Scrap gold, priced per gram.
We pay 94% of the melt value of your gold, based on its weight and purity after melting, not its weight as you send it. Here's what that means at today's price.
Minimums. Our minimum is $1,000 per order, and smaller lots are considered case by case. Scrap gold needs at least 1/2 troy ounce of scrap material, and scrap sterling at least 1 kilo.
What we pay per gram
| Karat | Gold content | We pay per gram | Per troy ounce |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10K | 41.7% | — | — |
| 12K | 50.0% | — | — |
| 14K | 58.3% | — | — |
| 18K | 75.0% | — | — |
| 22K | 91.7% | — | — |
Scrap prices are per gram of metal after melting, not per gram of what you send. Stones are removed, and dirt, glue, springs, and anything else that isn't gold or silver burn off or separate out, so the weight paid is usually less than your scale shows.
Based on a gold spot of $3,925. Your written estimate sets the rate; the dollar amount uses the Kitco bid when melting and assay begin.
What's my gold worth?
What we accept
- Karat gold jewelry, 10K to 24K: chains, rings, bracelets, earrings, pendants
- Broken, tangled, bent, or single pieces
- Dental gold: crowns, bridges, inlays
- Mixed lots: send everything as is, with no sorting needed
- Gold-filled, gold-plated, and vermeil pieces, as part of a larger lot. They contain very little gold, so they'll lower the final purity of the melt a lot.
What we can't accept
Pieces with personal engravings, inscriptions, or serial numbers.
We pay on the melted weight and purity
We melt your scrap and pay on the final weight and purity of the melted gold. Your payment confirmation lists every figure we used. You can cancel any time before your scrap is melted, and we'll return it at your expense; after that, the sale is final. If you're unsure what you have, send photos first and we'll tell you what to expect.
No sorting or stone removal needed
- No sorting: mixed karats can go in together.
- No stone removal: send pieces as they are.
- Include everything at once. Larger lots are easier to price.
Stones aren't paid for. We pay for the gold only, so take out any diamond or gemstone you want to keep before you ship.
Why a gold counter's offer comes in low
Pawn shops and cash-for-gold counters sell you speed, and you pay for it in the price. Their offer has to cover rent, staff, and a drawer full of cash, and it's made on the spot, when you're least likely to walk away. Ask any buyer what percentage of melt value they're offering, and of which price: a good percentage of their own "spot", or of a price from earlier in the day, can still be a low offer. Ours is a percentage of the live Kitco bid, which you can check yourself at kitco.com. A week or two of patience by mail usually puts more in your pocket for the same gold.
Know someone else selling scrap?
Refer them, and we'll pay you 0.5% of what we pay for their scrap.
Why the melt can weigh less than your jewelry
It's normal for a melted bar to weigh less than the jewelry that went into it, and for the assay to come in below the stamps. Some of that weight was never gold. And we pay on fine gold content, not weight: the copper, zinc, and other metals in a karat alloy partly burn off in the furnace, so the bar gets lighter but purer, and the gold is all still there.
Dirt and wear
Years of dirt, skin oils, polish, and lotion collect in chain links and settings. It all burns off in the furnace.
Stones and other materials
Diamonds and gemstones, pearls, glass, enamel, glue, and the resin or cement inside some hollow pieces all add weight and contain no gold.
Steel and base-metal parts
The spring inside a spring-ring clasp, earring backs, pin stems, watch-band springs, and old repairs are often steel or brass, not gold.
Solder
Pieces are joined with solder, which is often a lower karat than the piece itself, so a soldered chain or setting melts a little below its stamp.
Under-karat stamps
A karat stamp is the maker's claim, not a test. Before October 1981, federal law let a piece stamped 14K run half a karat under, or a full karat counting its solder: 4 to 7% less gold. Older, imported, and unbranded pieces can still come in under.
Plated and filled pieces
Gold-filled (GF, 1/20 12K), plated (GP, HGE, RGP), and vermeil pieces carry a stamp but very little gold. Mixed into a lot, they lower the purity of the whole melt.
Your payment confirmation lists the melted weight, the assay, and the Kitco bid we used. Not sure what you have? Send photos before you ship.
More guides: Gold chains · Dental gold · Gold nuggets · Gold-filled · Platinum jewelry · Gold stamps · How much gold buyers pay