Are gold flakes real gold?

Hello. I was just wondering..when people sell gold flakes at stores, are they real gold? I mean like, the bottle/vial thingy feels really really light, and yet its selling for $5-15 each. I know for sure that the amount in the vial is less than a gram, but how do you tell if its real gold? (Real gold is worth about $50 a gram)

yes its real gold.
Only pure gold itself can get that thin without crumbling to dust.
However its not panned out of a river usually not if its flakes.
usually it was a nugget that was rolled or pounded thinner and thinner into gold leaf gold leaf.
in fact a nugget the size of your thumbnail can be flattened into a sheet of gold leaf the size of a tennis court.

YouTube - Making Gold Leaf

Gee, i never knew that.. Thanks.