When you’ve got gold that is old or broken or just doesn’t hold any longer that same sentimental value that it once did, you may consider repurposing that gold by selling or trading it in for it’s inherited cash value and using that money to support a goal or purpose that’s closer to your heart. Being Christmas time, you may choose to sell your gold and use the income to buy Christmas presents for the family, put an extra payment on a loan, treat yourself to a holiday or even give the money to charity to support another cause that you can feel good about. At any point during this process, it’s important to be informed of your gold’s characteristics before you go ahead with a transaction with a a buyer or broker (learn more about a gold broker here). One important characteristic we’re talking about here is the Karat value of your gold (your gold items gold purity), and discovering it for yourself.
A gold value (in Karats) along with the weight and current spot price are the main determinants of the cash price value of your gold – and ascertaining the karat value yourself isn’t that difficult. By simply knowing where to look and with a keen or discerning eye, after just a little bit of searching on the surface of your gold items – and then relating the found code, hallmark or stamp back to it’s Karat reference – you’ll soon have the answer. Gold rings as an example, have their value written on the inside of the gold band. Gold necklaces may have the stamp located near the chain clasp – the position that during use, sits close to the back of the neck. As a general rule, stampings are usually located in a position that sits out of regular sight during use so not to be noticeable, but in a position that is large enough to contain a 3-digit number (how gold value codes are generally expressed).
An example of a common stamping that you may find are ‘9K’ , ‘9ct’ or ‘375’ (which all refer to the same value). As a point of reference, 37.5% (hence the 375 value) refers to the gold items percentage of contained, pure gold. For more information on Gold Purity, click here. Other common values you might decipher from stamps located on your gold items include ’18K’, ’18ct’ or ‘750’ which equates to 75% gold in total, or ’24K’, ’24ct’ or ‘1000’ which refers to 100% pure gold. Your gold item’s cash value is based on the weight of your gold item and the percentage of gold the item contains (Karat), which is multiplied by the current live gold price. Once you’ve worked out the Karat value of your gold as well as the weight, it’s easy to determine the value yourself using the Gold Calculator tool located here, or on the front page of the Brisbane Gold Brokers website.
We hope this helps you in the preparation process should you consider or choose to sell your gold. And from the Brisbane Gold Brokers Team, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas, all the best with the holiday season, and every blessing for the New Year.
