The Glittering Deception: Understanding the Differences Between Fool’s Gold and Real Gold

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How To Tell The Difference Between Fools Gold and Real Gold

Gold has long been a symbol of wealth and stability, valued across the world for its beauty and rarity. However, a common challenge for both enthusiasts and investors alike is distinguishing real gold from its deceiving look-alike, commonly known as fool’s gold, or pyrite. But what exactly sets these two apart, and how can you tell if you’re dealing with the real deal or an imposter?

Throughout history, gold has not only been treasured for investment but also widely used in jewelry, ornamental designs, and even culinary uses, leading to its significant demand and value. This popularity, however, has also given rise to numerous fakes and less valuable minerals that are often mistaken for gold.

In this article, we’ll guide you through the key differences between real gold and fool’s gold, providing practical tips on how to accurately identify true gold and avoid common pitfalls.

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Why is it Called Fool’s Gold?

Fool’s gold is commonly called pyrite. Unlike original gold, the value of pyrite is close to nothing, but its appearance, especially at a quick glance, can be similar to that of gold, successfully fooling people to believing it has a higher value. Pyrite is also readily available, making it much more affordable than real gold.

For ages, the name fool’s gold has been used by prospectors and gold buyers who found amusement in people easily fooled by pyrite’s appearance, hence thought that they found real gold. The ignorance of these individuals made them look “foolish” because they failed to differentiate gold from pyrite.

Fool’s Gold vs Real Gold

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There are minerals that bear a close resemblance to real gold, but differ significantly in terms of structure. For example, fool’s gold is not a metal, while real gold is pure metal. Fool’s gold is actually a mineral composed of iron sulfide, with a crystalline structure. Regardless, it’s not totally unheard of to find some small traces of real gold in pyrite.

As you can imagine, the value of real gold is significantly higher than that of pyrite. Nonetheless, the value varies, depending on the crystal habit of gold. Often, the crystal habit has a premium value.

Visual cues for telling the difference include color and shape, while physical tests can be done to determine the hardness, ductility, odor, specific gravity, and subtility.

How To Tell The Difference Between Fool’s Gold and Real Gold

Up to this point, it is evident that real gold is 100% distinct from pyrite. How then can you certify real gold from fool’s gold?

Fortunately, even those without much experience can perform standard tests that yield reliable results. Although obtaining samples of both pyrite and real gold is ideal for the best outcomes, I realize how challenging it might be to actually find these. However, remember that all gold, no matter how small, holds value.

Some tests laid out below can reduce the value of real gold, so it’s important to understand the difference between destructive and non-destructive testing. So, please proceed with caution.

Non-destructive Tests

3. Tarnish

Pyrite is mostly found in nature; thus, they will have some tarnish on their surface. On the other hand, once discovered in nature, gold remains untarnished, with a shiny appearance.

4. Specific gravity

Pyrite has a specific gravity of around 5, while gold has 19.3. In nature, all metals will contain traces of other metals that serve to reduce the specific gravity of the specimen. However, after the reduction, the specific gravity of gold will never equate to that of pyrite. A rough approximation is that the specific gravity of gold, together with its alloys, will equate to pyrite two or three times.

5. Striations

Pieces of gold are not innervated with lines. Unlike gold, crystals of pyrite have parallel lines running across their faces.

6. Smell

When rubbed forcefully with a hard object, pyrite will produce a sulfurous stench, similar to that of rotten eggs, while real gold does not produce odor.

Destructive Tests

1. Hardness

As per the Mohs test, gold records a hardness of 2.5 while pyrite records a 6 to 6.5. When scratched with copper, with a Mohs hardness of 3, pyrite scratches, but gold does not. You can read about the Mohs test here.

2. Streak

According to the streak test, a yellow streak identifies gold metal while a greenish-black streak identifies pyrite.

3. Sectility

This describes the softness of the specimen. Small pieces of gold can be cut with a sharp pocket knife. Whereas, portions of pyrite, regardless of the size, cannot be cut by a sharp knife.

4. Ductility

This is the ability to bend under pressure. Gold is very malleable, thus, it can either bend or dent when pressured by another metal or a piece of wood without breaking. Pyrite is not malleable. Hence, it will either resist pressure or break under pressure.

Other Minerals That Can Also Fool You

Pyrite is not the only mineral that can fool you! Other minerals include Chalcopyrite and biotite mica. Chalcopyrite has properties similar to that of pyrite.

For example, the streak for chalcopyrite is greenish-black. However, it has a lower hardness and lowers specific gravity. To differentiate between chalcopyrite and gold, similar tests of gold and pyrite apply.

Biotite mica fools extremely inexperienced people, especially when they are panning for gold. This is mainly because biotite mica appears with a bright flash. Applying slight pressure to this mineral usually breaks it. Nonetheless, a tiny flake of gold might still be found in it.

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