What is my gold jewelry actually worth?

Scrap gold jewelry is generally valued by its karat purity and its weight, converted against the current gold spot price, minus a buyer's margin. A piece marked 14k, for example, is 58.3% pure gold by weight, so only that fraction counts toward melt value. Gemstones, unusual craftsmanship, or a recognized designer maker can add value beyond the metal alone, which a general gold buyer may or may not account for.

How is the gold spot price used to calculate an offer?

The spot price is quoted per troy ounce of pure (24k, or .999 fine) gold and changes throughout each trading day. A buyer converts your item's weight into troy ounces or grams, multiplies by the fraction of pure gold your item actually contains based on its karat, then multiplies by the current spot price to get a melt value, before applying their own margin.

Are gold coins worth more than their gold content?

Sometimes, yes. Common-date American Gold Eagles or similar modern bullion coins usually trade close to their gold content plus a small premium. Older or historic US gold coins, and coins with a scarce date, mint mark, or strong collector demand, can be worth substantially more than melt to the right buyer, which is why it is worth having any pre-1933 US gold coin looked at individually rather than sold as scrap.

What should I bring when selling gold in Arlington?

Bring a government-issued photo ID, since reputable buyers are generally required to record identification for precious-metal purchases under Texas regulations. It also helps to bring any items separated by apparent karat if you know it, and to leave jewelry unclean and untouched so a buyer can assess it as-is.

Selling Gold in Arlington, Texas

Selling Gold in Arlington, Texas covers a wide range of material, from a drawer of broken jewelry to a handful of inherited coins to a bar of investment bullion, and each is valued a little differently. This guide explains how a gold offer is actually put together, so you can follow the math yourself rather than taking any single number on faith.

What People Typically Sell

Jewelry. Rings, chains, earrings, and broken or unwanted pieces, almost always valued as scrap unless a piece has notable design or maker value.
Coins. Modern bullion coins like American Gold Eagles, and older US gold coins such as Liberty Head or Saint-Gaudens double eagles, which can carry real numismatic value on top of their gold content.
Bullion. Bars and rounds from recognized refiners, typically .999 fine (99.9% pure), which trade closest to the raw spot price of any category.
Scrap and dental gold. Broken jewelry, single earrings, and dental gold crowns are all sold by weight and karat exactly like jewelry scrap.

Understanding Karat and Purity

Karat measures how much of an item's weight is actually gold, out of 24 parts. The common markings are:

10k is 41.7% pure gold.
14k is 58.3% pure gold, the most common jewelry alloy in the US.
18k is 75.0% pure gold.
22k is 91.7% pure gold, common in some coin and international jewelry alloys.
24k is 99.9%+ pure gold, generally too soft for everyday jewelry and used mainly for bullion.

Look for a karat stamp, often tiny, near a clasp or on the inside of a ring band. Not every piece is stamped accurately, and gold-plated or gold-filled items are not solid gold at all, which is another reason an experienced buyer's assessment matters more than the stamp alone.

How a Scrap Gold Offer Is Actually Calculated

The math behind a scrap gold offer has three inputs: weight, purity, and the day's spot price.

Weight. Buyers typically weigh gold in grams or pennyweight (1 pennyweight equals 1.555 grams), though the spot price itself is usually quoted per troy ounce (31.1 grams).
Purity. The item's weight is multiplied by its karat fraction (for example, 0.583 for 14k) to find the actual pure gold content.
Spot price. That pure gold weight is priced against the current spot price, and a buyer's margin is subtracted to arrive at the offer.

The spot price moves throughout the trading day, so an offer made in the morning can differ from one made in the afternoon. Neutral references such as Kitco publish live spot prices, which is useful to check right before selling so you know roughly what range an offer should fall in.

Numismatic Gold Coins Can Exceed Melt

Modern bullion coins generally trade close to their gold content plus a modest premium. Older US gold coins are a different story: scarce dates, low-mintage years, and coins in exceptional condition can carry significant numismatic value beyond their metal content, sometimes many times over. Before selling any pre-1933 US gold coin as scrap, have it identified and checked against a current price guide. Our coin values guide and key date coins guide explain how to spot a coin that deserves that extra step.

What to Bring and What to Expect

Bring a valid government-issued photo ID. Texas regulations generally require dealers in secondhand precious metals to record seller identification, so expect to show ID at any legitimate buyer regardless of the item's size. Leave jewelry and coins as they are, do not attempt to clean or polish anything beforehand, and if you have any paperwork or receipts for bullion or certified coins, bring those along as well since they can support the item's authenticity.

When you are ready to compare offers, our guide to selling coins in Arlington covers questions worth asking any buyer, gold included.