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FINE 24CT ▲ R2 199,77/g 9CT R825,74/g 14CT R1 288,15/g 18CT R1 651,48/g 22CT R2 018,48/g 24CT OZ ▲ R68 421 +0.41% TODAY FINE 24CT ▲ R2 199,77/g 9CT R825,74/g 14CT R1 288,15/g 18CT R1 651,48/g 22CT R2 018,48/g 24CT OZ ▲ R68 421 +0.41% TODAY
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Selling gold jewellery

Most South African gold jewellery is 9ct, stamped 375, which is only 37.5% gold, so its melt value is lower than most people expect: about R825,74 for every gram of a 9ct piece right now. Before you sell, make one decision. Broken or plain gold is worth its metal, and a scrap buyer pays 70 to 90 percent of that melt value. A piece with a brand, real design or set stones can be worth more sold intact than melted, so get it valued both ways, and price everything against melt with a licensed buyer.

Worked example · 10 g 9ct chain · computed live

Fine gold content

10 g of 9ct, at 37.5% gold

3.75 g pure

Melt value

the metal floor, at R825,74/g of 9ct

R8 257

Scrap payout at 70% of melt

broken or plain gold, low end

R5 780

Scrap payout at 90% of melt

broken or plain gold, high end

R7 432

That scrap band, R5 780 to R7 432 on the same chain, is what broken or plain 9ct pays. A branded, designer or stone-set piece can beat it sold whole, which is the melt-or-resale decision below.

South African jewellery is a nine-carat country

Most gold jewellery sold in South Africa is 9ct, stamped 375 for 37.5 percent gold. The rest of the weight is alloy, copper, silver and zinc that give the piece its colour and hardness but carry no gold value. That is why the melt value of a typical chain or ring is lower than the price on a new piece suggests: you are selling the gold in it, not the design or the retail markup. At R825,74 a gram of 9ct today, a 4g wedding band holds about R3 303 of gold and a 10g chain about R8 257. Higher carats are worth proportionally more per gram, so read the stamp first: the karat guide explains 375, 585, 750 and 916, and the gold calculator does the arithmetic for any weight.

Melt or resale, the decision that sets the number

Before you carry anything to a buyer, sort it into one of two piles, because they are sold in completely different ways. Broken chains, bent rings, single earrings and plain unmarked gold are scrap. They are sold for the metal alone, and a scrap buyer pays the melt value minus a margin, typically 70 to 90 percent of melt in South Africa. Condition does not matter here, a snapped 9ct chain and a perfect one of the same weight are worth the same as metal.

A piece with a recognised brand, genuine designer or antique work, or set stones is different. Its craftsmanship or maker can be worth more than the gold it contains, so melting it down destroys value. A branded or well-made piece can sell for more intact, through a jeweller, a consignment or a second-hand specialist, than any scrap buyer will pay by weight. The rule is simple: get anything with a name, real design or stones valued both ways, as metal and as a piece, and take the higher number. For plain and broken gold, go straight to the melt figure and shop the percentage, which is what what buyers actually pay is about.

Broken gold and stones, two special cases

Broken gold is still gold. A snapped chain, a single earring, a bent or tangled piece you would never wear again is sold for its metal, at the same melt value as an intact piece of the same weight and carat. Condition is irrelevant to a scrap buyer, only the weight and the carat set the price, so there is no need to repair anything before you sell broken gold. Weigh it, read the carat, work out the melt, and judge the offer as a percentage of it.

Stones are not gold. If a ring or pendant is set with diamonds or gemstones, those stones are valued separately and never counted as gold. A scrap buyer weighs the metal and either removes the stones or pays for the gold weight alone, so never let a stone-set piece be weighed and paid as plain gold, or you give the stones away. Have the stones assessed on their own, and treat a stone-set or designer piece as a resale candidate first, melt second. The gold weight is the floor; the stones and the making are the reason a piece might be worth far more whole.

Sell to a licensed buyer, and price against melt

Wherever you sell, sell to a buyer who is licensed to buy gold. A legitimate South African gold buyer is registered several times over, under the Precious Metals Act, the Second-Hand Goods Act and, for larger deals, FICA, and asking to see those registrations is the single best filter there is. The guide to verifying a gold buyer sets out exactly what to ask to see. Searching "sell gold jewellery near me" will surface plenty of counters, but proximity is not the thing that matters, a compliant buyer who pays a fair percentage of melt is. Work out your own melt figure first with the gold calculator, get at least two quotes, and every offer becomes a percentage you can check rather than a number you have to trust. That, and nothing more elaborate, is how you sell gold jewellery for what it is actually worth.

The Goldza desk

General information, not financial advice. The 9ct figure of R825,74 a gram and the worked example are computed live from the fine gold price of R2 199,77 per gram at 27 Jul 2026, 13:48 SAST. The 70 to 90 percent scrap payout band is a general observation of the SA market, not a quoted rate from any named buyer, and resale values depend on the individual piece. See the methodology.

Common questions

Selling gold jewellery, answered

How much is my gold jewellery worth in South Africa?
Weigh it in grams and multiply by the per-gram value for its carat. Most SA jewellery is 9ct, worth about R825,74 a gram in metal today, so a 10g 9ct chain holds 3.75g of pure gold and about R8 257 of metal. That melt value is the floor; a scrap buyer pays 70 to 90 percent of it, while a branded or stone-set piece can be worth more sold intact. Work out the melt first with the calculator, then judge every offer against it.
Should I melt my gold jewellery or sell it as is?
It depends on the piece. Broken, plain or unmarked gold is worth only its metal, so it goes to a scrap buyer at 70 to 90 percent of melt and melting changes nothing. But a recognised brand, genuine designer or antique work, or set stones can be worth more than the gold alone, and melting destroys that value. Get anything with a name, real design or stones valued both ways, as metal and as a piece, and take the higher number.
Can I sell broken gold jewellery?
Yes. Broken gold is sold for its metal at the same melt value as an intact piece of the same weight and carat, so a snapped chain or a single earring is worth exactly what its gold weighs. Condition does not matter to a scrap buyer; only weight and carat set the price, and there is no need to repair anything first. If the piece has stones, have them valued separately, because they are not counted as gold.
Where can I sell gold jewellery near me?
Sell to a licensed buyer rather than the nearest one. A legitimate SA gold buyer is registered under the Precious Metals Act and the Second-Hand Goods Act, and asking to see those registrations weeds out the grey market fast. Proximity matters far less than the percentage of melt a buyer pays, so work out your melt value, get at least two quotes, and compare. A compliant buyer who pays a fair percentage beats a closer one who does not.