MFE Inspection Solutions Canada will demonstrate XRF gold testing at the Time & Shine Jewellery Trade Show in Toronto on 1 and 2 November 2026. Its Thermo Scientific Niton DXL reads karat and flags plating without marking the piece.
At C$189.03 a gram, a 20 gram chain stamped 14 karat holds about C$2,205 worth of gold. That was the spot value on the morning of 8 October 2026. No buying margin or refining fee has come off it yet. If the chain turns out to be plated brass, the store has paid that sum for a few dollars of metal. XRF gold testing lets a counter find out before the money changes hands.
MFE Inspection Solutions Canada has booked its first Time & Shine Jewellery Trade Show. Andrew Noblett, a senior technical sales specialist with MFE in Mississauga, will staff the booth with the Thermo Scientific Niton DXL Precious Metal Analyzer.
Why does a karat stamp need checking at today’s gold price?
Plating is only one way a piece can come up short. A stamp can also overstate the karat, and the gold price decides what that costs. The table prices the fine gold in one 20 gram piece at four common karats, using the same Kitco figure.
| Karat | Gold content | Fine gold in 20 grams | Value at C$189.03 a gram |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10K | 416.7 parts per 1,000 | 8.33 g | C$1,575.25 |
| 14K | 583.3 parts per 1,000 | 11.67 g | C$2,205.35 |
| 18K | 750.0 parts per 1,000 | 15.00 g | C$2,835.45 |
| 22K | 916.7 parts per 1,000 | 18.33 g | C$3,465.55 |
Spot value of the metal content only. Offer prices sit lower once a buyer deducts margin and refining. Purity follows the same karat standard as our guide to precious metal testing, where 14 karat equals 583 parts per 1,000.
Look at the first two rows. A piece marked 14K that reads as 10K is short C$630.10 of gold at the same weight. The marking rules, by contrast, allow only a few parts per 1,000 of slack. Two or three misread chains on a busy Saturday can wipe out the margin on everything else the counter bought that day.
Where is fake gold turning up in Canada?
Police in several provinces have handled fake gold cases recently. In March 2026, West Shore RCMP on Vancouver Island arrested two people over cheap “gold” jewellery sold to shoppers in parking lots. In August 2025, Winnipeg police charged a man they linked to a group using realistic counterfeit pieces. Before that, Quinte West OPP charged two people over fake gold sold at a Highway 401 service station.
The people who bought those pieces still have them. Some will try to sell them to a jeweller to get their money back. We could not find any Canadian figure on how often counterfeit gold reaches a store counter. Until someone counts it, a store has to rely on its own test results.
What does XRF gold testing show on the Niton DXL?
Acid has a known weak spot with plating. As our guide to precious metal testing explains, plated brass can leave a streak that looks like solid gold. The acid bottle cannot settle a plating question, and that is the job Thermo Fisher built the DXL to do.
XRF stands for X ray fluorescence. The unit sends X rays into the metal and reads the energy each element gives back. Thermo Fisher says the DXL returns a precious metal reading in “just a few seconds.” It also covers 22 elements as standard, all the precious metals among them. Its AuDIT feature tells gold plating from solid gold while the karat reading comes up. Thermo Fisher does not say how thin plating can get before AuDIT misses it, so ask the MFE team at the booth.
No acid touches the piece and nothing is scraped off. It goes back to the customer, or into the showcase, as it came in. A built in camera helps staff aim the reading, and an optional 3 mm spot narrows it to small areas.
The DXL also stores more than 10,000 readings with their spectra. A store that buys gold ends up with a record of what every piece read on the day it was bought. Checking a sample from each new shipment takes seconds too.
XRF reads the outer metal, on this unit as on any other. A heavy bar with no known history still needs an interior check or a refiner’s assay.
Who is MFE Inspection Solutions Canada?
MFE sells XRF analysers, then trains and supports the people who use them. The company says its Canadian team has worked with Thermo Scientific Niton instruments for more than 15 years. Three Canadian offices handle sales, service and calibration, so an analyser can be serviced here instead of going back to the manufacturer. While an analyser is out for service, the counter is back to acid and a scale. Staff also learn the unit from the same people who repair it.
Every province sets its own rules on registering an X ray instrument before first use, as our guide sets out. In Toronto, owners can ask MFE which filing applies to them.
MFE is coming to Time & Shine because a Canadian jeweller suggested the show to Andrew Noblett.
Why does a November booth suit a testing instrument?
TS.TO is the only delivery jewellery trade show in Canada. It is also the last time jewellers sit down with vendors before the holidays. An analyser picked out on the floor can be installed, with staff trained on it, before the December rush.
More than 30 per cent of Canada’s jewellery retailers come to Time & Shine shows. Every edition also brings retailers who have not attended before. Most of them hear about the show first in Canadian Jeweller, in print and online. That reach puts a company selling a technical instrument in front of a room full of qualified buyers in two days.
How can jewellers meet MFE at the show?
Anyone who has not seen XRF gold testing in person can watch a live reading at the MFE booth, and owners who already run an analyser can compare results. Any jeweller in Canada can attend, and no membership or affiliation is needed.
Hours in Toronto are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday 1 November and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Monday 2 November. Register as trade at timeandshineexpo.com. Verified registrants then receive the venue details.
Frequently asked questions
What will MFE demonstrate at Time & Shine Toronto?
MFE Inspection Solutions Canada will demonstrate the Thermo Scientific Niton DXL Precious Metal Analyzer. The demonstration shows how a jeweller can read metal composition, confirm purity and identify gold plating without damaging the piece.
Can XRF gold testing tell gold plating from solid gold?
Yes. Thermo Fisher says the DXL’s AuDIT technology distinguishes gold plating from solid gold and determines the karat of gold jewellery. A heavy bar still calls for an interior check, because XRF reads the outer metal.
Does XRF testing damage jewellery?
No. XRF testing uses no acid, removes no metal and leaves no mark on the piece.
How long does an XRF gold test take?
Thermo Fisher states that the DXL measures precious metal content in a few seconds.
When can jewellers meet MFE in Toronto?
MFE will exhibit on Sunday 1 November 2026 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Monday 2 November from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Trade registration is at timeandshineexpo.com, and verified registrants receive the venue details.
Sources: Kitco, gold price in Canadian dollars, 8 October 2026 | Thermo Fisher, Niton DXL Precious Metal Analyzer | MFE Inspection Solutions Canada | West Shore RCMP, 19 March 2026 | Global News, 6 August 2025 | Today’s Northumberland, 19 April 2024
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Author: Olivier Fel.
Olivier Felicio is the founder and publisher of Canadian Jeweller Magazine, Canada's jewellery business publication since 1879. He writes on retail strategy, market data, trade policy and the commercial side of the Canadian jewellery and watch trade, and hosts Time and Shine, Canada's jewellery buying event. Contact: olivier@canadianjeweller.com.
