So I want to get rich, but I don't want to have to work for anybody.
Lately I've started thinking I could buy up old jewelry at second hand stores, yard sales, etc., take the metals and precious stones, then re-sell them.

The only issue is I'm having trouble finding good textbooks on how to tell the fake from the real. I've been reading a couple books on gem science, basically a lot of stuff on lines of symmetry and opacity, but I can't find anything similar for metals. In particular gold and silver.

Anybody here know of some good textbooks to consult? Basically I want books and theory on how to differentiate types of metals, stones, and organic materials.