London Spot
Gold $4,415.40
Silver $66.83
Platinum $1,796.25
Palladium $1,401.10
Rhodium $9,400.00
Gold/Silver Ratio 66.07

Gear

Best Gold Testing Kits and Tools

Five tools, in the order you should buy them. Each catches a class of fake the previous one misses, and together they cost less than one counterfeit coin.

Updated September 5, 2026

Our Picks

PickProductBest for
Best overall kit Gold acid test kit Scrap gold, jewellery, and any coin you are willing to mark See on Amazon
First screen Neodymium magnet Everyone, as the first of several tests See on Amazon
Best scale for the job AWS SC-501 scale (500 g × 0.01 g) Anyone receiving mail-order bullion See on Amazon
Best for coins 10x jeweler’s loupe Coin buyers, especially on the secondary market See on Amazon
Best professional tool Sigma Metalytics PMV PRO Anyone buying from private parties or holding more than a few ounces of gold See on Amazon

How to Choose

Match the Test to the Fake

No single test proves gold is real. Each one rules out a category of counterfeit, which is why dealers run several at intake. The magnet rejects steel and iron. The scale rejects anything with the wrong density for its size, which covers lead, copper and most alloys. The acid kit confirms surface purity and karat. A loupe catches wrong strikes and seams on coins. Only an electronic verifier or a specific-gravity measurement catches tungsten, whose density is within half a percent of gold.

Buy in that order. A magnet and a scale cost very little and catch most of what circulates on marketplaces. Add the acid kit if you buy scrap or jewellery. Add the Sigma if you buy from private sellers or your holding is large enough that one bad bar would hurt. Our step-by-step testing guide walks through each method, and the tungsten-core bar guide explains the one fake that beats everything except the last two.

The Picks

1. Best overall kit

Gold acid test kit

A scratch-stone acid kit is still the cheapest way to confirm gold purity at home. You rub the piece on the stone, drop the acid for the karat you expect, and watch whether the streak holds. The 10K through 22K solutions plus a silver bottle cover almost every coin, bar and piece of scrap a private buyer will meet.

Pros

  • Confirms karat, not just "is it magnetic"
  • Covers gold 10K–22K, silver and platinum in one box
  • Costs less than a single small gold coin

Cons

  • Leaves a tiny scratch mark (test an edge, never a proof coin)
  • Acids expire after a year or two and must be stored safely
  • Cannot see a tungsten core inside a plated bar

Best for: Scrap gold, jewellery, and any coin you are willing to mark

See Gold acid test kit on Amazon

2. First screen

Neodymium magnet

Gold, silver, platinum and palladium are not magnetic. A strong N52 keychain magnet instantly rejects the crudest fakes: steel-cored "silver" rounds, plated iron bars, and magnetic clasps passed off as gold. It is the test you can run at a coin show or a garage sale before any money changes hands.

Pros

  • Instant, non-destructive, fits on a keyring
  • Catches the most common cheap fakes
  • Also useful for the slide test on silver bars

Cons

  • Passing the magnet proves nothing on its own: tungsten, lead and copper are also non-magnetic
  • Must be kept away from cards, phones and pacemakers

Best for: Everyone, as the first of several tests

See Neodymium magnet on Amazon

3. Best scale for the job

AWS SC-501 scale (500 g × 0.01 g)

Weight is the test counterfeiters struggle most to fake without changing size. A 0.01 g scale with a troy-ounce mode lets you check a coin against its mint specification in seconds: a genuine 1 oz Silver Eagle weighs 31.10 g, and a fake that is even a third of a gram off is out. The AWS SC-501 gives that resolution up to 500 g; pair it with calipers and you have a home specific-gravity setup.

Pros

  • 0.01 g resolution with troy-ounce mode
  • 500 g capacity covers coins and bars to 10 oz
  • Calibration weight included

Cons

  • Needs a level surface and no draughts to read accurately
  • Cannot distinguish a tungsten core (same density as gold) without a volume measurement

Best for: Anyone receiving mail-order bullion

See AWS SC-501 scale (500 g × 0.01 g) on Amazon

4. Best for coins

10x jeweler’s loupe

Most counterfeit coins fail on detail before they fail on metal: soft lettering, wrong reeding count, mushy eagle feathers, seams on the edge. A 10x triplet loupe shows all of that; the 20x and 30x lenses in this set are for die-mark comparison against reference photos.

Pros

  • 10x/20x/30x in one case
  • Glass triplet lenses, not plastic
  • Useful for grading and spotting cleaning too

Cons

  • Higher magnifications have a very short focal distance
  • Takes practice to know what a genuine strike looks like

Best for: Coin buyers, especially on the secondary market

See 10x jeweler’s loupe on Amazon

5. Best professional tool

Sigma Metalytics PMV PRO

The Sigma Metalytics PMV Pro measures electrical resistivity through the coin or bar, so it reads the metal underneath plating and through capsules. It is the tool dealers use at intake, and it catches tungsten-filled gold bars that pass weight, magnet and acid tests. The price is the only reason it is not our top pick for everyone.

Pros

  • Non-destructive and works through plastic holders
  • Detects tungsten cores and plated fakes
  • Wands cover everything from fractional coins to kilo bars

Cons

  • Costs as much as several ounces of silver
  • Needs the right wand for each size
  • Overkill for a small stack bought from reputable dealers

Best for: Anyone buying from private parties or holding more than a few ounces of gold

See Sigma Metalytics PMV PRO on Amazon

Method

How We Chose

We favoured tools that are available now, have long review histories, and match what working dealers actually use rather than novelty gadgets. We do not list prices because they move; the buttons open the current Amazon listing. Nothing on this page is a dealer product, and no manufacturer paid for placement.

Common Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Which gold test is most accurate at home?

A specific-gravity test (weight in air versus weight in water) combined with a scratch-stone acid test gives the most reliable home result. An electronic verifier such as the Sigma Metalytics PMV Pro is more accurate still and does not mark the piece.

Does an acid test damage a coin?

It leaves a small scratch where you rubbed the piece on the stone. Test bullion on the edge, and never acid-test proof, graded or collectible coins; use a loupe, scale and verifier instead.

Can a magnet test detect fake gold?

Only the crudest fakes. Gold is not magnetic, so anything that sticks is fake, but tungsten, lead, copper and brass are also non-magnetic. Treat the magnet as a first screen, not a verdict.

Do I need a Sigma Metalytics verifier?

Not if you buy modest quantities from established dealers, whose intake testing already catches fakes. If you buy from individuals, at shows, or hold significant gold, the PMV pays for itself the first time it catches a tungsten-core bar.

Check Today's Dealer Premiums

Gear protects what you buy. Our premium tracker shows which dealer is cheapest on the metal itself, refreshed throughout the day.

Open the Premium Tracker