XRF Is Replacing Old-School Testing Methods Like Acid Testing
Acid testing has been the default for small gold buyers and pawn shops for decades.
It's cheap to start, easy to find, and familiar to anyone who's been in the business for a while.
It's also slow, messy, subjective, and only getting less relevant.
Handheld XRF analyzers are replacing acid testing in professional precious metals operations. Not because acid testing stopped working entirely, but because XRF does everything acid testing does and eliminates every major drawback.
Acid testing damages jewelry. You scratch metal off the piece to test it, which means every item you test leaves the counter in slightly worse condition than it arrived. For fine jewelry, antique pieces, and anything with resale value, that damage is real and it costs you.
XRF tests without touching. No scratch, no stain, no residue. The piece goes back to the customer exactly as it came in.
Acid testing reads only the surface. A gold-plated piece with sufficient plating thickness can fool an acid test because the acid never reaches the base metal underneath. XRF penetrates 10 to 20 microns — far deeper than any standard gold plating — and reads the alloy composition regardless of what's on the surface.
Acid testing is subjective. Reading an acid reaction requires experience, consistent lighting, and careful technique. Two operators can read the same test differently.
XRF is objective. The same elemental reading every time.
Acid testing has ongoing consumable costs. Acids, stones, replacement tips, safety equipment, disposal — every test has a marginal cost that adds up over years of operation. XRF has no consumables. The cost per test drops with every trigger pull.
Old-school testing isn't always reliable. For operations that test gold daily, XRF is the upgrade acid testing has been waiting for.
Ready to retire the acid kit?
Shop precious metals XRF analyzers at Alloy Geek
More Precious Metals Resources
There are a lot of ways to save money and time with XRF analysis, especially in industries that buy and sell precious metals. Learn more about the uses and benefits of XRF analysis for your business from an XRF professional.