Canberra Gold Guide
What Happens to Your Gold After You Sell ItTwo Paths, and Why Gold Never Disappears
Maybe it’s a ring you wore for years, or a chain from someone you loved. Before you let it go, it’s natural to wonder where it ends up. Here’s what happens to your gold after you sell it, step by step.
Every Piece Takes One of Two Paths
Path One
Cleaned Up and Sold Again
If a piece is good enough to wear again, it gets a second life. Getting it ready takes real work, and part of that work is dealing with the lowball offers.
All that work takes time, so the extra paid for a resale piece isn’t always big. It’s a kinder ending though. Your piece gets to live again for someone else.
- Cleaned Up
- Fixed
- Re-polished
- Photographed
- Listing Written
- Marketed
- Lowball Offers Turned Down
- Sold Again
Path Two
Refined Back Into Pure Gold
Broken, damaged and worn pieces are typically bought for melting. Refining turns them back into pure gold.
It’s a gruelling process over several days, with harsh chemicals and real health risks, so it’s done by specialists. Refined gold becomes bars, coins and new jewellery.
Gold Never Disappears
Gold will always be remade into something else, or hold its wealth for the next owner. The gold in an old chain might become a coin, a bar or a new ring.
So whichever path your piece takes, its gold carries on.
Stones Come Out First
Diamonds and gemstones are taken out before gold is refined. You choose what happens to them: we can pay you for your stones, or you’re welcome to hold on to them.
If you want to keep them, we can sometimes remove them on the spot. Wondering what your stone is worth? Read is your Diamond or gemstone worth anything?
Turn Your Old Gold Into Something New
Not ready to let go? Vivid Jewels also makes high-end jewellery. If you’d like your old gold and stones made into something new, start with our jewellery buyers agent service.
You can also send a design brief with your ideas, and we’ll help you plan the piece.
Sell Your Gold in Three Simple Steps
- 1Book a Free QuoteCall or send the form. It’s free, private and there’s no obligation.
- 2Watch It TestedEvery piece is tested and weighed in front of you, and the numbers go into a spreadsheet you can take home.
- 3You DecideLike the price? You’re paid on the spot. Want to think it over? Come back any time at that day’s gold price.
Your Canberra Gold Buyer
A Jeweller Who Looks Closer
You deserve to know exactly what you’re selling. At Vivid Jewels, a jeweller and gemstone expert checks every stamp, every stone and every maker’s mark, so nothing of value slips through. Every piece is tested and weighed in front of you, and you see how the offer is worked out.
We pay extra for the gems most gold buyers ignore.
Vivid Jewels also sources rare gemstones and makes custom jewellery. See how it works.
Keep Reading
What Is My Gold Worth?
Why jewellery sells below the bullion price, and what makes a piece worth more.
Read the guide
Start at the Canberra Gold Guide for everything about selling gold.
Ready When You Are
Find Out What Your Gold Is Worth
Book a free, no-obligation quote in Canberra. Sit down, take your time, and see exactly how your offer is worked out. If you like the price, you’re paid on the spot.
See how it all works on the sell gold in Canberra page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to gold after I sell it?
It takes one of two paths. Pieces good enough to wear again may be cleaned up, fixed, re-polished and sold again. Broken, damaged and worn pieces are refined back into pure gold.
Is my jewellery melted down?
Only some of it. Broken, damaged and worn pieces are typically melted and refined. Pieces of resale quality are sometimes cleaned up and sold again.
Can I keep my stones?
Yes. If we’re only paying for the gold, you can keep your stones. We can sometimes remove them on the spot.
Do you pay for Diamonds and gemstones?
Yes. Every stone is checked by a gemstone expert, and you choose whether to sell your stones or keep them.
How is gold refined?
Refining turns jewellery back into pure gold. It’s a gruelling process over several days, with harsh chemicals and real health risks, so it’s done by specialists. The pure gold becomes bars, coins and new jewellery.
Do you pay more for pieces you can sell again?
Sometimes. A piece that can be sold again may be worth a bit more. Getting it ready takes real work, so the extra isn’t always big.
Does gold ever disappear?
No. Gold is always remade into something else, or it holds its wealth for the next owner.
Can my old gold be made into something new?
Yes. Vivid Jewels also makes high-end jewellery. Start with the jewellery buyers agent page.
Where do I start?
Book a free, no-obligation quote in Canberra. Sit down, take your time, and see exactly how your offer is worked out.
Got gold sitting in a drawer? Here’s how to sell gold in Canberra, or start with the Canberra Gold Guide.
