THE SHORT ANSWER
Record the evidence chain without inventing a confidence score
Use this private worksheet to document product identity, seller and recourse, official specifications, visual inspection, calibrated measurements, surface composition, interior screening, representative assay and independent review. Any conflict produces a stop-and- reconcile result. The percentage reports field coverage only; it does not estimate authenticity, fineness, grade or value.
PRIVATE BROWSER WORKSHEET
Build a conflict-first gold test record
Nothing is uploaded or retained. Use a private reference instead of a home address, vault location, access credential or full serial number.
Add the missing records or document why a field does not apply. The percentage is coverage, not confidence or purity.
Missing: Exact product identity, Seller and transaction, Official specification, Visual and mark inspection, Calibrated mass measurement, Dimension measurement, Density or geometry screen, Surface-composition test, Interior-consistency screen, Representative assay, Independent reviewer, Conflict reconciliation.
The percentage counts documented applicable fields only. It does not combine test sensitivity, uncertainty, sampling quality or operator competence, and it must never be presented as an authenticity score.
HOW TO USE THE RECORD
Preserve raw observations and the method boundary
Attach the private item reference to photographs, official specification pages, instrument output and laboratory reports kept in your own protected file. Record units, measurement locations, instrument and operator, calibration or control, date, uncertainty and stated scope. A rounded label such as “24K,” “passed” or “genuine” is not a substitute for those observations.
If evidence conflicts, pause purchase, payment, sale or settlement. Preserve both records and ask which method is capable of resolving the exact contradiction. The next step may be a repeat controlled measurement, a different depth-sensitive method, representative sampling, an independent reviewer or rejection of the transaction.
PRIMARY AND STANDARDS SOURCES
Methods are only as strong as their scope and controls
- LBMA Physical Market Guidelines distinguish surface XRF, ultrasound, eddy current and representative destructive analysis. LBMA states that no definitive non-destructive solution is currently endorsed.
- Hallmarking Convention technical glossary defines touch acid and touchstone testing as early indications used in screening, not final fineness determinations.
- Hallmarking Convention technical decisions separate homogeneity screening from approved analysis and identify cupellation under ISO 11426 for gold fineness.
Sources reviewed July 31, 2026. Instrument procedures, safety data, standards and acceptance criteria can change. Use the current method documentation for the exact item, instrument, laboratory and decision.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Gold test evidence questions
Does the checklist authenticate gold?
No. It records whether evidence layers are documented, missing, conflicting or not applicable. It deliberately produces no authenticity score.
Is my gold information uploaded?
No. The worksheet runs in the browser and GoldObserve does not upload or retain entries. Avoid entering security-sensitive locations, credentials or full serial numbers.
Why does one conflict stop the result?
Contradictory identity, measurement, composition, interior or custody evidence can be more important than many passing checks. Averaging it into a percentage would hide decision risk.
Which tests should be marked not applicable?
Only after a reasoned object- and decision-specific choice. For example, destructive assay may be inappropriate for a collectible coin, while an interior screen may not be relevant to an exposed homogeneous scrap sample.