Who we areMeltOrKeep is run by people who know the jewelry and scrap-gold trade from the inside: how scrap is tested, refined and priced. We built this site for the person on the other side of the counter.
Most people sell old gold once or twice in their lives. The companies buying it do it thousands of times a day. That gap in knowledge is where sellers lose money: an offer at half of melt that sounds generous, a ring melted with a diamond still in it, or a deadline buried in the terms.
Our name is the question we help you answer: melt or keep? Some pieces are worth their metal and nothing more. Others are worth far more as jewelry. You should know which before you sell.
What we do
- Show the real number. Our calculator uses live spot prices and shows its math.
- Check your offer. Type in what a buyer offered and see it as a percentage of melt.
- Read the fine print for you. We compare buyers on what they publish, including insurance caps, deadlines and stone policies, and link every source.
- Tell you when not to melt. Some pieces are worth far more as jewelry. We'd rather you keep them than scrap them.
- Test buyers. Next, we're sending identical items to several buyers and publishing every offer.
Our rules
- We never invent numbers. If something isn't published, we say "not published."
- No buyer can pay for a better ranking or a better review.
- Affiliate links are disclosed, and they never change the order. See our disclosure.
- Any buyer we own or are affiliated with will be clearly labeled "Our own company" right on the comparison page, held to the same rules, and shown alongside everyone else.
Contact
Found an error, or have a buyer experience to share? Email hello@meltorkeep.com. We correct mistakes quickly and note what changed.