If you’re looking for ways to earn some extra cash, you may want to think about selling your unwanted gold. A few months ago I was out to lunch with some friends and one mentioned that she had recently sold some gold jewelry she no longer wanted. She said she made about $3,000 and showed us a picture of what she sold—it didn’t even look like that much. Needless to say, as soon as I got home I looked through my house and started putting aside anything that I might want to sell.
The price of gold has been at record highs in 2025. As of today (June 23, 2025) it is $3,368 an ounce. It has been steadily increasing over the past 20 years but the price has really soared in the past year. According to GoldPrice it has increased by $753 an ounce in the past six months and by over $1,000 per ounce in the past year (see table below). (You can find a list of the most reliable sites for tracking the price of gold and other precious metals at the U.S. Money Reserve). At that price even just a few pieces of jewelry can bring in a nice bit of cash.
Change in price of gold per ounce over time
| Period of change | Amount changed | Percent change |
| Past 30 days | $27.50 | .83% |
| Past 6 months | $753 | 28.8% |
| Past 1 year | $1,038 | 44.5% |
| Past 5 years | $1,606 | 91.1% |
| Past 20 years | $2,927 | 663% |
Source: GoldPrice June 23, 2025
What can you sell?
When looking for items to sell the most obvious place to look is at your jewelry. Don’t forget that not all gold is a goldish or yellowish color- rose gold will have a pinkish tone and you may mistake white gold for silver. It doesn’t matter if something is broken, or that you only have one earring. And don’t discount something just because you don’t think it was worth a lot when it was first bought. You’d be surprised how everything adds up.
But don’t limit yourself to jewelry. Other possible items of value include gold coins and bars. You may also have dental gold from old fillings, crowns, and bridges. Fortunately, my mother saved her teeth with gold crowns that had been extracted and they ended up bringing in about $700.
Where to sell your gold?
This will vary by community but jewelry stores and jewelry repair shops may be options. There may also be shops that specialize in buying metals near you. The important thing is to find someplace reputable. Check with people you know for recommendations and read reviews for any place you are considering. There may be some online options but I was more comfortable doing this in person.
You can shop around to get the best price which is what one of my friends did. She said her best offer was at a jewelry store. The price should be determined through a combination of weight and purity (i.e. the percent of gold or karats). After doing my research, I went to just one place, a place called JewelRecyle which has stores around North Carolina. They specialize in buying metals. They had excellent reviews and I was very pleased with my experience.
At JewelRecycle they weighed the gold and also used a type of x-ray device that verifies the purity. They did everything in front of me and were very clear about what each piece was worth. They then calculated the total weight for each percent of purity, and made me an offer. When I accepted the offer they cut me a check right there.
What about silver?
The price of silver has also been increasing. It’s currently $36.19 per ounce. So while the price is high for silver, the price per ounce is much lower than the price of gold.
If you are think about about selling your gold, these resources have additional information.
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/how-to-sell-gold
https://wgntv.com/news/nexstar-media-wire/how-to-sell-gold-4-steps-to-get-cash-for-gold/
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