Selling Jewellery for Cash - the Importance of Gold Purity

Pure Gold ( otherwise known as fine gold ) is rarely used for making items, it is too soft. Coins would wear away and rings and bangles would bend out of shape. Before manufacture other metals are added to the melting pot of gold. The result is an alloy, part gold and part other metal. We still term the metal ‘gold’ even though it is no longer pure. We do however, qualify the word ‘gold’ by stating the purity – the standard to which the gold has been refined, also referred to as the standard of fineness or simply the standard – all these terms mean purity.
Purity is measured in two scales. Parts per thousand and carat. Parts per Thousand is percentage. For example putting into the melting pot 750 parts per thousand pure gold and 250 parts per thousand other metals would be 75% gold. 1000 parts per 1000 is pure gold though the chemists decided that pure gold is difficult to make and so pure gold bars are marked 999, ie 999 parts per 1000 (99.9%). This percentage determines the best price for gold jewellery.
The carat scale uses the figure 24 as a definition of pure gold. 24 parts per 24 = pure gold. Instead of measuring in thousandths it measures in 24ths. So 12 parts per 24 (12ct) would be 50% (500 parts per thousand). The best scrap gold price would be realised on the higher carat items.
Many different purities are used around the world, in the UK we have traditionally used five: 9ct (.375); 14ct (.585); 15ct (.625); 18ct (.750); and 22ct (.916). EU rulings have now forced the UK to add 950 and 999 parts per thousand, though these are not marked in carat since they don’t convert to exact numbers (22.8ct and 23.98ct respectively).
If you wish to sell jewellery online and know where to sell scrap gold it is hoped that the above will be helpful in your negotiations.

Article by Nigel Martin - owner pounds4gold

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