Gold has soared to record highs. Now, in these tough economic times, many consumers are wondering how to sell their gold. When you want to sell gold, whether it is old, broken, and unwanted jewelry or gold coins and bullion, there is one important rule of thumb: an educated consumer is a smart consumer. If you are selling old gold jewelry, much of the retail price takes into account the specific piece's artistic design and the retail price usually reflects a 300-400% markup relative to the cost of the actual materials. In the scrap gold market, the items sold at some discount to the actual gold value usually anywhere from 20-50% depending on how you sell your gold. The leading gold buyer pays up to 80% for all that old jewelry gathering dust on your dresser. There a few steps sell gold safely and securely. First, pure gold is 24 karats and based on one troy ounce, which consists of 31.1 grams or 20 pennyweights. One pennyweight is equal to 1.555 grams. Because gold is a very soft metal, almost all jewelry contains less than 24 karats of gold. In order to determine how much pure gold are in the item you need divide the karat quality of the gold by 24. Most gold jewelry sold in the United States is in the form of 18k karat, 14 karat, or 10-karat gold. 18-karat gold is 75% pure, 14 karat is 58.3% pure, and 10k gold is 41.7% pure. There should be a karat stamp somewhere on the piece of jewelry. One thing to note is that unlike, most gold buyers do not pay for diamonds so make sure that you deal with a gold buyer who will pay for any diamonds your items contain, or will remove them and send them back to you. Diamonds weighing less than 1 carat are of lesser quality and have a very limited resale value, and diamonds with a GIA certificate are worth a small premium to those without. Prices changing daily based on the London PM Gold Fix. Typically, in order to refine and assay a piece, there is a 10-20% discount on the gold price in addition to the cost of providing a safe, convenient service.

American Gold Eagle

The American Gold Eagle is an official gold bullion coin of the United States. Over the years, the gold Eagle from the US mint have become the USA’s most popular bullion coin, and our biggest gold coin seller by far. Each 1-ounce gold Eagle contains a full 31.1 grams of pure gold, with an additional alloy of silver and copper, bringing the total weight up to about 33.9 grams. Coins Offered in 1/10 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz denominations. U.S. government guarantees them to contain the stated amount of actual gold weight in troy ounces. By law, the gold must come from sources in America, with an additional alloy of silver and copper to produce a more wear-resistant coin of .9167. It authorized by the United States Congress and backed by the United States Mint for weight and content. The market value of the coins is generally about equal to the market value of their gold content, not their face value. Gold Eagles from the U.S. Mint are the most popular gold bullion coin in this country, and now make up over 80% of the U.S. physical gold bullion market. This bullion product has been a tremendous success for the U.S. Mint.; their actual selling prices vary daily based on the current spot price of gold. The face values are proportional to the weights. The one-ounce gold Eagle has a $50 nominal face value, is 91.67% fine gold, and weighs 1.0909 troy ounces. The most popular size bullion coin issued 20 coins per Treasury tube. The half-ounce gold Eagle has a $25 nominal face value, is 91.67% fine gold, and weighs .5455 troy ounce. The least popular size bullion coin, and often the lowest mintage, it is issued 40 coins per Treasury tube. The quarter-ounce gold Eagle has a $10 nominal face value, is 91.67% fine gold, and weighs .2727 troy ounce. About the size of a nickel, it is popular in jewelry. It issued 40 coins per Treasury tube. The tenth-ounce gold Eagle is a $5 face value coin, 91.67% fine gold (22 karat), and weighs .1091 troy ounce. Smaller than a dime, it is a popular small gift item. It issued 50 coins to a Treasury tube. The obverse design features a rendition of Augustus Saint-Gaudens' full-length figure of Lady Liberty with flowing hair, holding a torch in her right hand and an olive branch in her left, with the Capitol building in the left background. The reverse design, by sculptor Miley Busiek, features a male eagle carrying an olive branch flying above a nest containing a female eagle and her hatchlings.