What Is Your Gold Actually Worth?
A drawer of chains, a class ring, a broken bracelet — and every buyer names a different number. Here is how the value really works: the same math we do out loud at our Naples showroom, so you can check anyone's offer, including ours.
First: what karat is it?
Almost no jewelry gold is pure — it is alloyed to make it durable. The karat says how much of the weight is real gold, and the stamp is usually on the clasp, inside the ring, or on the back of the brooch. European numbers (585, 750) say the same thing in parts per thousand.
Purity by mark
| 8k · 333 | 33.3% gold |
| 9k · 375 | 37.5% gold |
| 10k · 417 | 41.7% gold |
| 12k · 500 | 50.0% gold |
| 14k · 585 | 58.3% gold |
| 15k · 625 | 62.5% gold |
| 18k · 750 | 75.0% gold |
| 20k · 833 | 83.3% gold |
| 21k · 875 | 87.5% gold |
| 22k · 916 | 91.7% gold |
| 23k · 958 | 95.8% gold |
| 24k · 999 | 99.9% gold |
| 14KP · 18KP | plumb — exactly 14k / 18k |
Marks that do NOT mean solid gold
| GF · 1/20 12K GF | Gold-filled — a bonded layer, a few percent gold by weight |
| GP · GEP | Gold-plated / electroplate — a microscopic layer, no melt value |
| 14K HGE · 18K HGE | Heavy gold electroplate — the karat describes the plating, not the piece; base metal underneath, no melt value |
| RGP | Rolled gold plate — the same idea as gold-filled, thinner |
| Vermeil | Gold over sterling silver — the silver counts, the gold layer does not |
Below 10k — 8k (333) and 9k (375) — is common on British, Irish, Australian, and older European pieces: it is real gold, priced by its lower content, even though it cannot be sold as "gold" in the US. The unusual karats — 12k, 15k (older British), 20k, 21k, and 23k (Middle Eastern and Thai jewelry) — are the same arithmetic. And "14KP" does not mean "14k plated": the P stands for plumb — the alloy is exactly 14k, not a minimum. The mark that does mean plated is "14K HGE", in the table on the right.
The math every honest offer starts from
The formula
weight × purity × spot price
Spot is quoted per troy ounce — 31.1 grams, a little heavier than a kitchen ounce. Divide the spot price by 31.1 for the per-gram rate. Some buyers quote per pennyweight (dwt, 1.555 g) — the same math in a different unit.
Worked example
A 20-gram 14k chain holds 20 × 58.3% ≈ 11.7 grams of pure gold. With spot at an illustrative $2,600 per ounce, its melt value is 11.7 × ($2,600 ÷ 31.1) ≈ $978. That melt figure is the floor an honest offer is built on.
What does not count as gold
Stones, the steel springs in clasps, watch movements, and the filler in hollow pieces weigh something but are not gold. An honest buyer deducts them before weighing — or prices them separately, as we do with diamonds. A kitchen scale in grams gets you a reasonable idea at home; we weigh on calibrated scales in front of you.
When a piece is worth more than melt
Melt is the floor, not the ceiling. Signed pieces (Tiffany, Cartier), antique and collectible pieces can be worth well more intact; diamonds in a mounting are priced as stones, not as weight; and a watch is a watch, not scrap. Every honest buyer keeps a margin between melt and the offer — that is how the business works. What separates buyers is how much of a piece’s value they recognize beyond the metal, and whether they show you the math.
That is why we check every piece as jewelry before we price it as gold — in front of you, free, in minutes. That check is the difference between a gold buyer and an estate jewelry buyer.
Gold Value FAQ
Is 10k gold worth selling?
Yes. 10k is 41.7% gold, so a piece is worth a little under half of what the same weight in 24k would bring — but it is real gold and it is priced by weight like everything else. Class rings and older chains are often 10k.
Do you buy gold-plated or gold-filled jewelry?
We will identify it for free so you know for certain. Priced by gold content, plated pieces carry effectively none and gold-filled only a trace, so neither is bought as gold — but a plated piece can still be signed, antique, or collectible, and that is a different conversation.
What about dental gold?
Crowns, bridges, and dental alloys are real gold alloys and we buy them — but dental alloys vary widely, and the exact karat cannot be determined in the shop. We send dental gold out for testing to establish the exact karat before we buy, and the offer is set from that result rather than an estimate.
Does the offer change with the gold price?
Yes — every offer starts from the live spot price on the day you sell, which is why the number on a piece is not fixed. We show the live gold price on our gold page so you can see the market we are pricing against.
Where can I sell gold in Naples?
At our Shirley St showroom in North Naples — walk in during open hours or book a private appointment, with home visits across Southwest Florida on request. Every piece is tested, weighed, and priced in front of you, and paid on the spot.
Not sure what you have? Our hallmark guide explains the marks, or see the live gold price on our gold page.
Ready to find out what your gold is worth?
Tested, weighed, and priced in front of you — at the Naples showroom or in your home.