Testing tools, and a lot of knowledge. Knowing what it is and where it’s made informs a lot. Once in a while you’ll get someone that is scamming and had stuff made with extra thick plating. Most pieces they will cut in half, grind a bit off, drill into it, etc. to do an acid test to determine gold content, then weigh it.

After a while she just kind of knew what to look out for. How people presented the goods, how they acted, etc.

The most shocking part to me, was how many 80s-90s celebs would bring in gold to sell. I guess times get rough.