Can gold be scratched?
On FB there was a suggestion for cleaning jewlery. Small bowl of heated water, piece of foil on the bottom, 1 tablespoon salt, tablespoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon laundry detergent. It sets up a wonderful roiling and bubbling (which should tell some people how DANGEROUS IT MUST BE TO MIX BAKING SODA AND SALT TOGETHER TOGETHER AND PLACE THEM ON AN ALUMINUM BAKING PAN!!) I tried it…and it works like a dream! I also scrubbed on it a bit with a toothbrush.
When I got the ring my jeweler told me how he cleaned jewelry…he used laundry detergent (he insisted on one brand, but I don’t remember what it was. I just used whatever I had) and water and boil it for 10 minutes or so. Then gently scrub it with a toothbrush. That works too.
Well, a gal I don’t even know is all freaking out that I’m going to scratch the ring. I said, “You can’t scratch diamonds and I don’t think you can scratch gold.”
I’ve used a toothbrush several times. There is no indication that my ring is scratched.
Besides, how could the ancient golden artifacts we uncover still be shining like new, without a trace of a scratch on them, when they’ve been buried in dirt and sand for thousands of years?
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19 Answers
Gold is very soft but you probably need a wire brush to scratch it. The reason gold artifacts survive so long is because gold doesn’t corrode.
Yes, you can scratch gold, gold is a soft metal.
Gold is a very soft metal. It can certainly be scratched.
Of course it can. Not with toothbrush bristles, though.
The purity of the gold in the ring is most likely to low for there to be a significant risk of scratching. You wear it on your finger all day, it needs to be able to resist scratching.
Gold and diamonds can be scratched.
By what @gondwanalon?
@Mr_Paradox Hit it, I think. We wear our gold rings 24/7. We work with them on. We dig in the dirt, we dig in the sand. We haul things, we slide our hands under things….I’ve had my rings for 8 years, and nary a scratch on them.
The hardest diamonds can only be scratched by another diamond. But the softer less valuable diamonds can be scratched by boron nitride, or perhaps a tungsten carbide scriber See
A better question about gold is “What can’t scratch it?”. HA!
Yes, and the higher the carat the softer the gold so the easier it scratches.
Yes, but you should do so only when it itches.
So @rojo does it scratch or only dent? A water balloon is very soft. It can not be “scratched.” If you try to scratch it it only gives way, or it punctures.
As I understand it gold is alloyed with other metals to increase the hardness but I kind of see what you are asking; if I take a piece of 24 Kt gold and pull a 8d finishing nail across it I can mar the surface. I would call it a scratch but is it really or have I just dented the surface of the gold?
@rojo a scratch is when material is removed (scraped off). if it is dented, is it just pushed in. Is their gold scrape on the nail you’ve just used.
I don’t know and I think this is what @Dutchess_III is asking as well.
That’s exactly what I’m asking. Hang on. I’ll get a nail…... I used a screw. I don’t see a mark, I don’t see anything.
@Dutchess_III If you were to look at your gold ring through a 20X a watch repair or jeweler’s glasses or hand lens then you would see that your gold ring is loaded with scratches.
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