Look for the karats mark, Which will tell you that the piece is real gold and the percentage of pure gold it contains, Pure gold, or 24k, Is rarely used because it is soft and easily damaged. Instead gold is alloyed with other metals, Such as copper, Silver, nickel and zinc, To give it strength and durability. Different proportions of these alloys also give gold its Rose, Green, Or white coloration. 18k. gold is 75% gold; 14k is 58.5%; 10k is 41.6%.The higher the karatage, The richer the color will be--And the more costly. In the US. Jewelry must be at least 10k. to be legally sold as real gold. ( in canada and mexico, the minimun legal standard of karatage is 9k. & 8k. respectively.) Imported gold jewelry may be stamped with different numbers, For example, The European markings for 14k. gold jewelry is 585; For 18k is 750. So also be sure that it is an official looking seal stamp. There are alot of fakes now days, To be absolutly sure you must test the item to see if it is real gold. We recomend that you take the piece to a jewerler for this test. As it is a type of acid that is used. I hope this small amount of information would be of some help to you with your jewerly purchases.