At a yard sale I bought a heavy gold necklace for $1.00 from an older lady. It has a stamp that says only says 14K. It is very beautiful and looks brand new. I got a big magnet off my fridge and the clasp sticks to it. The chain sticks a tiny bit. But it is kind of heavy. I have no acid to check it. If it sticks at all does it mean its fake?
Pure gold is not a magnetic material however 14k is not pure gold but is mixed with another alloy. It is possible for the gold to be mixed with nickel which is magnetic so just because your magnet picks up the chain does not mean that its a fake but it doesn't prove its real either. Not all gold refiners use nickel but rather another alloy like copper which is not magnetic so it is possible to have some 14k gold items that are not attracted to a magnet and some that are. If it is stamped 14k gold only then this is a hallmark for 14k gold and unless it appears that the clasp has been replaced then you probably do have a real gold chain. The only way conclusively know for sure is to do an acid test which you may still want to do especially if you intend to resale the item. a $1.00 seems too good to be true but anything can happen. Good luck.
