Selling old gold jewelry should be simple, but the process is designed to confuse you. Flat "per piece" quotes, mystery scales, and pressure to decide fast all exist for one reason: to pay you less than your gold is worth. This guide walks you through the exact steps to sell gold jewelry for the most cash in 2026 — so you walk in prepared and walk out paid fairly.
Step 1 — Gather and sort everything by karat
Pull together every gold item you're willing to part with: broken chains, single earrings, class rings, dental crowns, bent bracelets. Nothing is too damaged — scrap gold is paid by weight, not by looks. Then sort it by karat stamp. Look for tiny markings like 10K, 14K, 18K, or their European equivalents (417, 585, 750). Mixing karats together lets a buyer pay you the lowest rate on the whole pile, so keep them separate. If the stamp is worn off, our guide on how to tell if gold is real shows how to verify it.
Step 2 — Weigh it at home first
Gold is priced by the gram, so knowing your weight is the single best defense against a lowball offer. A cheap digital kitchen or jewelry scale (accurate to 0.1 grams) is all you need. Write down the total grams for each karat group. Now you have a rough baseline: even a ballpark number means no buyer can pretend your 30-gram lot is "just a few grams."
| Karat | Purity | How it's paid |
|---|---|---|
| 10K | 41.7% | By gram × purity × spot |
| 14K | 58.5% | By gram × purity × spot |
| 18K | 75.0% | By gram × purity × spot |
| 24K | 99.9% | By gram × purity × spot |
Step 3 — Check the live spot price
Gold has a public, transparent price that moves every single day. In 2026 it has traded roughly $3,800 to $4,100 per troy ounce — about $122–$132 per gram of pure gold. That's the number every honest payout is built from. Because it changes daily, always check the live spot ticker on our homepage before you sell so you know what a fair offer looks like that day.
Do the quick melt math
Take your weight, multiply by the purity, then by the price per gram. For example, 20 grams of 14K at $128/gram: 20 × 0.585 × $128 = about $1,498 in pure gold value. Want the full breakdown? Read how much 14K gold is worth per gram.
Prefer to skip the math? Get your exact number by phone.
Call (909) 737-2467Step 4 — Compare buyers, not flat quotes
This is where sellers win or lose hundreds of dollars. Most pawn shops and jewelry stores pay only 50% to 70% of melt value and pocket the rest. A dedicated gold buyer pays a far higher percentage because reselling scrap to a refiner is their whole business. At SoCal Cash for Gold, we pay up to 95% of live spot, test and weigh everything in front of you, and show the math on the scale. See the full comparison in cash for gold vs pawn shop.
Step 5 — Bring ID and get a no-obligation quote
Licensed, bonded buyers are legally required to record a valid photo ID for gold purchases, so bring your driver's license. A trustworthy buyer will test each piece with an acid or electronic tester, weigh it on a calibrated scale in front of you, and give a free, no-pressure quote you're free to walk away from. If a shop hides the scale, won't explain the number, or rushes you, leave.
Getting paid
Once you accept, payment should be immediate. We pay same-day by cash, Zelle, or Venmo — your choice. Not local to the Inland Empire? Our insured mail-in service lets you ship gold safely from anywhere in the country and get paid the same way. Whether you're in Montclair, Ontario, or across the state, the process stays honest: weigh it, price it off live spot, and pay you fairly.
Walking your jewelry in vs. mailing it away
Big national "mail us your gold" outfits ask you to seal your jewelry in an envelope, ship it to a state you've never been to, and trust a payout you can't see being calculated. For Inland Empire sellers, there's a simpler path: bring it to our counter at 4994 Holt Blvd in Montclair and watch every step. We're a quick drive from Upland, Claremont, Rancho Cucamonga, and Ontario, so you can sort your karats at home in the morning and be paid the same afternoon — no tracking numbers, no waiting.
Selling in person also means you keep control the whole way through. You see each piece hit the scale, you hear the karat call, and you're free to take everything home if the number isn't right. Neighbors from Ontario and nearby cities choose the walk-in route for exactly that reason. Mail-in still exists for anyone outside the 909, but if you can drive to Montclair, the honest, face-to-face version is hard to beat. Questions first? Call (909) 737-2467.