What happens after you sell your Gold & Silver?

There are actually a few different methods of refining gold. Depending upon the quantity of gold you are working with and the desired level of purity, the two most common methods for refining gold are the use of high temperature flame and the use of chemicals to refine the gold.

Refining with flame is one of the oldest methods of refining metals. Mentioned even in the bible, refining by fire is the preferable method for larger quantities of gold. In ancient times, this form of refining involved a craftsman sitting next to a hot fire with molten gold in a crucible being stirred and skimmed to remove the impurities or dross that rose to the top of the molten metal. With flames reaching temperatures in excess of 1000 degrees Celsius, this job was definitely a dangerous occupation for the gold refiner. The tradition remains largely untouched today with the exception of a few advancements in safety and precision.

The second method of refining gold involves the use of chemicals. Strong acids are used to dissolve the impurities in the gold ore and afterwards, are neutralized and washed away, taking the impurities with them. The resulting product is a muddy substance that is almost pure gold (99.999% or 24K). This muddy substance is dried until it is a powdered residue and then heated with a torch or other source of heat to melt the gold powder into useable gold. The acids used for this process are Nitric acid and Hydrochloric acid.

A silver refiner provides precious metal recovery that recycles material, keeping it out of landfills. Whether it be scrap metal or jewelry, the process of refining silver separates silver from other metals and waste.   Scrap from the process, such as silver metal foil, silver leaf, and antique silver is weighed and smelted. As the scrap becomes liquified in a furnace, ash and borax are included to separate pure silver from other precious and non-precious metals.

The largest consumers of silver are Kodak and Fuji. That is because more silver is used for photography than any other product. Large amounts of silver are also used for silverware, jewelry and industrial products. Silver is also used to treat burn victims as it kills bacteria, allowing the individual to heal more quickly.  Silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal.

Now back to the refining process. The Silver refiner mixes silver in with other metal, such as gold and copper, because different amounts of other precious metals can be in a piece of jewelry. The refiner of silver creates bars of metal and dumps them into ice water to reduce particle size. The bars are dissolved in nitric acid and hydrochloric acid for six to twelve hours. Nitric acid attacks the silver and copper and puts the metals in liquid form. The pure silver is then extracted, dried and cooled.

The refining of silver puts the precious metal back into use, making a positive impact on the world around us. Worn-down jewelry, scrap silver, and silver coins can be refined into pure silver bullion. As the price of silver continues to increase, selling that bullion can be a windfall for an individual, and thus silver refining is becoming a growing business. Refining sterling silver produces silver and other metals as sterling silver is more than 92 percent silver, with the remaining eight percent being copper or another metal. The added metal provides strength as items of 100 percent silver would bend. Sterling silver is primarily used for jewelry and silverware.

Silver refiners have the expertise to melt silver jewelry and other pieces of jewelry into their liquid form and rework them into other uses. Most also buy, refine gold, silver and platinum.  I hope we both learned as much from this lesson as I.

Gold Buyers VS Jewelers? Maximize your possession's value!

The economy has seen some rough times in the past few years, leaving many jobless or just barely keeping their heads above the water.
In such dire times, many people turn to selling their valuables, from collectibles to antiques to everyday furniture. The most common and often most lucrative of these items are gold and jewelry.
The gold buyers are perhaps the best method of selling your gold and jewelry directly. Companies such as ours specifically buy gold, silver, diamonds, and antique jewelry from clients. The gold, silver, and other precious metals are usually melted down into scrap, which can then be reused into other pieces of jewelry, coins, or bullion. Diamonds are often just polished and sold or inserted into jewelry.

Secondly, gold buyers will generally give you an amount close to gold’s going price on the market. This is almost always more than you will receive selling your jewelry to retail.
Selling to gold buyers is much easier than other methods, requiring very little legwork from you. After finding the right company to sell your items to, the buyers will send you an envelope with detailed instructions on how to send your merchandise. Most companies reimburse your shipping fees. First time gold sellers should expect quite a bit of money and usually great service if they choose to sell to scrap gold buyers.

Many people will initially consider selling to a local jeweler. While this might be convenient for you, you can’t expect much money from this option. No jeweler will buy a piece of jewelry back for retail price. That’s just how businesses go. If a jeweler bought all the jewelry presented to him at retail price, he would easily go out of business.
Consider how most jewelers obtain their merchandise. They get their jewels, stones, and other items from suppliers, but the jeweler has no obligation to sell them. After so many days, if the jeweler hasn’t sold something, he can return that something to the supplier. The jeweler doesn’t have the same option when it comes to buying from you.However, know that, when it comes to diamond rings, the jewelers are more interested in the stone than the ring. The ring is usually sold for scrap, so if you want to sell any precious metals, it’s a better idea to just sell to gold buyers.

How to autheticate your Tiffany & Co. piece.

                  When buying jewelry, Tiffany & Co. is often measured the embodiment of class, style and taste. The prices of the pieces mean most any purchase can be considered an investment. Unfortunately, if you do not purchase Tiffany jewelry from a Tiffany & Co. store, it can be very difficult to spot a fake. Here are some tips to consider whether your piece is authentic.
                     Accessories do not prove an item isn't a knock off! It doesn't matter if the seller has the suede pouch, bag, care card, ribbon or anything else ... inspect the piece and decide based on the jewelry alone.
Tiffany does not authenticate any piece of jewelry. This means you cannot buy a "Tiffany" necklace from another person and take it to a Tiffany & Co. store and ask them to verify that the piece is "real" and not a knockoff. Do your homework before you buy!
                  Make sure that the Tiffany item was made in the United States. Tiffany & Co. does not have any factories in China, nor will authentic Tiffany items come from China. If purchasing from an online auction site, check the location of the seller and how many Tiffany items are being sold. A large amount indicates a replica maker.
                Find the "Tiffany & Co." engraving on the piece. Without it, it is a clear fake. If you find the engraving, examine the letters for a thin and clear font. Blurry or thick engravings indicate a fake. You can identify authentic Tiffany jewelry by searching for and finding the Tiffany & Co. logo somewhere on the piece.
               Consider the price of the object. Tiffany jewelry does not go on sale, nor does it have a factory wholesale outlet. Tiffany jewelry is in such high demand that all of the items are full-priced, notes TiffanyGuide.com. If a new item is not full price or a used item is less than 30 percent off of the full price, it likely isn't real. Remember that you are paying top dollar for the real Tiffany.
Examine the links on the necklace or bracelet. Real Tiffany jewelry features soldered links that are so smooth you can barely tell where they are attached. They will never have links that have been pinched together. Look for the utmost in quality from your Tiffany piece to make sure that it is authentic.

Visit http://www.tiffany.com/ for further reference.

Silvers Up & Silverwares Up

Gorham Sterling Silver - Silverware Set Service 12

As the price of silver is rising quietly, heads are turning to silver as a better investment option than its more expensive older brother gold. We are seeing many clients bring in their silverware, flatware, candle holders, coins, and all silver items. Flatware sets are fetching from $700 to $7000 depending on the make, model, rarities, weight, and condition. The picture we have depicted above is of a Gorham set. Gorham is one of the most famous silverware companies, and regarding as the king of silverware. The company was founded in Providence, Rhode Island. Long Island silverware owners have been cashing in on their fine silverware and flatware sets, and silver is hovering around $35/Ounce