Independent Gold Testing & Assay
Oversight in Africa
Independent oversight of how your gold is tested, weighed, sampled, and handed over. We make sure the testing process is controlled by someone other than the seller, so the metal you pay for is the metal you receive.
Best for buyers who have reached the testing or handover stage and need independent assurance that the purity, weight, and identity of the gold are genuine and cannot be manipulated by the seller.
Testing is the moment a transaction is most exposed to manipulation. It is where a buyer, reassured by a confident seller and an official-looking device, lowers their guard at exactly the wrong time. This service is used when a client needs independent oversight of physical gold testing, weighing, sampling, assay coordination, or transfer, so that the result reflects the actual metal rather than what the seller wants it to show.
It is the natural next step once a transaction has progressed beyond document review and a physical handover is in prospect.
Who controls the equipment, whether the XRF or other device can be trusted, and whether testing can be conducted on independent terms.
How the gold is weighed and sampled, at how many points, and whether the readings are consistent with the type of material presented.
Coordination with independent laboratories or accredited assay where higher-confidence results are required, including melting where applicable.
Monitoring the metal from the moment of testing through to handover, so the material tested remains the material transferred.
Our oversight is built on a single principle: in a gold transaction, the question is never simply whether something can be tested. It is who controls the means of verification.
Seller-controlled testing is never treated as sufficient. We have seen, on multiple occasions, a seller insist on using his own XRF analyser, with readings that appeared high and consistent regardless of the material being tested. The warning sign was not only the gold, but the uniformity of the readings and the seller's insistence on controlling the equipment. The defence in that case, and in every case, is to control the equipment.
In practice that means equipment must be independently controlled or independently trusted, multiple test points may be required, results must be assessed against the type of material being tested, and the chain of custody must be maintained so that the metal cannot be switched between the test and the handover. For a fuller account of how field testing is manipulated and defended, see our field guide to gold testing equipment.
Written testing oversight findings, including weight and purity observations recorded during the process, chain-of-custody notes from test to handover, the red flags identified around substitution or tampering, and a recommendation on whether the testing process was reliable.
XRF testing is useful but not definitive in every case. Where higher-confidence results are required, fire assay or accredited laboratory testing may be necessary, and our oversight will say so. Testing oversight confirms what can be established about the metal at the time of review; it does not guarantee future delivery or the conduct of the counterparty after handover. Where physical testing alone cannot establish source, ownership, export legality, or counterparty authority, this service should be combined with transaction verification or on-ground due diligence.
Earlier in the transaction? If you have documents but have not yet reached testing, start with a 24-Hour Transaction Risk Assessment or full Transaction Verification.
The patterns that most often surface at the testing stage include a seller insisting on using their own equipment, readings that are suspiciously uniform across a bar, resistance to independent or repeat testing, pressure to complete the handover quickly, and gaps in custody where the metal leaves sight between the test and the transfer. For the full picture of how substitution works, see our guide on how African gold scams work.
Physical gold is ready for inspection · the seller wants to control the testing · a handover or payment is being planned · XRF readings or assay claims need independent oversight · the client needs chain-of-custody control.
Testing oversight is often delivered alongside On-Ground Verification, where we attend in person to verify the seller, documents, and transaction conditions. For deals still at the document stage, see the 24-Hour Transaction Risk Assessment.
Submit Your Deal for Review
Tell us the country, the stage of the transaction, and what testing or handover is planned. We will advise on how independent oversight can be arranged.
Submit Your Deal for Review →See full pricing or view a sample report.