FAQ

Your payout is calculated transparently using three core factors:

• Live Spot Market Rates: We tie all buy and sell quotes directly to real-time international spot prices published on our website and updated continuously throughout the day.
• Karat Purity & Fineness: Identified via stamped hallmarks (10k, 14k, 18k, 925 sterling, 950 platinum) and confirmed through diagnostic testing.
• Exact Certified Weight: Measured in plain view on certified precision gram scales.

You can view our prices for gold, silver and platinum items, updated throughout the day, here.

Precious metals are measured globally using Troy ounces, an international standard where 1 Troy ounce equals 31.10 grams. Standard household ounces weigh only 28.35 grams. Because international spot market prices are quoted per Troy ounce, evaluating items in Troy weight ensures exact market alignment.

We follow a transparent 3-step evaluation process where all testing and weighing are conducted directly in front of you.

1. Step 1 (Welcome & Intake): We welcome you in for a free, no-obligation quote and sort items by karat and purity.
2. Step 2 (Assessment & Diagnostics): We verify metal purity using jeweler's loupes, magnetic screening, and advanced diagnostic equipment while explaining every result.
3. Step 3 (Live Market Offer): We calculate your payout using live spot rates and present an offer with zero pressure.

All clients must be at least 18 years of age.

• Oregon Police Reporting Laws: In accordance with local Oregon regulatory mandates, in-store purchases require presenting a valid government-issued photo ID, collecting a thumbprint, and completing a Declaration of Ownership form.
• Cash Thresholds (FinCEN): In accordance with federal Bank Secrecy Act rules, single-day cash transactions exceeding $10,000 require Currency Transaction Report (CTR) filing and ID recording.

We are specialized buyers and sellers of precious metals, coins, and diamonds. We are not a pawn shop. We do not offer short-term high-interest loans or hold collateral items. We purchase items outright based on live spot market rates, providing transparent written quotes with zero obligation to sell.

We buy scrap gold, silver, platinum, and palladium jewelry (intact or broken); government bullion coins; minted bars; dental gold, sterling silver flatware; natural diamonds; and pre-owned luxury mechanical watches.

No. Gold does not tarnish, while silver naturally oxidizes over time. For scrap metal payouts, items are bought strictly for verified metal purity and net weight. Scratches, broken links, missing clasps or surface tarnishing do not reduce your payout when selling for scrap material melt value.

While standard jewelry is bought strictly for material melt value, pieces with strong market desirability qualify for enhanced pricing:

• Premium Pricing: Applied to recognizable designer brands (e.g., Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Birks, Bvlgari, David Yurman), antique pieces over 100 years old or fine items containing natural diamonds.
• Premium Plus Pricing: Reserved for items with high diamond-to-metal ratios (such as tennis or eternity bracelets) or pieces combining multiple premium factors. Top-tier estate pieces are restored and rehomed through our sister brand 100 Ways rather than melted down.

Gold-plated items contain a microscopic layer of gold over base metals like brass or copper because refining plated items costs more than the gold content is worth. We cannot purchase plated items. To verify authenticity without damaging your items, we use:

• Touchstone Acid Scratch Testing: Reveals core metal beneath thick surface plating.
• X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF): Measures exact metal percentages micromillimeters deep using spectrographic X-ray scans.
• Specific Gravity Testing: Measures exact solid metal density via water displacement.

We purchase gold-filled items provided they are explicitly stamped "Gold Filled", "GF", "1/10", "1/20" or "Guaranteed 10/20 Years". Because gold-filled items consist of a thin layer of gold mechanically bonded over a base metal core, they contain very little gold and are processed under a dedicated Gold-Filled pricing category.

We regularly purchase genuine sterling silver flatware, serving trays, and silverware sets stamped 925, Sterling, Ster, or hallmarked with the English walking lion.

• The 10% Weighted Item Rule: Certain sterling silver items, such as knives, candlestick holders, and hand mirrors, are "weighted" by manufacturers by filling hollow handles or bases with cement or resin filler to add weight and structure. Because of this non-precious filler material, valuation for weighted sterling items is based on 10% of total item weight. (Example: A weighted sterling silver mirror weighing 200 grams is valued based on 20 grams of sterling silver).
• Plated Silverware Notice: We cannot purchase electroplated flatware bearing manufacturer brand names like Rogers (including 1847 Rogers), Oneida, Community, Sheffield, or Alpaca. Or stamped EP, EPNS, or EPC.

We purchase natural, colorless diamonds. We explicitly do not buy synthetic, lab-grown, raw (uncut), fracture-filled, or damaged diamonds. We do not buy pearls, amethyst, garnets, or tanzanite.

• Under 0.15 Carats: Weight is included with metal weight and priced as Premium Jewelry.
• 0.15 to 0.40 Carats: Receives an additional valuation bonus.
• 0.40 Carats & Larger: Evaluated by a diamond specialist using thermal conductivity diamond pens and digital calipers.
• Over 1.0 Carats: Official laboratory documentation (GIA, CGL, GRS) is preferred for maximum payout.

Portland Gold Exchange serves as the exclusive processing center for our network's nationwide prepaid GoldPack mail-in service. Once you request a kit online, a prepaid insured package will be mailed to you containing all the instructions. Simply ship your items back to us, and you will receive your results and payment within a few business days of receipt.