No, we do not melt down and remake old gold and we advise against this practice for many reasons. But we wanted to put it in simple terms for our customers so they understand the problems associated with old gold.

Old gold when melted down, often can be more expensive than new gold items. People perceive that because they already have the gold, then, it must be cheaper. The problem is, that when you melt down gold, a lot of gold can be lost from the piece due to the process of the melting. When this happens, the Jeweller must add gold to the item and because of the uncertainty surrounding old gold, it can effect the colouring of the pieces. Melting old gold can also produce poorer quality pieces that have pits and porosity in various places, making it more prone to cracking and breakage. To put it clearly, its hardness is affected and can really cause bad quality pieces.

So, to sum up

• Can be porous and crack.
• Isn’t cheaper. A lot more work goes into old gold, then new gold and most often the old gold needs new gold added.
• The colour can change.
• Can be poor quality.

The only time we would recommend to melt gold is to reuse Heirloom pieces that have sentimental value but can not be repaired. Otherwise, its not going to save you money and its not something that Jewellers want to be liable for if it doesn’t work out well, and you really can’t be sure if its going to be a disaster or not. Its better to take the ‘’Old but Gold’’ approach if it can be worn.