Honestly, I got this VCA au750 piece at a price that felt too good to be true. My gut was screaming “maybe fake?”, so I figured I had to put it through its paces myself. You know, before getting excited or worse, embarrassed.
Starting Simple: Just Looking
First thing I did? Stared at it. Like, really looked, holding it under a bright lamp. Authentic stuff usually feels… flawless? But this chain had some tiny rough spots I could feel scratching my nail. Not a good sign right off the bat.
Weight It Out
Next up, my trusty kitchen scale. Yeah, not fancy. Pulled out some other real gold pieces I have – just basic chains, nothing fancy either. Plonked the suspect necklace on. It felt lighter than it looked, and sure enough, the scale showed a noticeable difference compared to my others. Fake stuff often feels cheap and light.
Check That Stamp
Then came the magnifying glass. Getting right up in there with the hallmark stamps. Looked for the “VCA,” “au750”, and the eagle head. On the real deal, these are crazy sharp and deep. This one? The stamp was messy – lines kinda bleeding into each other and not nearly as crisp. Like someone stamped it drunk.
Clasp & Hardware
Fiddled with the clasp forever. Real VCA clasps are like tiny pieces of engineering art – smooth, satisfying click, perfect alignment. This clasp? Felt gritty, didn’t close smoothly, and when I finally got it shut, it looked crooked. Definitely not right.
Magnet Test? Give Me a Break
Tried the fridge magnet thing. Real gold don’t stick, right? So I held the magnet near it. Didn’t jump or anything… but honestly, I know good fakes can use non-magnetic metals too. This step felt kinda useless by itself.
Stone Check (If There Are Any)
Mine had a tiny diamond. Looked at how it was set. Real VCA sets stones incredibly precisely, no gaps, no glue residue. This stone looked slightly crooked and I swear I could see a tiny bit of something shiny around it, probably not real.
The Final Gut Punch: Where It Came From
Saved the big one for last: proof. Legit sellers give you papers – receipts, authenticity cards, the works. Where did I get this? A guy who knew a guy… who had zero paperwork. Just a vague story and a discount price. No history? Major red flag waving in my face.
So yeah, after putting this cheap find through the wringer:
- Rough feel and bad finishing? Fail.
- Felt light as air? Fail.
- Messy, shallow stamps? Fail.
- Clunky, gritty clasp? Fail.
- Dodgy story with zero papers? Big, giant fail.
The light weight and pathetic clasp were the dead giveaways for me. Honestly, kinda depressing, but at least I know now. If it feels cheap, has sketchy stamps, crappy hardware, and comes with no story? You gotta walk away. Learned my lesson the hard way.
