Jewellery - Measurement of gold and silver coating thickness - X-ray fluorescence spectrometric methods
1 Scope
This standard specifies methods for measuring the gold and silver coating thickness of jewellery by the use of X-ray fluorescence spectrometric methods.
This standard is applicable to the determination of the gold and silver coating thickness of jewellery and other handicrafts (with the coatings and substrates made of different materials).
Note: The coating thickness measured by this method is equivalent to the thickness of pure gold or pure silver, which may be converted according to the actual content of gold and silver coating.
2 Normative references
The following normative documents contain provisions which, through reference in this text, constitute provisions of this standard. For dated references, subsequent amendments to (excluding corrections) to, or revisions of, any of these publications do not apply. However, parties to agreements based on this standard are encouraged to investigate the possibility of applying the most recent editions of the standards indicated below. For undated references, the latest edition applies.
QB 1131 Jewellery - The provision of gold coatings thickness (ISO 10713: 1992, MOD)
QB 1132 Jewellery - The provision of silver coatings thickness
3 Principle
The thickness of gold and silver coating is determined by detecting and analyzing X-ray fluorescence using X-ray fluorescence spectrometric methods. Each element's atom has its own unique electron arrangement. For a given characteristic X-ray, its energy depends on the atomic number of the atom. Therefore, different materials will produce X-ray fluorescence with different energies. Through energy resolution and intensity detection of characteristic X-ray fluorescence emitted by different materials with an X-ray fluorescence thickness gauge, the characteristics of the materials may be determined so as to determine the coating thickness.
