Selling Your Old Jewelry: Don’t Let the Jeweler “Melt” Your Gold, This Is How They Scam You on Weight and Purity.

Thinking about selling old jewelry? The money is in the metal. Yet many sellers walk out with far less than their gold is worth. The biggest traps are “melt” talk, weight games, and purity downgrades. Here is how those tricks work, why they work on rushed sellers, and how to protect yourself with simple steps and numbers.

How jewelers quietly skim value: weight and purity games

• Switching units (grams vs. pennyweight). Honest buyers quote and weigh in grams. Some switch to pennyweight (dwt) to confuse you. One dwt = 1.555 grams. If they quote “$30 per dwt,” that is only about $19.30 per gram. It sounds fine until you do the math.
• Not zeroing the scale (tare trick). Weighing your items in a tray without hitting “tare” adds extra weight. You get paid less per gram because the math uses a bigger “total” with the same final price.
• Rounding down. If your item weighs 10.9 g and they call it “10 g,” they kept 0.9 g of value. That is not small when multiplied across items.
• Weighing groups together at the lowest karat. Mixing 18k and 14k pieces, then paying for the whole pile as 14k, lets them keep the extra purity difference. Your loss is their profit every time.
• Stone and finding deductions—overstated. Stones, springs, steel pins, and non-gold clasps should be removed or fairly deducted. A common scam is to weigh everything, then take off more weight than those parts deserve. You pay twice: once when they underpay on purity, again when they “deduct” too much weight.
• “It’s plated” when it is not. Some will file a deep notch into a solid piece where solder or a base-metal pin sits, then declare the whole item plated. You panic and accept a scrap price. A proper test samples clean metal away from solder joints.
• Acid tests and tester misuse. Rushed acid testing on dirty surfaces or right over solder gives lower karat readings. Electronic testers can be misread or set wrong. If you cannot see the test and the reading, you cannot trust the result.
• “White gold is lower purity.” False. 14k is 58.5% gold whether yellow or white. The color comes from alloy metals, not less gold.
• “We have to melt it, so we pay less.” A favorite line. Refiners do charge fees, but clean scrap often nets 90%–98% of the gold value. Buyers quoting 50%–70% are taking the difference.

Know your numbers before you walk in

Gold is math. If you do the math first, you are harder to fool. Here is what you need to know.

• Purity by karat: 24k = 99.9% (pure), 22k = 91.6%, 18k = 75.0%, 14k = 58.5%, 10k = 41.7%.
• Weight units: 1 troy ounce = 31.1035 g. 1 dwt = 1.555 g. Always ask for grams.
• Spot price to value: Melt value ≈ weight (g) × purity × spot price per gram.
• Fair payout range: For clean gold, 85%–95% of melt is common at competitive buyers. Under 80% is usually poor unless the lot is tiny or contaminated.

A step-by-step plan that blocks most scams

• Sort at home. Use a magnet to find steel parts (gold is not magnetic). Separate pieces by karat stamps: 10k, 14k, 18k, 585, 750, etc. Keep unknowns in a separate pile.
• Remove what is not gold. Take out stones if you can without damage. Keep earring backs, springs, and obvious non-gold bits aside. If you cannot remove them, note which pieces have them.
• Weigh at home in grams. A kitchen scale with 0.01 g resolution is fine. Write down weight by karat group. This gives you a benchmark.
• Estimate melt value. Example formula: 14k ring, 10.2 g, spot $72/g → 10.2 × 0.585 × $72 ≈ $430 melt value. A strong offer would be around $370–$410 (86%–95%).
• Get at least two quotes. Even a quick call asking, “What do you pay per gram for 14k today?” filters out lowballers. Buyers who dodge the per-gram number are red flags.
• At the shop—control the process:
  • Ask them to set the scale to grams and hit tare with any tray.
  • Weigh each karat group separately. Do not allow mixing.
  • Confirm the per-gram rate for that karat before any test.
  • Watch every test. Ask them to scratch away from solder or plating. If available, ask for an XRF reading and to see the screen.
  • Get a written breakdown: weight in grams, karat, per-gram rate, total.
• Negotiate with facts. “Spot is about $72/g. 14k is 58.5% gold. Melt is ~$430. If you can do 90% ($387), we have a deal.” Calm numbers beat emotion.
• Be ready to walk. Most low offers improve when you start to leave. If not, try the next buyer.

Example: fair price vs. “melt” trick

Your item: 14k chain, weighs 18.0 g. Spot ≈ $72/g.

• Melt value: 18.0 × 0.585 × $72 ≈ $758.
• Fair payout (90%): about $682.

Common lowball route: Buyer quotes “$30 per dwt for 14k.” That sounds okay until you convert.

• 18.0 g ÷ 1.555 g/dwt ≈ 11.58 dwt.
• 11.58 dwt × $30 ≈ $347 total.
• Effective per gram: $347 ÷ 18.0 g ≈ $19.30/g.

You just handed over a chain with melt value around $758 for $347. The difference was only a unit trick and your silence.

Testing methods you should see and understand

• Stamp check. Stamps like “585” (14k) or “750” (18k) are good signs but not proof. Fake stamps exist. Treat stamps as a starting point.
• Acid test (scratch stone). They rub a small streak onto a stone and apply acid strengths. The streak should be from clean metal away from solder. Watch the reaction. Slow fade usually means that karat or higher; instant disappear means lower.
• Electronic tester. Works on clean, flat surfaces. Settings must match expected karat. Ask what it reads.
• XRF analyzer. Gives a non-destructive composition readout. It is the most transparent. Ask to see the screen; note the % gold shown.

If the buyer will not let you watch, or only tests on a solder seam, expect a low karat call.

“We’ll just melt it” — what that really means

Buyers say this to anchor you to a lower number. The truth:

• Refining fees exist but are not giant. Large, clean lots can net 95%–98% of contained gold after fees. Small retail buys still justify 85%–93% payouts.
• Contamination matters. Lots with steel, stones, or mixed metals do cost more to refine. But that is solved by removing non-gold parts or discounting only the true non-gold weight.
• Retail risk is part of their margin. They earn a spread. You just need to ensure it is not excessive.

Special cases where scrap price is a mistake

• Designer or vintage pieces. Signed items (Cartier, Tiffany, Van Cleef), certain vintage pieces, and heavy chains from known makers often sell for more than melt. Get a resale appraisal before scrapping.
• Coins and bullion. Do not sell coins or bars as “jewelry scrap.” They track spot closely and often carry premiums.
• Big diamonds and quality gemstones. Many “cash for gold” shops pay little for stones. Consider a jeweler or gem buyer who pays separately for gems, or keep the stones.
• Platinum and silver. Different markets, different tests. Ask for per-gram rates specific to the metal. Do not accept a gold formula applied to platinum or silver.

Red flags that signal you should walk

• They weigh in the back. If you cannot see the scale, you cannot trust the weight.
• No per-gram quote. “We pay top dollar” without a number is meaningless.
• They insist on pennyweight only. This invites confusion.
• They mix karats together. This guarantees a lower payout.
• High-pressure lines. “Price is only good right now” and “We’re barely breaking even” are pressure tactics.
• They file deep into your piece right away. Aggressive filing on visible areas can be a setup to declare “plated” and drop the price.

Simple negotiation script you can use

• You: “Please set the scale to grams and tare the tray. Let’s weigh 14k first.”
• You: “What is your per-gram rate for 14k today?”
• If they quote per dwt: “I only work in grams. What is that in dollars per gram?”
• You: “Spot is about $72/g. 14k is 58.5%. Melt is roughly [your calculation]. If you can do 90% we have a deal.”
• If they say ‘we have to melt’: “Understood. This is clean 14k. Other buyers are near 90% of melt. Can you match?”
• If low: “Thanks, I’ll check my next quote.”

Quick checklist before you sell

• Sort by karat, remove stones if possible.
• Weigh in grams at home and write it down.
• Know the melt math for each group.
• Get at least two per-gram quotes by phone.
• Watch the weighing and testing. Demand grams and separate groups.
• Confirm a written per-gram rate and total before agreeing.
• Walk away from pressure or confusion.

You do not need to be a gold expert to get a fair price. You just need control of units, purity, and a simple calculator. When you insist on grams, separate karats, visible testing, and a clear per-gram rate, most “melt” stories shrink into what they are: excuses to pay less than your jewelry is worth.