How Much Is My Gold Jewelry Worth? A Practical Guide for Maryville Sellers

You’ve got a drawer full of gold jewelry you haven’t worn in years. Or maybe you just inherited a collection and have no idea what it’s worth. Either way, you want a realistic number before walking into any buyer’s location. Here’s how to get one.

Step 1: Find the Karat Stamp

Every piece of genuine gold jewelry should have a hallmark — a small stamped mark indicating the metal content. Look for it:

• Inside the band of rings
• On the clasp of bracelets and necklaces
• On the back of pendants and charms
• Inside the case back of watches

Common US markings: 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, 24K

Common European markings (numeric): 417 (10K), 585 (14K), 750 (18K), 917 (22K)

If you can’t find a stamp, or if the stamp says “GF” (gold-filled), “RGP” (rolled gold plate), or “HGE” (hard gold electroplate) — that item is not solid gold and has minimal value.

No stamp at all doesn’t necessarily mean fake — some vintage and handmade pieces weren’t stamped. We can test anything you’re unsure about.

Step 2: Weigh Your Jewelry

The easiest way to get a rough weight is a kitchen scale that reads in grams. Most drug store and Amazon-purchased digital scales work fine.

Important: You’re weighing total piece weight, including any stones. Stones don’t add value to your gold payout — they’re excluded from the melt calculation. A 5-gram ring with a small diamond doesn’t have 5 grams of gold-value; the stone’s weight comes out.

Write down the weight in grams.

Step 3: Look Up the Current Spot Price

The gold spot price is the live market price for one troy ounce of pure gold. It changes daily (and intra-day). Check our live gold prices page for the current figure, or search “gold spot price” in any search engine.

Note that spot price is quoted in troy ounces (31.1 grams), not standard ounces. You’ll need to convert.

Step 4: Do the Math

Here’s the formula:

Melt value = (Weight in grams ÷ 31.1) × Purity × Spot price

Purity by karat:

• 10K = 0.417
• 14K = 0.583
• 18K = 0.750

Example: 12-gram bracelet, 14K gold, spot price $3,200/troy oz

(12 ÷ 31.1) × 0.583 × $3,200 = $721 melt value

This is the theoretical melt value — what the gold content is worth as refined metal.

Step 5: Understand the Dealer Margin

You won’t receive full melt value from any buyer. Nobody does — it’s not how the business works. The dealer needs to cover refining costs, assaying, processing, and their own profit margin.

The question is how much of a margin. At East Tennessee Gold Buyers, our offers typically run 70–90% of melt value depending on lot size and current market. A $721 melt-value bracelet would net you somewhere in the $500–$650 range.

Pawn shops typically pay 30–50 cents on the melt dollar. That same bracelet might get you $215–$360 at a pawn shop.

For the bracelet in our example: the difference between selling to a dedicated gold buyer versus a pawn shop is $300 or more in your pocket.

A Realistic Estimate for Your Collection

If you have several pieces:

1. Group them by karat
2. Weigh each group
3. Run the calculation for each group separately
4. Add up the total melt value
5. Multiply by 0.75–0.85 to get a realistic expected payout at a reputable buyer

This gives you a solid negotiating baseline before you walk in anywhere.

Get an Exact Number

Once you’ve done the math and have a sense of what to expect, get a free quote from East Tennessee Gold Buyers. We’ll give you an exact offer based on today’s spot price after testing and weighing in front of you.

For Maryville-area sellers, our sell gold Maryville page has local information on what to expect.

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Ready to sell in Maryville? Bring your items and leave with cash.

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