Start with the pieces you can check at home: metal type, weight, and the stamp if you can find one. The calculator shows melt value first, then a realistic offer range below melt.
Before you visit
At home · weight
Honestly, you don't need a fancy scale.A kitchen food scale is accurate to about ±1g, and that's enough to know what you're walking in with. We re-weigh to 0.01gon the counter once you're here — but the home estimate keeps your visit short and your expectations honest.
At home · stamps
We get asked all the time — where's the stamp?Try the clasp on a chain, inside the band of a ring, or the back of a pendant. You're hunting for small marks: 10K, 14K, 18K, 585, or 750. Can't find one? That's normal. Pick “Not sure” on the calculator and we'll test it together when you come in.
On the counter · the math
80% of melt is the honest top. Here's why.Gold passes through many handsbefore it becomes cash — refiners, dealers, market makers — and prices move throughout the day. That's why no honest counter pays 100% of melt on scrap. Anyone promising that is losing money or quietly shorting you somewhere you can't see.
But not every piece is scrap. Some rings get cleaned and re-homed. Some chains stay chains. Price is always negotiable on resaleable pieces— and we'll tell you which side your piece sits on. That's why we built this site: so you walk in informed, not lowballed across five shops.
Quick home estimate
The online number is educational. A final payout still depends on verified weight, professional testing, item inspection, and current market price.
Quick home estimate
Enter three things: the metal, the weight from your scale, and the stamp if you can find one.
Estimated offer
80% of today's $1,561 melt value · Gold · 14K · 18.4g
Offer spectrum · % of melt
Below 70% is a weak offer. 75% is a good number. 80% is the sell-it-now mark.
Educational estimate. Final number requires verified weight and professional metal testing in person.
Not sure what stamp to choose?
Look for marks like 10K, 14K, 18K, 585, or 750. If you cannot find one, choose Not sure and use the estimate as a starting point.
What purity means
Karat is not the same as payout. It helps estimate melt value before buyer costs, market movement, and the local verification process are applied.
FAQ
No. The estimate is an educational starting point. A final payout requires verified weight, professional testing, item inspection, current market price review, and compliance with applicable laws.
Different buyers operate with different margins, testing processes, resale channels, refining costs, overhead, and risk. The offer ladder helps you understand the difference between a weak offer, a general offer, and a strong sell-it-now number before you sell.
They may add weight, but they usually do not count toward precious-metal melt value. Diamonds, pearls, enamel, watch parts, steel springs, and other non-metal parts need to be evaluated separately.
Stamps like 14K, 18K, 585, and 750 are useful starting points, but they are not final proof. Worn, repaired, plated, or mismatched items still need professional testing.
Next step
Use the calculator to understand melt value and realistic offer ranges, then bring the item in if you want verified weight and testing.