How to Tell if Gold Is Real at Home: Irish Hallmarks, Simple Checks and Their Limits

Start with the hallmark

In Ireland, gold, silver, platinum and palladium items must be assayed and hallmarked before they’re sold, and there’s no exemption for very light pieces. An Irish hallmark struck at the Assay Office in Dublin Castle has three compulsory parts: a sponsor’s mark (the maker’s or company’s initials), the Hibernia figure, and a fineness mark showing the gold content in parts per thousand. You’ll usually find it inside a ring band, on the clasp of a chain or on the back of a pendant.

Jewellery bought abroad may carry a foreign hallmark or an international convention mark instead – a small set of scales next to the fineness number. Those are also valid in Ireland.

Everyday jewellery is rarely 24ct, because pure gold is very soft. It’s mixed with other metals to make it hard-wearing, which is why 9ct, 14ct and 18ct are the purities you’ll see most often. A missing or worn mark doesn’t automatically mean a piece is fake: marks wear down over decades, very old pieces were sometimes never marked, and resized rings can lose them.

Marks that point to plating, not solid gold

Some stamps look official but actually tell you the piece is only coated with gold. If you see one of these, the piece is very likely gold-coloured metal with a thin gold layer:

Three simple checks at home – and their limits

If there’s no clear hallmark, these checks can give you a hint. None of them damages your jewellery, and none of them is proof on its own.

Please don’t try scratching, biting or home acid kits. They can leave marks on your jewellery and are easy to misread – a professional touchstone test needs only a tiny streak on a stone.

Signs that don’t mean your gold is fake

Some things look worrying but are perfectly normal for real gold:

Also remember that real gold doesn’t have to be 24ct to be worth checking. A 9ct ring contains real gold, even though less of it is pure.

Still not sure? Ask a Gold Expert

The quickest way to a clear answer is a free valuation. Bring everything you’re unsure about, including pieces you suspect are plated. At a local stop, a gold expert checks the hallmarks, tests anything unmarked and weighs your gold on a scale turned towards you – in a private appointment of about 15 minutes.

The valuation is non-binding: you decide afterwards whether to sell anything. If you do, payment is made by bank transfer no later than the fifth banking day, and we never pay in cash. See what happens during a gold valuation, step by step.

Frequently asked questions about real gold