How we value your gold
Every number in the final figure comes from something you can watch happen at the counter. Here is each step, in the order it happens, including the parts where a valuation can go wrong.
1. The karatmeter reading
The piece is cleaned and placed in the karatmeter. The machine reads the metal by X-ray fluorescence, which means it identifies what the piece is made of without cutting, filing or melting anything.
A few seconds later the composition appears on the display: the gold percentage, and the other metals mixed with it. The display faces the customer side of the counter. You read the number at the same moment we do.
A reading of 91.6% is what people call 22k, or 916. 75% is 18k. 58.5% is 14k. Nothing is rounded up or down in our favour between the display and the calculation.
Where this test has limits
A karatmeter reads the surface of the metal. That is accurate for ordinary jewellery, but a heavily plated or filled piece can read higher on the outside than it is all the way through. If a piece looks like that, we tell you before we do anything else, and we do not go further without your agreement.
2. Weighing
Stones, lac filling, meena work, thread and clasps that are not gold come off or are accounted for first, and you watch that happen. What gets weighed is the gold.
The scale is digital, it is zeroed in front of you, and it faces your side of the counter. If you want the piece weighed again, ask. It costs nothing to do it twice.
3. The calculation
Three numbers go into the figure, and we write all three down and hand them to you before you decide anything. The total is told to you at the counter, not printed here.
| Weight of gold | 10.00 g, taken on the scale in front of you |
|---|---|
| Purity from the karatmeter | 91.6%, so 9.16 g of pure gold |
| Our buying rate today | Per gram of pure gold, told to you before we start |
The weight and purity above are an example to show the shape of the sum, not a quote. The rate moves during the day, so we tell you the live number rather than printing one here. Why a buying rate is not the rate in the news.
Ask us today's buying rate
One call and you will know the per-gram number we are working from right now.
4. Payment
If you agree the number, you are paid the same day. Cash or bank transfer, whichever you prefer.
The purchase is recorded against your photo ID, which is why we ask for one in original. If you do not agree the number, you take your gold home and there is nothing to pay.
What you can ask us to do
- Test the piece again, on the same machine, while you watch.
- Re-zero the scale and weigh it again.
- Write the weight, the purity and the rate on paper so you can take them away.
- Hand your gold back, at any point, without explaining why.
What you will see on the counter
- The karatmeter, with its screen turned so you can read the purity yourself.
- The scale, zeroed in front of you before your piece goes on it.
- A slip with three numbers on it, purity, weight and rate, and the total worked out.
Photos of the counter are being taken and will go here.
Questions about the valuation
What is a karatmeter?
A machine that reads what a metal is made of using X-ray fluorescence. It takes a few seconds, nothing is cut or melted, and the composition appears on a display. It is the same class of instrument used to check hallmarking.
Can the machine be set to give a low reading?
This is a fair thing to worry about. Two things protect you. The display faces you, so you read the result yourself rather than being told it. And you can take the same piece to another shop with a karatmeter and compare readings before you sell, we will not stop you or charge you for the test.
What if my jewellery has stones in it?
Stones, lac filling, meena work and thread are not gold, so they are separated or accounted for before the gold is weighed. You watch that happen. If something cannot be removed without damaging the piece, we tell you how we are handling it and what it does to the number.
Do you charge for the valuation?
No. You can have the piece tested, take the numbers, and walk out without selling.
Why will you not publish your buying rate on this page?
Because it moves during the day, and a number printed here would be wrong by the time you read it. Call or message us and we will tell you the rate we are buying at right now.
Bring it in and watch the test
No charge for the valuation, and no obligation to sell once you have the numbers.