Gold Buyers Nearby: 11 Places to Sell Gold in Person

That gold jewelry that’s been sitting in your dresser, jewelry box, or safe, collecting dust, may serve you much better if you trade it in for cold, hard cash. What can you do with a little (or a lot) more cash in your wallet? Take a trip, catch up on your bills, or treat yourself to a new outfit or two? But before you begin rounding up those long-neglected gold items, keep reading to learn what types of gold you can sell, how gold is valued, and some of the largest national/regional places where you can sell gold in person.

What Types of Gold Can You Sell?

While gold jewelry (rings, bracelets, chains, brooches, earrings, etc.) may be the first thing to come to mind when considering gold to sell, it’s important to know that most places that buy gold are interested in many types of gold beyond jewelry, including medical jewelry, coins, bullion, gold flakes and nuggets, scrap gold, and even dental gold (gold used in crowns, fillings, and bridgework).

Gold buyers are usually interested in precious gold with a purity of at least 10K, up to 24K. Most places that buy gold will not consider gold-plated items, but they will often consider gold-filled items.

How Is Gold Valued?

There are three factors that determine how much your gold is worth to a buyer: (1) purity, in karats (2) weight, in grams or pennyweights and (3) the gold spot price.

What Is a Karat?

Not to be confused with carat, which is a unit of weight for gemstones, a karat is a measure of purity for gold.

Because gold is a very soft metal, it’s often blended with other metals to make it harder or to lend color variations for different looks. The higher the karat, the more gold the item contains. The purest gold (about 99% pure) is 24K, which produces items that are very soft with a bright yellow color. Lower karats have different metals, such as silver or copper, blended in, and are therefore not as valuable.

While gold jewelry and other gold items are typically marked with a karat stamp to show the purity, most gold buyers will test the item with an electronic tester, an X-ray fluorescence scan, or an acid/scratch test to verify the purity.

How Is Gold Weighed?

In order to calculate the price of a gold item, gold buyers will determine the weight of the actual gold the item contains. For a pure gold (24K) piece, the gold weight is the weight of the item.

For lower karats, buyers calculate the amount of gold as a percentage of the total weight, depending on the percent of gold that the item’s karat class contains:

10K gold contains 41.6% gold (see our article about the value of 10K gold)
12K gold contains 50% gold (see our article about the value of 12K gold)
14K gold contains 58.3% gold
18K gold contains 75% gold
22K gold contains 92% gold

So, for example, an 18K gold item that weighs 100 grams would be weighed as 75% of 100 grams, or 75 grams of gold.

Gold buyers will typically pay a certain amount per gram or per pennyweight (DWT) of gold. One DWT is approximately 1.5 grams (to be exact, 1.55517384 grams). Regardless of the measurement used, you’ll receive the same price for the amount of gold you’re selling.

What Is the Gold Spot Price?

Like stock markets and currencies, the price of gold varies from day to day. The gold spot price is the current price of gold on the market — and this price can change by the second. To simplify things, gold buyers often use a daily average price when considering how much to pay for gold.

If you have gold items and know the karat and weight, you can use the Karat Kalculator to determine the approximate value of your gold according to the current gold market price (updated daily).

Jewelry Stores That Buy Gold

Need a place to sell your gold? We’ve provided you with a list of some of the largest national/regional places that buy gold. All of the information on this list was verified through the company website or by contacting customer service.

Daniel’s Jewelers

Gold items they’ll buy: Any item made primarily of gold (10K to 24K), including all jewelry, medical and body jewelry, broken jewelry, dental gold, scrap gold, gold flakes and nuggets, and investment gold (coins, ingots, bars, bullion).
Other items they’ll buy: Any item as above made of platinum, and large silver items.
Items they won’t buy: Gold plated or gold filled items, costume jewelry, and non-precious metals.
Can you sell to Daniel’s at a retail location? No.
Other ways to sell to Daniel’s: Visit the website to open a new seller account and request a postage-paid shipping packet. When you mail in your gold, Daniel’s will appraise the item(s) and make you an offer, which you can accept or decline.
How they pay you: Check (free if sent via first class mail, $15 for overnight courier delivery) or PayPal electronic deposit (free).
Find your nearest Daniel’s Jewelers

Fink’s Jewelers

Gold items they’ll buy: Jewelry, watches, and estate jewelry.
Other items they’ll buy: Diamonds, platinum jewelry, and high-end watches.
Items they won’t buy: Non-jewelry items.
Can you sell to Fink’s at a retail location? Yes, but only through in-store events coordinated with Circa Jewelry.
Other ways to sell to Fink’s: None.
How they pay you: Paper check instantly at the event, which can be applied as in-store credit with an additional 20% added if you spend it at Fink’s.
Find your nearest Fink’s Jewelers

Greenberg’s Jewelers

Gold items they’ll buy: Most 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, and 24K gold items, including all jewelry, medical jewelry, men’s formal jewelry, personal accessories, scrap gold, gold flakes, gold nuggets, and dental gold.
Other items they’ll buy: Any items made of platinum 900 or 950.
Items they won’t buy: Gemstones, investment metals, and watches.
Can you sell to Greenberg’s at a retail location? Yes.
Other ways to sell to Greenberg’s: None.
How they pay you: By check after the items have been evaluated.
Find your nearest Greenberg’s Jewelers

Helzberg Diamonds

Gold items they’ll buy: All 10K to 24K gold jewelry and accessories, including broken or damaged jewelry; and dental gold.
Other items they’ll buy: All platinum jewelry and items.
Items they won’t buy: Investment metals, loose gold, watches, diamonds, and gemstones (they request that you remove gemstones and pearls from gold settings before sending for appraisal).
Can you sell to Helzberg at a retail location? No.
Other ways to sell to Helzberg: Helzberg Diamonds only offers gold buying through their Gold Purchase Program. Visit their website to open a new seller account and request a postage-paid shipping packet. When you mail in your gold, Helzberg will appraise the item(s) and make you an offer, which you can accept or decline.
How they pay you: Check via UPS.
Find your nearest Helzberg Diamonds

Jared the Galleria of Jewelry

Gold items they’ll buy: Most 10K to 24K gold items including jewelry, men’s jewelry, personal accessories, scrap gold, gold flakes and nuggets, and dental gold.
Other items they’ll buy: Any platinum 900 or 950 items.
Items they won’t buy: Investment metals, watches, new or new-appearing jewelry, diamonds, and gemstones (they request that you remove gemstones and pearls from gold settings before sending for appraisal).
Can you sell to Jared at a retail location? No, but you can have your jewelry appraised at a retail location.
Other ways to sell to Jared: Jared only offers gold buying through their Jared Gold Exchange program. Visit their website to open a new seller account and request a postage-paid shipping packet. When you mail in your gold, Jared will appraise the item(s) and make you an offer, which you can accept or decline.
How they pay you: Payment is sent either as a paper check via mail or a Jared gift card. If you choose the gift card, an additional 10% is added to the amount.
Find your nearest Jared location

Kay Jewelers

Gold items they’ll buy: Most 10K to 24K gold items, including jewelry, men’s jewelry, personal accessories, scrap gold, gold flakes and nuggets, and dental gold.
Other items they’ll buy: Any platinum 900 or 950 items.
Items they won’t buy: Investment metals, silver, watches, new or new-appearing jewelry, diamonds, and gemstones (they request that you remove gemstones and pearls from gold settings before sending for appraisal).
Can you sell to Kay at a retail location? No.
Other ways to sell to Kay: Kay Jewelers only offers gold buying through their Kay Gold Exchange program. Visit their website to open a new seller account and request a postage-paid shipping packet. When you mail in your gold, Kay will appraise the item(s) and make you an offer, which you can accept or decline.
How they pay you: Payment is sent either as a paper check via mail or a Kay gift card. If you choose the gift card, an additional 10% is added to the amount.
Find your nearest Kay Jewelers

Reeds Jewelers

Gold items they’ll buy: Gold jewelry in any condition.
Other items they’ll buy: Platinum jewelry in any condition.
Items they won’t buy: Silver, diamonds or gemstones, loose gold, investment metals, and dental gold.
Can you sell to Reeds at a retail location? Yes.
Other ways to sell to Reeds: In addition to in-store buying, you can host a Reeds gold buying party in your home for yourself, your friends and family to have jewelry appraised and bought on location. Reeds provides a professional jeweler to attend the party, along with invitations and up to $50 for refreshments.
How they pay you: Paper check or store credit.
Find your nearest Reeds Jewelers

Rogers Jewelry Co.

Gold items they’ll buy: Most jewelry and estate jewelry, 10K to 24K gold.
Other items they’ll buy: Platinum and diamond jewelry, diamonds, and gemstones.
Items they won’t buy: Watches, silver, loose gold, dental gold, and investment metals.
Can you sell to Rogers at a retail location? Yes.
Other ways to sell to Rogers: None.
How they pay you: Paper check on location.
Find your nearest Rogers Jewelry Co.

Shane Co.

Gold items they’ll buy: Most gold jewelry and personal accessories.
Other items they’ll buy: Platinum, silver, and diamond jewelry.
Items they won’t buy: Dental gold, computer parts.
Can you sell to Shane Co. at a retail location? Yes.
Other ways to sell to Shane Co.: Visit their website to list your items and request a postage-paid mailing package. When you mail in your gold, Shane Co. will appraise the item(s) and make you an offer, which you can accept or decline.
How they pay you: Paper check in person or via the mail. You can also choose payment as store credit or apply it to an existing layaway account.
Find your nearest Shane Co.

The Sterling Family of Jewelers

Note: The Sterling Family of Jewelers includes Sterling Jewelry stores, as well as J.B. Robinson, Marks & Morgan, Shaw’s, Belden, Osterman, Weisfield, LeRoy’s, Rogers, and Goodman Jewelers.

Gold items they’ll buy: Most 10K to 24K gold items including jewelry, men’s jewelry, personal accessories, scrap gold, gold flakes and nuggets, and dental gold.
Other items they’ll buy: Any platinum 900 or 950 items.
Items they won’t buy: Investment metals, silver, watches, new or new-seeming jewelry, diamonds, and gemstones (they request that you remove gemstones and pearls from gold settings before sending for appraisal).
Can you sell to Sterling at a retail location? No.
Other ways to sell to Sterling: Sterling only offers gold buying through their Sterling Gold Exchange program. Visit their website to open a new seller account and request a postage-paid shipping packet. When you mail in your gold, Sterling will appraise the item(s) and make you an offer, which you can accept or decline.
How they pay you: Payment is sent either as a paper check via mail or a Sterling gift card. If you choose the gift card, an additional 10% is added to the amount.
Find your nearest Sterling Family of Jewelers

Zales

Gold items they’ll buy: Most 10K to 24K gold items including jewelry, men’s jewelry, personal accessories, scrap gold, gold flakes and nuggets, and dental gold.
Other items they’ll buy: Any platinum 900 or 950 items.
Items they won’t buy: Sterling silver, investment metals, stainless steel jewelry, new items, pocket watches, diamonds or gemstones, any item that is not gold or platinum. They request that you remove diamonds and gemstones from jewelry before selling.
Can you sell to Zales at a retail location? Yes, but note that gold buying policies at individual retail locations may vary, and whether or not they buy certain items is up to that individual store’s policies.
Other ways to sell to Zales: You can also sell your gold through the Zales Gold Exchange program. Visit their website to open a new seller account and request a postage-paid shipping packet. When you mail in your gold, Zales will appraise the item(s) and make you an offer, which you can accept or decline.
How they pay you: Paper check in-store or via the mail. In-store payments can also be applied as store credit.
See this article on the Zales’ Gold Exchange program and trade-in policy.
Find your nearest Zales

Jewelry Stores That Don’t Buy Gold

The following jewelers do not buy gold or other jewelry from customers:

Ben Bridge Jewelers
Cartier
De Beers
Lee Michaels
James Avery Jewelry
Rogers & Hollands/Ashcroft & Oak
Samuels Jewelers (no longer buys gold)
Tiffany & Co.

Other Places That Buy Gold

Local jewelers: Many local jewelers offer a gold buying program for area customers. The American Gem Society provides an interactive locator map to help you find jewelers and jewelry stores in your area.

Pawn shops: While many people view pawn shops as a last resort for selling items, most pawn shops offer good prices for gold and precious metals. In general, you can expect to receive 40 to 80% of the value of your gold from a pawn shop. It may be a good idea to get estimates from several pawn shops before deciding where to sell. For more information on pawn shops, see our article What to Pawn and How Much You’ll Likely Get.

In Summary

There are many jewelry stores that are interested in buying a variety of items made with gold. If you are also buying jewelry, consider one of the many stores that will give you a bonus on the appraisal price if you opt for store credit instead of cash in exchange for your gold. If you have quality gold to sell, it’s always a good idea to shop around and get more than one estimate for your valuables.

Do you have a lot of scrap electronics lying around? You might be surprised to learn that some electronics have gold in them. See our article for more details.