Frequently Asked Questions | Goldanalytix
Here you find answers to the most frequently asked questions on all topics related to precious metal testing. The questions and answers are neatly arranged according to key topics - so you can find what you are looking for very quickly.
MagneticScreenScale
For jewellery, there are many different alloys with a wide variety of metals. Since the magnetic scale measures very finely, even a small proportion of a ferro- or diamagnetic metal (e.g. nickel, platinum) can influence the result, making it no longer meaningful. Therefore, the magnetic balance is not suited for jewellery testing.
The magnet of the MagneticScreenScale is a strong neodymium magnet that must be handled with care. On the one hand, electronic devices and objects with magnetic storage (hard disks, credit cards) should be kept away from the magnet, otherwise they can be damaged. Secondly, you should keep it away from other strong magnets to avoid bruising, splintering or sparks.
People with pacemakers should also keep a sufficient distance from this magnet.
Information sheet: "Safe handling of magnets"
- Be careful when handling the magnet, otherwise it may cause injury.
- There should be no electronic devices in the vicinity, as these can be damaged by the neodymium magnet.
- An electrostatic charge can falsify the measurement result, so make sure to discharge the packaging or the plexiglass structure with the anti-static spray.
- Test the objects for ferromagnetic materials/impurities beforehand with the supplied bar magnet, otherwise the scale may be damaged or the result is incorrect.
If you get a positive result from the magnetic balance, then the material at hand is diamagnetic. If the result is weakly negative, then it is paramagnetic and if it is strongly negative, then the object is probably ferromagnetic. In most cases, a negative result means that the test piece is not a pure precious metal. However, there are some exceptions to consider: e.g. older Krugerrand coins.
No, it is not possible to make any statements about precious metal alloys with the magnetic balance, as the differences are far too small. It is only possible to determine whether the test specimens are made of a counterfeit material.
Yes and no. Theoretically, it is possible to detect with a magnet whether an object has a dia- or paramagnetism. However, the magnetic forces of conventional magnets are often so low that they cannot be detected with the human eye. Therefore, a very strong magnet is needed for a measurement. We recommend the MagneticScreenScale that can measure down to hundredths of a gram. This enables the detection of very fine differences and the achievement of clear results.
Under certain circumstances, a counterfeit can produce a positive, i.e. diamagnetic, result on the magnetic balance if the foreign core is hidden too deep inside and thus the paramagnetic "false core" is not detected by the diamagnetic layer. The maximum thickness of a gold layer through which measurements can be taken by the MagneticScreenScale is approximately 2.5 mm.
Likewise, a coating made of a strongly diamagnetic material that produces a strong positive value (e.g. bismuth) can, so to speak, compensate for the paramagnetic core lying further inside (which produces a negative value) and then falsify the value in the direction of "+". However, such forgeries would be difficult to produce and would require a relatively thick layer, e.g. bismuth, and would therefore be conspicuous in the weight or density test.