What happens between the counter and the cash

Most people selling gold are doing it once, in a year they would rather not have had. Nobody explains the process beforehand, so you walk in without knowing what is normal and without knowing what you are allowed to ask for.

This is what happens at our counter, in order, and what you can ask for at each step.

Before you arrive

Nothing is required. You can walk in during opening hours with the gold and one photo ID and that is enough.

Two things make the visit shorter. Call and ask the day's buying rate, so you already know the per-gram number before anyone touches your jewellery. And tell us roughly what you are bringing, so we know whether it is one chain or a box that will take a while to work through.

If you are travelling any distance, send photos on WhatsApp first. We will give you a range. A range is not a quote — a photograph cannot measure purity — but it is usually enough to tell you whether the journey is worth making.

Step one: we look at what you have

You put the pieces on the counter and we go through them with you. Anything gold is worth valuing: broken chains, bent bangles, a single earring whose pair is lost, a ring that no longer fits, old-fashioned designs nobody wears.

None of that reduces the value. Damaged gold weighs the same as undamaged gold, and it is going to be refined either way. A piece being unwearable does not cost you anything at the counter.

Pieces are kept separate rather than being put in a pile, because purity often differs from one to another even within a set that was bought together.

Step two: testing on the karatmeter

Each piece is cleaned and placed in the karatmeter. The machine reads the metal by X-ray fluorescence — it identifies what the piece is made of without cutting, filing, scratching or melting anything.

A few seconds later the composition shows on the display: the gold percentage, and the other metals alongside it. The display faces your side of the counter. You read the number at the same moment we do, off the same screen.

91.6% is what people call 22k or 916. 75% is 18k. 58.5% is 14k. Whatever the machine says is what goes into the calculation. Nothing gets rounded down between the screen and the paper.

What you can ask for: run it again. It takes seconds, it costs nothing, and if you want to watch a second reading on the same piece you are entitled to.

Where the test has a limit: a karatmeter reads the surface of the metal. For ordinary jewellery that is accurate. A heavily plated or filled piece can read higher on the outside than it is the whole way through. If a piece looks like that, we say so before doing anything else, and we do not go further without your agreement.

Step three: weighing

Anything that is not gold comes off first, and you watch it happen. Stones, kundan settings, meena work, lac filling inside hollow bangles, thread, and clasps made of another metal.

This step surprises people more than any other, because a heavy bangle can contain much less gold than its weight suggests. It is not a deduction anyone invented — it is how the piece was made. The point is that you see it being separated rather than being told a number afterwards.

What is left goes on a digital scale that is zeroed in front of you and faces the customer side of the counter.

What you can ask for: the scale re-zeroed and the piece weighed again.

Step four: the calculation

Three numbers, multiplied, written down where you can read them:

The weight of gold, from the scale
The purity, from the karatmeter display
Our buying rate for the day, per gram of pure gold

A 10 g piece reading 91.6% contains 9.16 g of pure gold; the day's buying rate is applied to that gold, not to the full weight. We write the working, not just the total, so you can check the arithmetic and so you can take the same three numbers to another shop if you want to compare.

If you are selling several pieces, each one gets its own line.

Step five: your decision

At this point nothing has happened that cannot be undone. You have your gold, you have the numbers on paper, and you can leave.

There is no charge for the testing and no charge for the valuation. If you want to go home and think, or check another shop, that is a reasonable thing to do with something valuable and we will not talk you out of it.

Step six: payment

If you agree the number, you are paid the same day. Cash or bank transfer, whichever you prefer — tell us which before the paperwork starts.

The purchase is recorded against your photo ID, which is why we ask for one in original rather than a photocopy or a photo on your phone. Aadhaar, PAN or a driving licence all work. The person whose ID is on the record needs to be the person selling.

You do not need the original bill. Purity is measured on the machine, not read off paperwork, so a lost bill costs you nothing.

The short version

Bring your gold and one photo ID. Watch the karatmeter. Watch the scale. Take the three numbers. Decide.

If any part of that is not offered to you — here or anywhere else — ask for it, and treat a refusal as an answer.

The full valuation process, with the equipment ·

Questions people ask

How long does it take to sell gold at the counter? Testing and weighing take a few minutes. Most of the visit is spent going through the calculation with you. Payment is made the same visit, in cash or by bank transfer.

Do I have to sell once my gold has been tested? No. The test and the valuation are free and there is nothing to sign until you decide. Many people come for the number first and return later.

Can you come to my home instead? Yes. We pick up from homes across Delhi NCR, same day, and the same karatmeter test is done at your table. Call or WhatsApp 9217742656 to fix a time.

What to bring and where to find us