolve some ammonium
chloride in a little water to make a concentrated solution, and add
it to the acid solution. Watch for a yellow or orange precipitate.
Practise with your platinum samples before attempting to identify
unknowns. You will find that this test is not as delicate as some
others, for if there is only a little platinum in solution, no precipi-
tate will be visible. Some people add the ammonium chloride as
a dry salt; this is not wise, for you may mistake its crystals for the
yellow powder that you are seeking.
Potassium chloride can be used in this test instead of ammonium
chloride.
This test is a favorite with prospectors, and is dependable when
properly used. However, wishful thinking has led at least a few
workers to mistake sand and other worthless materials for the
yellow or orange precipitate. It is wise to practise with several
ores and minerals known to contain platinum, before attempting
OLD AQUA REGIA SOLUTIONS
Men who work with the precious metals have frequent occasion
to dissolve them in aqua regia, for example as the first step in the
preparation of a gilding bath, or in the refining of factory wastes.
It is not unusual to find accumulations of these old solutions, some-
times heavily contaminated with other metals. Methods of ap-
praising such solutions differ with circumstances, but in general
we utilize the principle discussed in Section B of this chapter.
That is, drop-size samples are tested in the cavities of the spot plate
against the various testing solutions until the components are es-
tablished. Then by comparison with the Standard Solutions (in
which a known weight of metal is dissolved in a known volume of
59
ported on a strong and rigid frame, carefully leveled so that the
beam, when at rest, lies truly horizontal. Indeed, the use of a hand
balance in trade is generally forbidden by law, for a clever swindler
can tip a hand balance in his favor, and even an honest hand can be
unsteady.
The troy system of weights is commonly used with the precious
metals. Its basic unit, the grain (gr.) is of the same weight as the
grain used in the apothecaries’ and avoirdupois scales.
24 grains = one pennyweight (dwt.)
20 dwt. = one troy ounce (oz.)
12 troy oz. = one troy pound (lb.)
The pound is rarely mentioned, which is just as well, for it dif-
fers just enough from the generally-used avoirdupois pound to
make for confusion. For small quantities there is a growing tend-
ency to use decimal parts rather than to mention two units. Thus,
instead of saying 20 ounces 10 pennyweight, we might say 20.5 oz.
Instead of 15 pennyweight 6 grains, we might say 15.25 dwt.
The seller must remember that a swindler can use an honest bal-
ance but dishonest weights. Some of the itinerant old-gold buyers
that flooded the land during the depression of the ‘30’s were said
to use a copper cent, weighing about 50 grains, instead of a penny-
weight (24 grains), thus obtaining twice as much gold as they paid
for. The difference between the troy ounce (480 grains) and the
lighter avoirdupois ounce (437.5 grains) has also been used to the
disadvantage of the unwary.
As we said, the troy system is in general use with all the precious
metals. However, scientific workers, accustomed to the metric
system, like to buy and sell their platinum group metals by the
64
gram or milligram, and the well-equipped metal buyer will have
a set of gram weights in addition to his troy weights.
A good balance is a sensitive and expensive instrument. It
should be sheltered from dust and draughts, and must stand on a
firm level table, free from vibrations. Weights should be kept in
a covered container, and should be picked up with tongs made of
a relatively soft metal—never touched with the fingers. You can
learn something about a person and his establishment by observ-
ing how he handles his balance and weights.
THE “OLD GOLD” INDUSTRY
For generations—until the depression of the 1930’s—the buying
and selling of old gold had been an inconspicuous industry. The
sums involved were small, and there were only a few simple regula-
tions. Few jewelers sought such business, and when it came to
them they carried it on apologetically in the back office.
Then, after Great Britain went off the gold standard, the picture
changed. The purchasing power of gold began to rise all over the
world. Prospectors got out their rusty shovels and went into the
hills. Itinerant gold buyers went from house to house picking up
unused trinkets. In 1933 the United States called in all gold coins,
and our gold price, which for years had been $20.67 an ounce,
started the step-by-step climb that finally was pegged at $35 an
ounce by the Gold Reserve Act of 1934.
With this increase in value—a rise of almost 70 percent—the old
gold business mushroomed into an important industry involving
thousands of people and millions of dollars. Jewelers hung the
“We Buy Old Gold” sign prominently in their front windows. So-
called refiners’ agents opened up on every Main Street, while
house-to-house canvassers swarmed over the country by the thou-
sands. Some of these latter were honest and intelligent, but many
were patently dishonest, and most of them were deeply ignorant of
metal values. (For example, since their main interest was in the
yellow metal, gold, few of them learned how to appraise platinum
and white gold, or even to recognize them.)
This feverish and unwholesome activity was finally calmed,
partly by legitimate competition, partly because federal and local
regulations put the fly-by-night and the crook out of business.
65
Since then the buying and selling of old precious metals has been
stabilized on a higher plane, and is now largely in the hands of
men who, like jewelers, have a knowledge of metals and integrity
in handling them.
FRAUDS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS
No doubt there has been much deliberate deception in the
handling of the precious metals. There have also been many hon-
est mistakes. This book has repeatedly mentioned certain neces-
sary precautions—allowances for solder, the need to penetrate into
the inner layers of metal; stainless steels that resist the usual acid
tests; the wisdom of testing white and green golds with white and
green gold needles; the wisdom of testing all parts of complex ar-
ticles such as watchcases, and so on. It is indeed true that such
precautions are needed, as was revealed some years ago when
several jewelers, men used to handling gold, were deceived by
stainless steel.
The experienced jeweler tends to judge the worth of an article
by the workmanship upon it—if the workmanship is good, he ex-
pects the metal to be worthy. This tendency has been traded upon
by a few unscrupulous persons, and fake antiques, of excellent de-
sign and craftsmanship, have appeared on the scene.
However, for every single instance of this kind, there are thou-
sands of honorable transactions. Some of these latter, however,
have been misunderstood by the layman. Thus: A woman brings
in a watch, now useless, but once highly prized; the jeweler offers
her a few dollars, representing only the old metal value; he can
give her nothing for the mechanism, nothing for the labor orig-
inally put into the case, nothing for the fashion element that once
accompanied it, and not a cent for the profit that the original
dealer made when he sold her the trinket. Situations such as this
often mean disappointment to the seller, but reflect no discredit
on the buyer.
“WHO WILL BUY MY GOLD?”
The layman with a few pennyweight of gold will generally do
best to take it to a neighborhood jeweler of good repute. Large lots
probably should be sold to Uncle Sam. If his community has no
jeweler, his bank will advise him as to the financial stability of
66
CHAPTER V
Buying and Selling Old Precious Metals
C AN I make money buying and selling old gold? “Where can
I buy it?” “To whom can I sell it?” “Must I have a license?”
“How much is this old silver worth? This platinum? This pal-
ladium?”
“What is the most profitable kind of old precious metal to
handle?”
“Will it pay me to buy up a lot of old filled watchcases and
plated spectacle frames?”
“Is it true that this line is full of grafters?”
“I paid eighty dollars for this watch; why is it the jeweler will
give me only three dollars for it now?”
These and other related questions come up repeatedly. This
chapter will try to reply to them, and to be helpful both to the
layman (or lay woman) with some jewelry to sell, and to the jeweler
or antiquarian who might buy it.
THE FOUR STEPS
There are four steps in the process of buying and selling old
precious metals. First the metal must be identified. We make
sure that it is gold and not brass, and we determine its karat quality
as accurately as we can. Or we make sure that it is silver all the
way through, and not silver plated. Or we decide that it is plati-
num of high quality; or of low quality. The details of this first
step have been described fully in the first four chapters of this book.
The second step is to find out how much the article weighs. The
final steps are to calculate its value and to find a purchaser who
will pay the highest price. Let us now consider these steps in turn.
WEIGHING PRECIOUS METALS
We often see pictures of Justice holding a balance in her hand.
But in real life we get much more just results if the scales are sup-
63
noble, underwent many changes due to shortages and war restric-
tions, and more regulations were imposed, mostly on the manufac-
ture of specific metal articles.
Since all such regulations are subject to change, it would be idle
to repeat them here. The interested reader should obtain copies
of current regulations from time to time, as he needs them, from
his nearest Federal Reserve Bank, or the Mint or Assay Office of
his district.
For many years the regulations regarding Uncle Sam’s purchases
of gold were quite simple; he would purchase gold in almost any
form from anyone, and no questions asked. Each lot had to be of
a certain minimal quality and total value. A small charge was
made to cover the refining of the material, the rates varying slightly
from time to time. Shipments were made by hand or express to
the owner’s nearest Mint or Assay Office. The government has
never employed any traveling agents, and has publicly stressed the
point that the Mint has no agents soliciting for it.
“MUST I HAVE A LICENSE?”
Since we went off the gold standard, the regulations now in-
volve the licensing of those who acquire, transport, melt or treat,
import, export, or earmark gold in substantial quantities, or
hold it in custody for foreign or domestic accounts. The rules
regarding Uncle Sam’s purchases of native gold, old jewelry, etc.,
have also been modified in almost every detail. These rulings are
subject to further change without notice.
Several kinds of licenses are provided—all being described fully
in the Regulations. Application forms for the various licenses can
be obtained from the Office of each District; these must be filled
out in duplicate and sworn to before a Notary Public, and returned
to the Office of the District, with such further information as the
Regulations require.
No charge is made, and in general if a man has been established
in some branch of the precious metals industry or has legitimate
need for gold, he will not be refused a license.
One of the requirements of licensees is that they should not do
business under a name which would induce the belief that gold
is being handled on behalf of the Government or for the purpose
68
of carrying out any policy of the Government. In other words,
Uncle Sam does not want gold-buyers to pose as his agents.
Many states and cities require local licenses in addition to the
Federal license. Local regulations are aimed at preventing the
sale of stolen goods and the fleecing of uninformed sellers.
THE MINTS AND ASSAY OFFICES
The Denver Mint takes care of applicants from the following
states: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Mex-
ico, North and South Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and Wy-
oming.
The Assay Office at New York takes care of Connecticut, Del-
aware, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New
Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Wisconsin, Puerto
Rico, Virgin Islands, and Canal Zone.
The Philadelphia Mint takes care of Alabama, Arkansas, Flor-
ida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland,
Mississippi, Missouri, North and South Carolina, Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of
Columbia.
The Seattle Assay Office takes care of Idaho, Montana, Oregon,
Washington and Alaska.
The San Francisco Mint looks after Arizona, California, Nevada,
and the territories and possessions not otherwise mentioned.
UNCLE SAM DOES NOT BUY PLATINUM
One government regulation of peculiar interest is that covering
the platinum-group metals. The Mints and Assay Offices do not
wish them and, if they are included in a shipment Uncle Sam will
not pay anything for them. In fact, his refining charges will be
that much higher, because of the extra labor involved in assaying
and refining material that contains these metals. The moral is
plain—sell your platinum to one of the many dealers who will pay
a fair price for it. This metal will be discussed again in this chap-
ter.
WHAT TO DO WITH SILVER
At certain times in our history Uncle Sam has bought silver as
well as gold. The world price fluctuates from day to day, being
69
influenced by political and financial conditions at home and
abroad. Quotations will be found in the daily papers.
Meanwhile, though silver is not high, there is a good market for
it, and if one has a quantity of old sterling silver he can sell it to a
professional refiner, especially one who is equipped to make it into
sheet, wire, or the like, and to sell it for making up new goods.
Several refiners specialize in silver, and silver is always accepted by
the Government as an integral part of a deposit of gold that com-
plies with its regulations—that is, silver that serves to alloy the
gold.
Silver plated ware is of such small value today that in general
it is not traded in except by those who happen to have many
pounds of it. Usually this is sold to a copper refinery, where it
goes through the same electrolytic process that is used in refining
copper; the silver is recovered as a by-product.
“HOW MUCH IS PAID FOR OLD GOLD?”
At present writing, the Government price of fine gold is $35.00
a troy ounce, or $1.75 a pennyweight. Ordinary gold contains more
or less base metal, and is worth correspondingly less. There is al-
ways a “spread” between the buying price and the selling price of
any article, to provide for the handler’s living, and gold is no ex-
ception to the rule.
Previous chapters of this book have told how to establish the
karat or quality of a gold article, and how to establish whether a
given article is solid gold or merely gold filled or plated.
An experienced purchaser will allow a leeway of one or two
karats, for solder or for errors in testing. That is, suppose a ring
seems according to the touchstone test to be a full 14-k; he will
study its design to see whether it required much or little solder,
and possibly he will decide that the ring as a whole would assay
13-k. As mentioned in earlier chapters, chains and mesh usually
have more solder per unit of weight than other articles, and a
chain whose links are 14-k may assay 10-k to 11-k.
THE GOLD-BUYER’S ROUTINE
Here is a procedure that probably would be followed by a
jeweler when buying gold in small quantities with the expectation
70
someone nearby. A jeweler will explain the value of the metal,
and if there are any precious stones he may purchase them as well.
If the article has artistic merit the jeweler may indeed pay more
than the mere old-metal value and purchase the article for re-sale.
The professional refiner sometimes—not always—will pay a few
more cents a pennyweight than the jeweler. However, he rarely is
interested in artistic merit nor in precious stones. There are pro-
fessional refiners in most large cities, and their agents can be found
almost everywhere and are usually glad to be of service to the lay-
man.
The retail jeweler who buys old precious metal will sell it to
Uncle Sam or to a professional refiner, his choice being governed
by considerations that will be discussed later in this chapter. The
manufacturing jeweler will probably refine his purchases and use
the metal in his own shop, or perhaps he will turn it in in exchange
to the metal dealer from whom he buys his raw material.
When jewelers buy old gold from the public, the appraisal is
normally made on the basis of the quick tests with acid and touch-
stone that have been described in these chapters.
When the Government buys gold or gold-bearing material, it
melts down every lot, mixing it thoroughly, takes a sample and
assays it carefully. Payment is made on the basis of this assay.
This procedure takes a few days, but naturally gives an accurate
valuation which leads to greater satisfaction all round. Very small
lots are not accepted.
When refiners buy metal, they usually employ the quick touch-
stone tests for small lots, while large lots are melted together, sam-
pled, and assayed.
U. S. GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS
The regulations imposed by the United States Government were
designed originally to prevent hoarders who in 1933 had violated
the law by failing to turn in their gold coins at the old value, from
profiting when the price of gold was increased. These regulations
now apply to all transactions involving any substantial quantity of
gold, and have proven of great protection to the public and the
legitimate dealer.
During World War II all the metal industries, both base and
67
portant to remove all nonmetal or base metal parts before weigh-
ing. Note that this price is for an ounce, not a pennyweight. Gold
plated stuff is worth even less; possibly 10¢ to 15¢ an ounce. Uncle
Sam does not buy it, and most refiners receive it without enthusi-
asm if at all, except when very large lots are available.
BUYING AND SELLING PLATINUM GROUP METALS
The market for old platinum metals is not as well standardized
as that for gold and silver. The Mints and Assay Offices do not
buy these metals from the public. The layman with a few penny-
weight of platinum jewelry to sell will generally do best by taking
it to his neighborhood jeweler, if possible to the one from whom
it was originally bought. The jeweler or old-metals buyer should
seek a refiner who is active in this market. Certain refiners special-
ize in these metals, while others specialize in gold or silver. Makers
of scientific apparatus, dental supply houses, or jewelers who use
platinum in the manufacture of their wares, should also be con-
sidered. Since these metals have many wartime applications and
have at times been under restriction, enquiry should be made as to
the legal aspects of any sale or purchase.
These metals normally have fluctuating prices. Quotations
may be obtained from dealers or from trade papers. At certain
times the Government has established fixed prices.
As we learned in Chapter IV, some of these metals are easily
identified, and thus easily appraised, but many of the alloys and
combinations are fairly difficult to identify, and even more diffi-
cult to appraise. Several different alloys or combinations are
used in jewelry, and in the various technical fields the number of
alloys and combinations, with or without gold or silver or base
metals, is legion. These all look a good deal alike but differ
widely in value. The situation is further complicated when a
base metal core is completely encased in only a thin shell of pre-
cious metal.
A complete chemical assay for the exact determination of these
metals is longer and more costly than one that involves only gold
or silver, and becomes increasingly difficult with each additional
element to be determined.
72
The refining of scrap or waste metal for the recovery of these
metals, and the purification that may be needed to prepare them
for resale, are in general more time-consuming than similar tasks
in which only gold or silver are to be recovered. And there are
fewer workers qualified to do such work.
THE PLATINUM “SPREAD”
Because of the complications just described, the “spread” be-
tween the buying and the selling prices of the platinum-group
metals and their alloys is wider than the “spread” for gold or silver.
Thus, when a prospective buyer is calculating what to pay you for
your scrap platinum-group metals, he recalls the difficulties of
identification and appraisal; he remembers that a complete assay
may be a slow and expensive job; he reflects that it may not be
easy to refine and repurify what he buys; and he recalls that the
market price of these metals may suddenly drop. Accordingly he
quotes you a buying price that will be low enough to take care of
all these factors. And when he comes to sell the refined metal
again, his selling price must be correspondingly high.
Sometimes one can return scrap platinum, such as old chemical
ware, to the original dealer from whom it was bought. If so, and
if the article is still in recognizable form, he may well offer a
higher price than usual, since he knows its composition and need
not figure in the cost of appraisal and testing.
METALS USED IN DENTISTRY
Yellow gold fillings are high quality gold—22-k or so. The mod-
ern cast fillings are sometimes of lower karat. Dentists often place
fillings of much less expensive materials in the back teeth, where
they will not show; some of these turn dark or even black. From
the standpoint of the patient’s benefit these fillings are often of
the highest value, but to the old-gold buyer they are not attractive.
Old fashioned false teeth were, in many cases, provided with
two small pins of high-grade iridio-platinum. Much of the work
done today may contain no precious metal at all, so each job must
be considered individually.
Many of the dentures of today are made of gold-platinum-pal-
ladium alloys, some of which at times are worth more than fine
73
gold. They often look like so much nickel, being white or of a
slightly yellowish white color, but a few of the tests described in
this book will quickly prove their value.
Scrap metal of this type can, in general, be sold to best advantage
to a dealer in dental alloys, since he can most easily appraise it.
“ARE WHITE METALS THE MOST PROFITABLE TO TRADE IN?”
It is being said that platinum, white gold, and the whiter dental
scrap are the most profitable part of the “old gold business” today.
This will doubtless be the case for some time in the future. For one
reason, most of the early house-to-house canvassers did not know
how to identify platinum or palladium, and distrusted any white-
looking alloy, and therefore refused to purchase many very valu-
able offerings. This led the owners to place a lower value on
such articles. Accordingly when a buyer appears who knows how
to judge such metals, he can pick up excellent bargains.
The reader may have wondered why so much space was devoted
in this book to methods of identifying and appraising platinum,
palladium, white golds both high grade and low, and other white
alloys. The reason should now be clear—so few people are familiar
with these tests, and there is so much neglected value on the mar-
ket.
FACTORY WASTES, FILINGS, SWEEPS
When a jeweler makes a piece of jewelry, he starts with a sheet of
metal and he hammers it and drills holes in it, and files off the
rough edges; possibly he engraves it. He winds up with a piece
of jewelry that weighs one-half or maybe only one-tenth as much
as the original sheet. The rest is now in the form of scrap, filings,
and minute particles such as those that are swept up from the fac-
tory floor, all contaminated with more or less dirt.
The large and relatively clean pieces he will wash and melt up
for immediate re-use. The smaller scraps and filings have various
kinds and amounts of trash mixed with them—steel from the files,
emery from the emery cloth, tobacco, binding wire, bits of paper,
possibly shellac from the stone-setter’s bench, and what-not. The
refining of such materials is part of the routine of most jewelry
factories; the paper and other organic matter is burned out, steel
74
of selling it eventually to a refiner. He establishes its average karat;
finds the weight in pennyweights; then multiplies the karat times
the weight times about 5¢ to 5½¢ for the purchasing price. He
can expect the refiner to pay him about 6¢ to 6½¢. (These fig-
ures are all based on fine gold at $35 per ounce.)
For example: An old ring mounting seems to be 14-k on the
touchstone; the design requires very little solder and there are no
indications that repairs have been made. Assuming that the av-
erage quality would be at least 13-k, and noting that the weight is
3 dwt., he multiplies 13 x 3 x 5½¢ The answer is $2.14½, and
represents the price he would pay to the seller. He hopes to sell
the article to a professional refiner for 13 x 3 x 6½¢, or $2.53½.
The difference of 39¢ is his profit and must pay for his time in mak-
ing the touchstone tests, the cost of shipping to the refiner, and so
on. By buying for a little less than 5½¢ sometimes, and occasion-
ally selling for a bit more than 6½¢ the profit may run from
about 18 percent to 30 percent on the investment, with 25 percent
as an average.
To the jeweler, this transaction has another aspect. It has led
someone to enter his store and make his acquaintance. The profit
may well be small, but it often leads to further business with a
larger return. For this reason many jewelers figure on a very nar-
row “spread” between the buying and the selling price of their
old gold business, and thus build up good will.
On the basis of 6½¢; per karat per pennyweight, a refiner would
pay 65¢ for a pennyweight of 10-k gold, $1.23 for a pennyweight of
18-k gold, and so on. When a refiner buys a large quantity of
clean old jewelry or scrap, enough to justify a chemical assay (in-
stead of an appraisal based on touchstone tests) he may pay more
than 6½¢ per karat per pennyweight. Some kinds of old metal
are more difficult to refine than others, because of the quantity and
nature of the base metals present, and this factor also may affect the
price.
FILLED, ROLLED AND PLATED GOODS
Gold filled and rolled gold stock, so much of which is used in
spectacle frames, watch cases, and moderately priced jewelry, is
much less valuable. It may bring 25¢ to 75¢ an ounce. It is im-
71
segments of the precious metal industries, can work to the ad- these metals; they are scarce and hard to find. Accordingly the
vantage of all concerned. The fostering of such understanding is community owes respect and honor to the men who collect these
one of the purposes of these chapters. metals—sometimes in forms that suggest neither beauty nor useful-
(Methods used by jewelers, professional refiners, and others in ness—and return them to the refinery, whence they will emerge to
the recovery of pure precious metals from the various kinds of begin again the cycle of beauty and usefulness.
scrap, filings, solutions, sweeps, and the like, are described fully
in the book Refining Precious Metal Wastes, by C. M. Hoke, pub-
lished by the Metallurgical Publishing Co., 123 William Street,
New York.)

THE PROFESSIONAL REFINER

The refiner has, as we have seen, several important functions in
the economy of the precious metals. In some parts of the country
the bulk of his work is the refining of ores and concentrates shipped
to him directly from the mines. All refineries have facilities for
sampling and assaying the materials that come to them. In other
parts of the country the most plentiful material is “secondary”
metal—scrap jewelry, old dentures, factory wastes, residues from
electroplating or engraving, and such like. These various ma-
terials call for varying treatment, and the precious metals are
separated out and purified by a variety of chemical and metallurgi-
cal processes, depending upon the metals present, the impurities
involved, and the proportions in which they occur.
As the last stage in his procedure, the refiner usually converts
some or all of his pure metals into alloys—18-k gold, 14-k gold,
sterling silver, iridio-platinum, rolled gold, dental alloys of various
formulas, and so on,—and shapes them into wire, sheet, tubing,
or such other forms as are desired by the trades and arts.

LINKS IN OUR ECONOMY

It should be clear by now that the buying and refining of old
precious metals are important links in the chain of our economy.
They return to usefulness thousands of ounces of indispensable
materials that might otherwise be lost to humanity. Gold is more
than a trinket; for one thing it is a metallurgical necessity in dental
surgery. Platinum is more than an item of luxury; it is an irre-
placeable element in dozens of scientific applications of supreme
importance. Nor has Nature been generous in supplying us with

76 77

CHAPTER VI
Some Paragraphs for the Prospector
Sooner or later any person—jeweler, refiner or gold buyer—who
can appraise old metals will be asked to appraise minerals and
ores. Nuggets that look like gold, and grains that might possibly
be native platinum, will be brought hopefully to his desk. But
while it is true that gold is gold wherever you find it, the fact re-
mains that the identification and appraisal of ores call for different
techniques from those described herein. While the tests and re-
actions can be adapted for use with ores, the adaptation may be
modified considerably by the materials with which the native
metals are combined or admixed. A man who is skilled in one
type of appraisal may find himself at a loss in the other type.
Such readers, therefore, as are interested in prospecting, are
urged to study the excellent literature of this field, and to avail
themselves of the help of our federal and state governments. A
person who has already had experience in the tests described in
this book will quickly pick up the additional techniques.
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Practically every state in the Union maintains a bureau that
publishes authoritative information of interest to prospectors,
miners, and others concerned with the development of our min-
eral resources and industries. These bulletins usually are dis-
tributed free of charge to residents of the state, and at cost to non-
residents. For example, Field Tests for the Common Metals, by
George R. Fansett, is only one of the many useful publications of
the Arizona Bureau of Mines. It gives tests for over thirty min-
erals, including gold and silver (but not platinum), and may be ob-
tained from the University of Arizona at Tucson. The price is
twenty cents.
Most states also maintain laboratories for the identification of
minerals, and will reply to questions regarding probable markets.
78
is removed with a magnet, nitric acid will dissolve out other base
metals, and so on, the exact procedure depending upon the char-
acter and proportion of the trash and impurities. If his filings con-
tain both gold and platinum metals, he will wish to separate these
chemically and recover them in pure form. This calls for some
additional procedures, all well within the facilities of most
jewelry shops.
Some of the original precious metal will, however, be in even
smaller particles, admixed with a larger proportion of dirt. Thus
it is the custom in jewelry shops to save carefully the sweepings
from the floor, to filter the water in which the men wash their
hands, to burn the polishing cloths and save the ashes,—all be-
cause these wastes contain enough precious metal to justify these
efforts. The refining of this third group of wastes, this low-grade
group, is a much more difficult matter. While it is shop routine to
refine the high and medium grades, only the exceptional plant
should attempt to refine low-grade wastes. The custom is to burn
and sieve them, perhaps to subject them to other treatments, then
for their ultimate refining to sell them to a professional refiner
who can give them proper large scale treatment.
The scrap and grindings brushed from the work-table of the
dental mechanic have many of the characteristics of jewelers’
wastes, and are treated in the same general manner. Jewelers,
platers and others all have occasion to dissolve precious metals in
acids or other solvents, producing solutions of varying composition
and value. Sometimes the owner recovers the dissolved metal him-
self; sometimes he must sell it to a professional refiner. There are
several other industries—photography for one—that generate pre-
cious metal wastes, and mostly they are of such a nature that their
refining, as in the case of the jeweler’s sweeps, is best carried out
on a large scale.
Here, then, is another field of activity for the buyer of old metals.
He can act as a refiner’s agent in purchasing such factory wastes as
the owners cannot or will not refine at their own plants. And per-
haps he can complete the industrial cycle by selling the refined
metals back to the jeweler, dentist, or other worker.
It should be clear that co-operation and understanding between
the gold buyer and the refiner, as well as between the several other
75
is easily recognized because of its color, its heaviness, its high melt-
ing point, its malleability, and certain chemical reactions with
which the reader is now familiar. These facts, and descriptions of
the minerals that are sometimes confused with gold, as well as
many other pertinent facts, are given in the literature, much of
which is in popular form and suitable for the man in the field.
Platinum Not Always Easy
There is less popular information on native platinum-group
metals. They are even rarer than gold, and found in fewer parts
of the world, and while in some forms they are easily recognized,
other forms are difficult to identify and even more difficult to ap-
praise. Thus crude platinum in the form of easily recognized
metallic grains is sometimes recovered from stream beds. In the
field we take advantage of platinum’s high specific gravity and pan
the sample. When an experienced man is handling the pan, the
platinum will hang back of the gold particles with which it is often
associated. The platinum grains are often of a silvery white color
that could be confused only with silver, or perhaps with bits of
steel, from which the reader of this book could at once distinguish
them by tests described herein. The presence of platinum should
be confirmed by the ammonium chloride reaction given in Section
C of Chapter IV. A hand lens will be an aid in examining these
heavy particles and will indicate to an experienced eye whether
it is worth while to send the sample to an assayer. The assay of
the platinum-group metals is much more difficult than that of gold.
Several scientific organizations, notably our National Bureau of
Standards, have done much to dispel the mystery that once sur-
rounded these metals, but even so, many chemists still approach
without pleasure the tedious task of determining and separating
them.
On the other hand, the platinum metals are often found as
minor constituents of ores of other metals, and in such small pro-
portions that it is impossible to detect them in field tests. For ex-
ample, let us consider one large source of palladium and platinum
—the nickel-copper ores of the Sudbury District in Canada. The
platinum content of these ores is little more than one part in two
million. (Small amounts of rhodium and the other platinum
80
metals are also present, beside gold and silver.) Since large ton-
nages of ore, over 1,800,000 tons in 1934, are treated for the recov-
ery of the main products, generous amounts of the platinum metals
are obtained as by-products. In the treatment of these copper-
nickel ores, the platinum metals become concentrated in the cop-
per-nickel matte of the smelting process, then when the nickel is
electrolytically refined the platinum, palladium, rhodium, gold,
silver and other metals are recovered as by-products. In 1938, 57
percent of the world production of platinum-group metals was ob-
tained as by-products of the refining of ores in which some other
metal—copper, nickel, gold, silver—was the main enterprise. Here,
then, are ores of great commercial importance, but of so small a
platinum content that the tests used on old jewelry will not reveal
their value. What the prospector needs here is a knowledge of
practical geology and mineralogy, to be confirmed by a laboratory
analysis or assay.
“BLACK SANDS”
Another source of platinum that has been the subject of much
talk is the so-called black sands that often accompany gold in al-
luvial deposits. These sands are a mixture of heavy grains of
various minerals, including magnetite, chromite, ilmenite, cassi-
terite, tourmaline and others, some of which are quite worthless.
Occasionally the platinum grains are fairly easy to identify. The
United States Bureau of Mines in its Information Circular I C
7000, dated March 1938, warns the public not to be too enthusi-
astic over the chances of striking it rich, and explains that for over
half a century much money, energy and time have been wasted on
black sands that generally were not worth the effort, partly because
the total platinum content was low, partly because the stuff with
which it was mixed was of a nature to make refining difficult and
expensive. Circular I C 7000 describes the occurrence of these
sands, machinery for grinding and concentrating them, and sug-
gestions for marketing such sands as may really be of value. The
metals in these sands dissolve very slowly in aqua regia; time, heat,
and patience are required. This should be remembered when-
ever tests such as the ammonium chloride reaction, described in
Section C of Chapter IV, are used to identify them.
81
 SOME WORDS OF WARNING
Metals as valuable as those of the platinum group are bound to
inspire dishonest men to dishonest deeds. Much money has been
lost by the public to fraudulent stock promotions involving so-
called platinum mines that contained no platinum at all. The
reader should recall that most of our forty-eight states maintain
laboratories for the identification and assay of ores and minerals,
as well as bureaus that supply information on the marketing of
such materials. These bureaus are at the command of any res-
ident with legitimate need for their services, the prospective in-
vestor as well as the mining prospector, and there is no need to go
far from home for information.
By the same token, the jeweler or old-gold buyer in Boston or
Baltimore, for example, who receives a sackful of what looks like
gold nuggets from some stranger in a far-off mining town will do
well to be curious. He may learn that the stranger is merely one
who fears to entrust his secret to any home town neighbor. Or
perhaps he is a crank who has canvassed every testing laboratory
in his own region and will not believe what they tell him. Or
the situation may have a sinister aspect, for sometimes the
stranger is a promotor angling for a statement, on the stationery
of a reputable firm, that his sample contains gold, the whole thing
being merely a stock-selling scheme.
ONE MORE LINK
On the other hand, a jeweler doing business in a mining region
may find it important to be able to handle mineral specimens. If
his neighbors trust his skill and integrity they will come to him in
spite of the services offered by the government bureaus. And if
he studies the available literature, and practises with samples of
knowns and unknowns, he will soon find himself with a useful and
profitable accomplishment—one with which he can forge one more
link in the chain of our precious metal economy.
82
This service is often supplied free if the specimens originate within
the state; a small charge is made for samples submitted from out-
side the state. When assays, quantitative chemical analyses, spec-
trographic analyses, microscopic or thin sections are desired, they
are furnished at rates established by law.
Many schools and universities, especially in regions with impor-
tant mineral industries, give instruction in mining engineering
and related subjects. For example, the University of California
at Berkeley gives a correspondence course in mineralogy, and sup-
plies each student with specimens of ore for study and comparison.
The United States Bureau of Mines, although it does not dupli-
cate the services rendered by state bureaus, is also glad to give ad-
vice on prospective markets and otherwise to assist in bringing to-
gether the buyers and sellers of mineral products. In addition it
has published much authoritative and intensely practical informa-
tion of a general character, for example its Information Circular
6148-R, entitled Selected Bibliography of Minerals and Their
Identification . This pamphlet was prepared in answer to the
many inquiries for the names of elementary books on geology,
mineralogy, methods of identification, prospecting, and so on. It
gives short notes on the character of each book, the number of
pages, and the price.
M. W. von Bernewitz’ Handbook for Prospectors is written for
the man in the field. It discusses grubstaking; the clothing and
equipment needed; laws pertaining to mining; geology in pros-
pecting; occurrence of ores; what minerals to look for and where;
sampling; field tests and measurements; developing a prospect;
markets and prices; and so on. It devotes almost two hundred
pages to the occurrence, description, detection and uses of the
metallic and non-metallic minerals, and it concludes with a glos-
sary of terms used in mining. It is published by the McGraw-Hill
Book Company, Inc., of New York and London. It is only one of
the many helpful publications mentioned in Bureau of Mines In-
formation Circular 6148-R.
IT IS EASY TO RECOGNIZE GOLD
The student who avails himself of the above sources of informa-
tion will learn that some tests are easy and sure. Thus native gold
79
supplies, 633 Greenwich Street, New York, N. Y. Other dealers
have access to this catalogue and can obtain similar articles.
Dropping bottles: Eimer & Amend catalogue number 3-000. Two
sizes, 30 cc. or 60 cc.
Spot plate with cavities: Eimer & Amend catalogue number
*3-745-5-
The standard platinum testing needles are sold by Sigmund
Cohn, 44 Gold Street, New York, N. Y.
B.
WHEN HANDLING STRONG ACIDS
Nitric acid, hydrochloric acid and sulphuric acid must be han-
dled with care. They quickly attack the skin, clothing, wood and
metal surfaces, and so on. When working with them, be sure to
have close by plenty of water in which to wash your hands—run-
ning water or a big basin. Provide yourself with old rags for wip-
ing spilled acid from the table or floor, and burn them after use.
If you spill acid on your hands or clothing, the first thing to do
is to wash it off immediately, using plenty of plain water. After
that it does no harm to neutralize with a little weak ammonia or
84
bicarbonateof soda. Never attempt to neutralize until after you
have removed all acid possible with plain water.
C.
HOW TO DETERMINE SPECIFIC GRAVITY
It takes only a few minutes to determine specific gravity, and
the equipment is simple—a good balance with weights; a piece of
thin thread; a cup of water and a support to hold it.
Method: First weigh the article as usual, writing down the
weight. Next, weigh it while it is hanging in water; the weight
will be slightly less. Subtract the second weight from the first.
The specific gravity will be the first weight divided by this differ-
ence. To explain:
Most balances have a hook at the end of the beam where the pan
is hung; hang your object on this hook, using thin silk thread.
Weigh the object, and call this weight Wa. Now fill a small cup
with water, and bring it up under the hanging object until the
latter is completely immersed. Many balances are accompanied
by a support for this purpose—it is shaped like an inverted U, just
large enough to bestride the pan. You can make such a support
by bending a piece of sheet metal or cardboard.
Next, weigh the object while it hangs in the water. Call this
weight Ww. Find the difference between Wa and Ww and call it D.
The specific gravity will be: Wa divided by D.
For example: A piece of metal weighs, in air, 6.45 oz. In water
it weighs 5.88 oz. Wa=6.45; Ww=5.88; D=0.57. Specific gravity
:
is Wa — D, or, in this case, 11.3. The table that follows shows that
the specific gravity of lead is 11.34. You therefore suspect that
your article is lead, and tests with acid should be made to confirm
this suspicion.
Be sure to get rid of bubbles of air that may attach themselves
to your article; they will upset the reading.
This method applies to objects heavier than water. The table
gives the specific gravities of pure metals only, and alloys will be
different; for example the figure for 18-k green gold is about 15.8,
more or less, depending upon the formula. 18-k yellow gold,
about 15.1. 14-k yellow gold, about 13.2. 10-k yellow gold, about
11.7. Sterling silver, about 10.4. Coin silver, 10.35.
85
 658° C.
M. P.

1065°

1750°
1505°

——

——
1505°

1452°
——
1542°
1083°

327°

961°

419°
232°
-38°
APPENDIX
A.

Quickly soluble.
Hydrochloric

Colorless sol.
A LIST OF EQUIPMENT

Sol., brown.
Sol. in hot.

Slowly sol.
Slowly sol.

Slowly sol.
Insol.3
The following chemicals and equipment are mentioned in
Insol.
Insol.
Insol.
Insol.

Insol.
Insol.

Insol.
Insol.
A TABLE OF METALS AND THEIR RESPONSES TO ACID AND FLAME

Chapters I, II and IV. Not all readers will want all items.

Touchstone. Nitric acid.

Acid bottles. Hydrochloric acid.
With nitric acid
Slowly soluble.

Standard yellow gold needles. Table salt.

Colorless sol.2
Colorless sol.

Colorless sol.

Colorless sol.
File. Magnet. Medicine droppers.

Brown sol.
Green sol.
Green sol.

Green sol.
Green sol.
Insoluble.

Samples of gold and other yellow metals of known composition.

Insol.4
Insol.1
Insol.
Insol.

Insol.
Standard needles of green gold and white gold.
Samples of silver alloys of known composition.
Samples of white base metals.
Air-gas or oxygen-gas torch or blow-pipe.
Potassium dichromate. Small glass rods.
Melts;darkens; may ignite.

Sulphuric acid. Ferric chloride.

Ignites; sparkles; dark

Ignites to white oxide

Burns to dark oxides.
Under oxy-gas flame

Samples of platinum metals, gold, assorted alloys.

Ignites; white oxide.
Ignites; dark oxide.
Melts; dark oxides.

Melts then ignites.

Boils; evaporates.

Standard platinum testing needles.

Melts; darkens.

Melts Cleanly.
Melts cleanly.

Melts; swells.

Spot plate. Dropping bottles.

Melts; spits.
oxides.

Blackens.
Blackens.

Small test tubes. Stannous chloride.

Pure tin. Dimethyl glyoxime.
Ammonia. Sodium thiosulphate—called “hypo.”
Tincture of iodine. Ferrous sulphate.
Ammonium chloride or potassium chloride.
Sp. gr.

10.50
——

——

——
19.32

21.37
2.70
6.92

12.16
7.85

11.34
8.93

13.6

7.31
8.6

7.1

The chemicals are all common and inexpensive, and can be

found in most drug-stores and camera shops, or in any chemical
supply house. Not all readers will want all items. The touch-
stone, acid bottles, and standard testing needles are sold by jewel-
(Ordinary gold)

(German silver)
Metal or alloy

ers’ supply houses.

Iron (Steel)
Chromium
Aluminum

The only articles in this list that might be unfamiliar are the
Palladium
Fine Gold

Platinum
Mercury
Copper

spot plate and the dropping bottles. These are described as fol-
(Brass)

Nickel

Silver
Lead

Zinc
Tin

lows in the catalogue of Eimer & Amend, dealers in laboratory

86 83
 E.
SOME DEFINITIONS AND FORMULAS
alloy. (1) A mixture, or combination, or solid solution, of two or
more metals, usually made by melting them together; as, brass
is an alloy of copper and zinc. (2) The baser metal, or metals,
combined with a finer one.
aluminum bronze. Alloy of copper and aluminum, having a color
resembling gold.
amalgam. Alloy in which one component is mercury.
argent. French word for silver.
argentan. French word for nickel-silver.
Britannia metal. White alloy, originally made in England, contain-
ing tin, antimony, and some copper. Harder than pewter.
bronze. Alloy whose principal components are copper and tin.
cadmium. White metal, often added to solders to lower the melting
point and make them flow more easily.
carat. A unit of weight for gem stones. Not to be confused with
karat, a term denoting the ratio of fine gold in an alloy. The
word probably comes from the Greek keration, a seed that was
used in ancient times as a unit of weight. Its value has varied
from time to time. The metric carat is the standard now com-
monly used, equivalent to 200 milligrams, or 3.08647 grains
Troy.
coin gold. U. S. A., 90 percent gold, 10 percent copper. Great
Britain, 91.66 percent gold, 8.33 percent copper.
cuivre. French word for copper.
dwt. Abbreviation for pennyweight.
electrum. (1) A native gold alloy, containing considerable silver.
(2) Nickel-silver.
E.P.N.S. Abbreviation for “electro-plate on nickel-silver.”
E.P.W.M. Abbreviation for “electro-plate on white metal.”
fine. As applied to gold or silver, pure. Thus fine gold is pure 100
percent gold, without alloy.
hard platinum. Pure platinum hardened by the addition of (usu-
ally) about 10 percent iridium; used in jewelry and other appli-
cations where strength and resistance to abrasion are required.
Other hardeners are sometimes used, 5 percent ruthenium being
one of the best.
88
invar. Alloy of 36 percent nickel and 64 percent iron, used in
horology because of its very low coefficient of expansion.
karat. A twenty-fourth part; a term used to express the ratio of fine
gold in an alloy. Thus, pure gold is 24 karats fine; see page 12
for further examples. Should not be confused with carat, a unit
of weight used for gem stones. Both words are probably derived
from the same Greek word, keration, meaning a seed used as a
unit of weight. In the U. S. A. the form karat is used for the ratio
of gold in an alloy, while carat denotes the unit of weight for
precious stones. Outside the U. S. A. the form carat, as well as
other spellings, is used for both meanings.
lemel. Filings swept from a jeweler’s workbench. They contain
particles of precious metal mixed with dust, bits of solder, steel
from the tools, and so on. From the French limaille, meaning
filings.
monel metal. An alloy containing about 65 percent nickel, 30 per-
cent copper, and small amounts of iron and other metals.
muriatic acid. Another name for hydrochloric acid.
noble metals. Metals that are permanent in air, showing no oxida-
tion under ordinary conditions. The Alchemists applied the term
to gold and silver, which they believed to possess special virtues.
The six metals of the platinum group have now been added to
this category.
oreide. Copper alloy of a golden color, containing some zinc and
possibly a little tin.
osmiridium. Naturally occurring alloy of osmium and iridium.
The hard grains are used for tipping penpoints. Also called
iridosmine.
pewter. Alloy formerly popular for household and table ware.
Consists largely of tin, with copper and lead in varying propor-
tions, with or without small amounts of zinc, antimony, and bis-
muth.
pinchbeck. Alloy of about 88 percent copper and 12 percent zinc,
having a reddish golden color. Used in cheap jewelry, etc.
pink gold. Gold alloy containing a fairly high proportion of cop-
per, plus a little nickel, with or without zinc and silver.
precious metals. Metals which are prized because of physical and
chemical properties that make them desirable for coinage or
89
 jewelry, and which are at the same time rare or expensive. Gold,
silver, and the six platinum metals are generally thought of as
comprising this group.
Sheffield plate. Articles of flatware or hollow ware are made of silver-
coated copper. A sheet of silver was clamped to a copper plate,
the two were then heated strongly and rolled together until their
surfaces fused, and the resulting sheet was finally shaped into the
desired form. The method resembles in principle that now
used in making rolled gold; see page 21.
solders. Alloys used in joining metal parts. “Soft” solders melt at a
lower temperature than do “hard” solders. Gold solders are gen-
erally about two karats lower in quality than the gold to which
they will be applied. Gold solders as marketed are labeled ac-
cording to the karat with which they are to be used; thus “14-k
gold solder” is for use on 14-k articles, though its own quality
may be about 12-k. Platinum solders usually consist of gold and
palladium, sometimes of silver and platinum, withor without
other metals. For dental solders and silver solders, see pages 16
and 24 respectively.
solid gold. Pure fine gold of 24 karats. The term should not be
used for gold containing any alloy.
stainless steel. Alloy consisting mainly of iron, with from 12 to
about 20 percent chromium, some nickel, and small and variable
amounts of carbon and other elements.
tarnish. Film of color that forms on an exposed metal surface.
Usually it consists of metallic oxides, but the tarnish on silver
is silver sulfide.
white metal. Term applied to a group of alloys used in inexpen-
sive jewelry. They consist mostly of tin, with antimony and cop-
per in varying proportions.
* * *
The reader is referred to the Index that follows.
Also to The Jewelers’ Dictionary, published by
The Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone, New York, N. Y.
90
This table shows the reactions of the commoner metals and their
alloys to cold, full-strength nitric acid; to cold full-strength hydro-
chloric acid; and to the oxygen-gas flame. It is assumed that the
samples will be in the form of small articles—neither as a finely-
divided powder nor a large mass.
Specific gravities are given in the usual units—water = 1.0—and
melting points are expressed in degrees Centigrade.
The small raised numerals refer to the following notes:
1. Iron, steel and chromium under concentrated nitric acid often
remain “passive” or insoluble for some time. But if scratched,
or touched with a wire of some dissimilar metal, they will begin
to react with vigor.
2. Lead is readily soluble in warm nitric acid, especially if the
latter is diluted. It dissolves slowly in hot hydrochloric acid,
but on cooling the white insoluble lead chloride precipitates
out.
3. Silver when treated with hot hydrochloric acid, or hot aqua
regia, is slowly converted into the white insoluble silver chlo-
ride.
4. Tin is converted by nitric acid into a white gelatinous solid
called meta-stannic acid. It dissolves promptly in hot hy-
drochloric acid; slowly in cold.
87
OLD-GOLD industry, 65, 70, 74
Ores, to appraise, 78
Osmium, 39
Oxygen-gas flame, 19, 26, 27, 43, 86
PALLADIUM, 16, 19, 28, 39, 41, 44, 86
and dimethyl glyoxime, 54
and the flame, 19, 44, 86
and iodine, 58
and nitric acid, 28, 46
and stannous chloride, 50
in jewelry, 41, 46
in ores, 80
Platinum, 28, 39, 40, 86
and ammonium chloride, 59
and the flame, 19, 43, 86
and iodine, 58
and nitric acid, 28, 46
and stannous chloride, 49, 54
buying and selling, 69, 72
group of metals, 39
native, 80
stamping laws, 32
Precautions, 35, 82
Prospectors and prospecting, 78
QUALITY stamps, 29
REFINER, the professional, 67, 75, 76
Refining precious metal wastes, 60, 75,
76
Regulations, Government, 67
Resistance alloys, 26
Rhodium, 28, 39, 41, 46
Ruthenium and its alloys, 39, 41, 46,
57
Ruthenio-platinum and iridio-plati-
num, to distinguish between, 57
SCIENTIFIC apparatus, 37, 72
Silver, alloys of, 23
and aqua regia, 21
and dichromate, 22
and the flame, 19
and nitric acid, 21
brazing alloys, 24
buying and selling, 69
chloride, 21
plated goods, 22, 70
reactions of, 20, 86
solders, 24
sterling, 22, 23, 32
Solder, allowance for, 31
Solutions, alkaline, 60
old, 59
standard, 49
Specific gravity, 20, 61, 85, 86
Spot plate, 45, 84
“Spread” in prices, 70, 75
Stamp of quality, 29
Standard needles, 11, 13, 15, 42, 84
Standards of quality, 30, 33, 34
Stannous chloride solution, 48
Steel, stainless, 19, 25
Sulphuric acid, 26, 27, 84
Sweeps, 74
TANTALUM, 19, 20, 26
“Testing Solution A,” 48
“Tolerance,” 31
Touchstone, 7, 11, 13
Trademarks, 30, 31, 35
Troy weights, 64
Tungsten, 19, 26
U. S. A. as gold buyer, 66
U. S. Government Regulations, 67
U. S. Bureau of Mines, 79
U. S. Bureau of Standards, 32
VIGILANCE Committee, 34
Von Bernewitz, M. W., 79
WARS, effects of, 40
Wastes, factory, 74
Weighing, 63
92
 INDEX
ACID bottles, 12 Gold and aqua regia, 14
Acids, when handling, 84 and ferrous sulphate, 58
Alkaline solutions, 60 and the flame, 20
Ammonium chloride test, 59 and nitric acid, 12
Antiques, 36 and stannous chloride, 50
Aqua regia, 14, 47 buying and selling, 63, 66, 71
and gold, 14 rilled, 22, 25, 36, 71
and silver, 21 green, 15, 21
and stainless steel, 25 native, 7g
and platinum metals, 46 “on sterling,” 22
Archimedes, 61 plated goods, 71
Assay Offices, 69 price of, 70
Assaying, 8, 72 red, 16
rolled, 22, 25, 36, 71
BASE metals, 12,18, 24, 26,43, 86 white, 16, 28, 39, 40, 42
and stannous chloride, 51 yellow, 11, 13
“Black sands,” 81 Guilds, 29
Blow-pipe, oxy-gas, 44
Bottles, acid, 12 HALL marks, 29
dropping, 45, 47, 84 Hydrochloric acid, 14, 25, 27, 84, 86
IODINE test, 58
CHAINS, 35 Iridium and iridio-platinum, 39, 40,
Chromium, 26, 27, 86 56, 57> 73
Coin silver, 23
Commercial standards, 31, 33 “JEWELRY palladium,” 41
Contact points, 27
KARAT, 12
DENSITY, 20, 61, 85 to determine, 13
Dental alloys, 16, 37, 73 stamp, 29, 31
Dichromate test, 22, 25
LAWS, stamping, 30, 32
Dimethyl glyoxime solution, 53
Lea, Carey, 57
Dropping bottles, 45, 47, 84
Licensing of gold handlers, 68
Lydians, 7
ELECTROGRAPHIC tests, 60
Enforcement of laws, 34 MAGNET, 18, 43
Equipment for testing, 11, 45, 83 Melting points, 86
Minerals, to identify, 78
FACTORY wastes, 74 Mints, 67
Fansett, George R., 78 Molybdenum, 19, 26
Ferrous sulphate test, 58
Field tests, 78 NEEDLES for testing, 11,13, 15,42, 84
File, 11, 35 Nickel, 16, 19
Filings, 74 and dimethyl glyoxime, 54
Flame test, 19, 26, 27, 43, 86 Nickel-silver, 25
Fraud, 36, 66 Nitric acid, 12, 84, 86
and gold, 12
GERMAN silver, 25 and silver, 20, 21
Gilchrist, Raleigh, 57 and stainless steel, 19, 25
Glow test, 58 and platinum metals, 26, 28, 46

91