One of the questions I get asked quite often is, “Can you use my gold to make my new piece?”
And sometimes, yes, I absolutely can.
If you have old gold jewelry sitting in a drawer, perhaps a wedding band, a chain, a ring you no longer wear or something inherited from someone you love, it’s completely understandable to wonder whether that same metal can become part of something new.
For some people, using the original metal is incredibly important.
The piece itself may no longer fit, suit their style or even be particularly wearable. But the gold has history. It was worn by someone they loved, marked an important part of their own life or has simply been in the family for years.
Reusing that gold means we’re not just preserving the idea of the original piece. We’re carrying some of its actual material forward.
And I think that can be rather lovely.
There are, however, a few practical things you need to know before handing me Grandma’s wedding ring and telling me to fire up the torch.
Slightly less romantic, I know. But very important.
Can a jeweler use your old gold to make new jewelry?
Yes, but not every piece of old jewelry can simply be melted down and magically become your new ring.
If you’ve been searching for a jeweler who can use your own gold to make a new piece, this is something I offer for certain custom jewelry projects.
Before I can tell you whether it will work for your particular project, I need to know what metal we’re dealing with, its purity, its color, approximately how much you have and what you want to make from it.
Sometimes we can reuse old gold relatively straightforwardly.
Sometimes additional metal needs to be added.
Sometimes the metal needs adjusting or refining first.
And occasionally, after looking at all the options, using the original metal simply doesn’t make practical or financial sense.
My job is to tell you which situation we’re dealing with before we start.
Before you melt down something sentimental
This is important.
Just because we can melt down an heirloom doesn’t necessarily mean we should.
Once an original piece of jewelry has been melted, that object is gone. We can carry its material into something new, but we can’t undo the decision and put the original ring back together afterwards.
For some people, that transformation is exactly what they want.
Perhaps you inherited a wedding band that has enormous emotional significance but you know you’ll never wear it. Using that heirloom gold in a new ring or another meaningful piece can allow that history to continue in a completely new form.
But sometimes the original object matters more than the material.
If you’re unsure, I’m never going to pressure you into melting something irreplaceable simply because I can make something new from it.
We can talk about other options.
You might decide to reuse the gemstones but preserve the original setting. You might keep the heirloom intact and create a new piece inspired by it. Or, if keeping the original metal itself isn’t important to you, we can look at having the gold refined and putting its recovered value towards the cost of your new piece. And, of course, you might decide you’re completely ready to transform the original metal into something new.
There isn’t one right answer.
There’s the answer that feels right for you.
So, your four possible options are:
- Preserve the original piece and reuse the stones.
- Keep the heirloom intact and make something new separately.
- Refine the old gold and put its value towards the new piece.
- Physically reuse the original metal in the new piece.
A good example of this is when a customer wanted to melt down their Soviet Era wedding ring that had been smuggled out of the Ukraine during WWII. I didn't want to melt it down because of the historical significance, but the customer was adamant. So I decided to cut out the hallmark (the hammer and sickle) so they still have those pieces in their family.
Before and After Soviet Era ring, into new wedding band.
First, we need to know what metal you have
Ideally, the metal you provide will be compatible with the purity and color of the piece we’re creating.
For example, if we’re making a 14k yellow gold ring and you have 14k yellow gold, that gives us a good starting point.
But inherited jewelry doesn’t always arrive with a convenient specification sheet.
You might have 18k gold and want a 14k finished piece. You might have several pieces of different purities. The metal may contain solder or other materials from previous repairs. Sometimes the hallmark is worn away or you’re simply not sure what you have.
That’s okay.
You don’t need to become a metallurgist before emailing me.
I can look at what you have and help determine the best way forward.
Can different gold purities be used?
Potentially, but this is where things get a little more technical.
Gold jewelry isn’t made from pure gold alone. It’s alloyed with other metals to create different karats, colors and working properties.
If your existing metal isn’t suitable as it is, it may need to be adjusted, alloyed or refined before it can be used for the new piece.
That can mean adding fine gold, fine silver or other appropriate metals to achieve the purity and characteristics we need.
And that brings us to something important.
Your finished piece may not contain only your original metal
When people talk about using their own gold for custom jewelry, it’s easy to imagine that I melt Grandma’s ring and exactly the same lump of gold comes back as your new ring.
Jewelry making is rarely quite that tidy.
We may need to add metal to achieve the correct alloy. There may simply not be enough of your original gold for the new design. Or the condition and composition of the existing metal may mean it needs additional processing.
So while your original gold can become part of your new piece, I can’t always promise that only your original metal will be used.
I’ll explain what needs to happen before we go ahead so you know exactly what you’re agreeing to.
Why is there a $500 fee to use your own gold?
If we decide to use your metal, there is a flat $500 casting fee.
This fee is set by my casting company because your metal needs to be cast separately in its own dedicated flask during the lost wax casting process.
Why does that matter?
Because it keeps your metal separate.
Your grandmother’s wedding ring isn’t being tossed into a communal pot of gold with everyone else’s jewelry and then vaguely redistributed at the end.
Absolutely not.
Hard pass.
Using a dedicated flask means your project is handled separately through the casting process.
When you’re trusting me with metal that may carry decades of family history, that separation matters.
The $500 fee is specifically for using your own metal and the dedicated casting process. It does not include additional gold or other metal that may be required, alloying or refining if needed.
If you’re curious about what actually happens to your gold during this stage, I’ve written a separate behind-the-scenes look at how lost wax casting can bring new life to family gold.
What actually happens during lost wax casting?
The short version is that your custom design is created as a model, invested in a flask and the model is burned away to leave a cavity.
Molten metal then flows into that space and becomes the new piece.
That is a very simplified explanation of a process involving considerably more heat, equipment and expertise than that sentence suggests.
Once the piece has been cast, it isn’t finished.
The raw casting still needs bench work. Sprues need to be removed, surfaces refined and the piece needs to be pre-polished, finished and ultimately turned into something you’d actually want to put on your finger.
If you’re interested in the full process rather than my short version of it, you can see how I use lost wax casting to transform family gold here.
What happens to the gold that’s left over?
This is something people don’t always realize they need to ask.
Not all of the metal used during casting ends up in your finished piece.
The casting process requires additional metal and creates sprues, which are the channels that allow the molten metal to flow into the mold. Those sprues are removed after casting.
The remaining metal is returned to me.
And because it’s your metal, we then decide what you’d like to do with it.
You can have the remaining metal returned to you or, depending on the project, we can discuss having it refined and putting its recovered value towards the cost of your finished piece.
One of my favorite examples is a family wedding ring that had traveled from Soviet Ukraine before eventually coming to me to be transformed for a new generation. I used the customer’s gold to create the new ring and returned all of the remaining original metal in a little presentation box. You can see the finished ring and read its rather extraordinary journey here.
It’s a small detail, but when the material itself carries that much history, I think the details matter.
Can leftover gold be refined?
Yes.
If you don’t want the remaining metal returned, we can discuss having it refined and putting the recovered value towards your final piece.
I charge a flat $50 fee for handling the refining process.
And I’ll be quite straightforward here. Refining isn’t always worth doing.
If there’s only a small amount of metal, its recoverable value may not justify the $50 refining fee.
If I have the metal in hand, I can weigh it and give you an estimated value based on the current spot price.
Estimated is the important word.
Gold prices fluctuate, sometimes considerably, and the final recovered value isn’t known until the metal has actually been refined.
So I can give you an idea of what we might expect, but I can’t guarantee the final credit beforehand.
Is using your own gold actually cheaper?
Not necessarily.
And this is probably one of the biggest misconceptions around repurposing old gold jewelry.
It seems completely logical.
I already own the gold, so surely my new piece will cost less?
Sometimes it might.
But custom jewelry using your own gold involves a dedicated casting process and potentially alloying, refining or adding additional metal.
There’s the $500 dedicated casting fee. There may be additional metal required. Your existing metal may need to be adjusted or refined.
So if the gold has no particular sentimental significance and your main reason for using it is to save money, I may recommend another route.
For silver especially, this is worth considering carefully. If it’s heirloom silver with an important story attached to it, that’s one thing. If it’s simply some spare silver you happen to have, using fresh or recycled casting grain may be considerably more practical.
Not quite as romantic, perhaps.
But sometimes much less faff.
And I do appreciate a low-faff option.
So why would you use your own gold?
Because sometimes its value has very little to do with today’s gold price.
Maybe it was your grandfather’s wedding band.
Maybe it’s the gold from your parents’ rings.
Maybe it’s jewelry you wore during another chapter of your own life and you’re ready for it to become something that represents who you are now.
In those situations, we’re not choosing to remake old jewelry into new jewelry because it’s the cheapest way to acquire a few grams of gold.
We’re choosing it because these particular grams of gold matter.
That’s a very different calculation.
And when the emotional value is there, the extra process and expense can be completely worthwhile.
What will it cost to use my own metal?
Every custom project is different, but if you’d like me to use your own gold or silver, the additional costs may include:
- $500 dedicated casting fee
- Any additional gold, silver or alloying metal required
- Any alloying or other processing necessary to make the metal suitable for the new piece
- $50 refining fee, if you choose to have eligible remaining metal refined
These are in addition to the normal design and making costs of your custom piece.
Before anything begins, I’ll explain what I think your project requires and what the costs are likely to look like.
No mysterious jewelry mathematics appearing halfway through.
What I’ll need to know
If you’re thinking about using your own metal for a custom piece, send me as much of the following information as you know:
- What type of metal you have
- The purity, such as 14k, 18k, 22k or sterling silver
- The color, such as yellow gold, white gold, rose gold or silver
- Approximately how much metal you have
- What you’d like to make
- Whether the metal has sentimental or heirloom significance
Photos are useful too.
And don’t worry if your answer to half of those questions is, “I haven’t got a clue.”
That’s normal.
You don’t need to know exactly what you have before contacting me. Part of my job is helping you work that out.
Turning something old into something yours
Using your own gold or silver can be a beautiful way to preserve a physical piece of your history.
It’s not always the simplest option.
It’s not automatically the least expensive option.
And sometimes, after looking at everything, I’ll tell you I don’t think melting the original piece is the best choice.
But when the material itself matters, there’s something incredibly special about knowing that part of an old ring, chain or piece of family jewelry is physically there in the new piece.
Different form.
Different chapter.
Same material carrying the story forward.
If you've got this far, I have a fun fact for you...
Did you know that if you gathered all the gold ever mined throughout human history and melted it into one enormous cube, it would only measure about 22.5 meters, or 74 feet, on each side?
That's it.
Thousands of years of mining, treasure, wedding rings, crowns, coins, jewelry and gold bars, all fitting into a cube roughly the length of a couple of school buses on each side.
Gold is remarkably scarce. It's also virtually indestructible, which means almost all the gold we've ever mined is still with us somewhere, being worn, stored, passed down and, sometimes, melted and made into something new.
Which makes that old ring sitting in your jewelry box feel rather special, doesn't it?
Frequently Asked Questions About Using Your Own Gold for Custom Jewelry
Can you use my old gold to make new jewelry?
Yes, in many cases I can. It depends on the purity, color, condition and quantity of the metal, as well as what you’d like to make. I’ll assess what you have before confirming what’s possible.
Is it cheaper to use my own gold?
Not necessarily. There is a $500 dedicated casting fee when using your own metal and additional metal or alloying may also be required. If your gold has sentimental value, the process can absolutely be worth it. If you’re doing it purely to save money, it may not be the most economical option.
Can I use gold from a family or heirloom ring?
Potentially, yes. Reusing family gold can be a lovely way to carry its history into something you’ll actually wear. Before melting something irreplaceable, though, we’ll talk through your options carefully because once the original piece has been melted, it can’t be restored.
Will my new piece be made entirely from my old gold?
Not always. We may need to add metal if there isn’t enough of your original gold for the new design or if we need to achieve the correct purity and alloy.
Can different karats of gold be reused?
Sometimes. Different gold purities can’t necessarily be combined and used exactly as they are. The metal may need to be adjusted, alloyed or refined before it’s suitable for the finished piece.
Why is there a $500 fee to use my own gold?
Your metal needs to be cast separately in its own dedicated flask during the lost wax casting process. This keeps your metal separate from other customers’ projects and is why my casting company charges the additional $500 fee.
What happens to my leftover gold after casting?
Any remaining metal and sprues are returned to me. You can have them returned to you or, depending on the project, we can discuss having the metal refined and putting its recovered value towards your new piece.
Can I refine my old gold instead of using it in the new piece?
Yes. If keeping the actual metal in your new piece isn’t important to you, refining it and putting the recovered value towards the cost of your custom piece may make more sense. I charge a flat $50 refining fee and can give you an estimate based on the weight and current spot price before we proceed.
Can you use my silver too?
Potentially, yes. The same general considerations apply, including purity, condition and quantity. Because silver has a lower material value, however, using your own silver may not make financial sense unless the metal itself has sentimental significance.
What if I don’t know what kind of gold I have?
That’s completely fine. Most people don’t. Send me photographs and whatever information you have and we’ll work from there.
Have gold you’d like to turn into something new?
If you have old, inherited or sentimental gold or silver and you’re wondering whether it could become part of a new custom piece, send me a few photographs and tell me what you’d like to make.
Don’t worry if you don’t know the purity, weight or exactly what you’re working with. We can figure that part out together.
You can explore my custom jewelry process and get in touch here.