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Precious Metals
Gold Jewelry Scrap
Grade: VariousVery High Tier
Karat gold jewelry, chains, rings, various purities (10K-24K)
Market Price EstimateUpdated Daily
$78,500/ MT
+6250 (8.6%)vs yesterday
Verified specifications & market data
Chemical Composition
Elemental breakdown by percentage weight.
Standard composition limits
Values represent maximum allowed percentage unless otherwise noted.
Physical Properties
Material form, density, and contamination specifications.
Post-consumer gold jewelry scrap; discarded, broken, or unwanted karat gold jewelry; estate sale jewelry; vintage and antique jewelry; dental gold (crowns, bridges); jewelry manufacturing trim and casting waste; established precious metal recycling infrastructure; extremely high-value consumer product waste stream; distributed retail sourcing with retail-aggregation supply chain
Acceptable Inclusions
- Gold 41.7-99.9% (karat specification across all purities)
- Silver alloying metal <30% (precious metal)
- Copper <30% (color modifier; precious metal content)
- Palladium <15% (white gold component; precious metal)
- Platinum trace <5% (precious metal; ultra-valuable)
- Nickel <2% (white gold; hypoallergenic concern)
- Black tarnish oxidation (age expected)
- Gemstones (separated before refining)
Prohibited Materials
- Gold <41.7% (below 10K minimum specification)
- Lead >0.1% (hazmat exceeds)
- Cadmium >0.01% (hazmat exceeds)
- Counterfeit or gold-plated items (not solid gold)
- Non-gold metals (aluminum, zinc, low-karat base metals absolutely prohibited)
- Unknown purity or karat
- Extensively damaged jewelry (loss of integrity)
Quality Assurance
Testing protocols, sampling methods, and acceptance criteria.
Sampling Protocol
frequencyStratified random sampling by jewelry type; karat variation assessment; precious metal comprehensive
maximumQuantity500+ individual samples per shipment
minimumQuantity2-10 tonnes or 100-500 individual jewelry piece samples
percentage20-50% of lot
stratificationSample across jewelry types; karat purities; colors; ages/conditions
Acceptance Limits
all Criteria Must PassMaterial must be solid karat gold ≥10K; hallmarks verified; fire assay complete; hazmat acceptable
alloy IdentificationYellow/white/rose gold identified; alloying metals documented
fire Assay CompleteFire assay performed; gold purity to 0.01% certified
gemstone DocumentationGemstones noted; separation protocol understood; non-metal value isolated
gold ContentAu 41.7-99.9%
halmarks VerifiedKarat stamps confirmed on majority of jewelry pieces
hazmat LimitsPb <0.1%, Cd <0.01%; occupational safety confirmed
material AuthenticityConfirmed as solid karat gold
Weight Tolerance
measurementVerified by certified professional precious metal scale; troy ounce standard; weight accountability for ultra-precious material
variance±2% from purchase order weight
Required Test Methods
Visual Inspection & Hallmark Reading
CRITICAL
Purpose
- confirm gold jewelry
- read hallmarks (karat stamps: 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, 24K)
- identify precious metal content
- assess condition/gemstones
Acceptance Criteria
- Karat hallmarks apparent
- solid gold confirmed
- gold jewelry character evident
- no counterfeits detected
Procedure
- 100% visual inspection
- inspect for hallmarks (10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, 24K stamps)
- verify precious metal appearance
- assess gemstone presence
Karat Classification
CRITICAL
Purpose
- categorize by karat purity (10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, 24K)
- quantify gold percentage
- sort for optimal refining/recovery
Acceptance Criteria
- Karat purity confirmed
- correct specification category
- gold percentage within range
Procedure
- Fire assay traditional (industry gold standard)
- hallmark verification
- karat fingerprint identification
Precious Metal Composition Assessment
CRITICAL
Purpose
- verify gold 41.7-99.9%
- quantify silver, copper, palladium, platinum
- identify white/yellow/rose gold type
Acceptance Criteria
- Gold within karat specification 41.7-99.9%
- alloy composition identified
- precious metal profile confirmed
Procedure
- Fire assay (definitive precious metal standard)
- XRF calibrated for gold jewelry
- color type identification
Gemstone Assessment
Purpose
- Identify gemstone presence
- assess gemstone value vs. gold value
- separation requirement confirmation
Acceptance Criteria
- Gemstones documented
- separation protocol confirmed
- precious metal value isolated from gem value
Procedure
- Visual inspection
- estimate gemstone quantity and type (diamonds, precious stones)
- note separation requirement
Hazmat Screening
Purpose
- Detect lead <0.1% and cadmium <0.01%
- assess occupational hazmat risk
- ensure worker safety
Acceptance Criteria
- Pb <0.1%, Cd <0.01%
- hazmat acceptable
- occupational safety limits met
Fire Assay
Purpose
- precise gold assay via cupellation
- exact gold purity to 0.01%
- industry-standard precious metal verification
Acceptance Criteria
- Fire assay completed
- gold purity verified to 0.01% precision
- LBMA market-standard verification
Procedure
- Traditional fire assay cupellation
- lead-glass recovery
- gold weight determination
- industry-standard precious metal verification