Refining 101

Refining is the process of purifying an impure metal. It’s easiest to think of precious metals refining as a method of recycling. The refining process takes products or byproducts containing precious metals (such as jewelry or dental scrap) and isolates the metals back into more purified states for recirculation.

Metals are often mixed and melted together for various uses, creating what’s known as an alloy. Alloys are made because their properties can be superior to those of the individual metal components. Certain metals are stronger, less corrosive, or better looking than others, so alloying is done to gain the benefits of combining desirable traits. For example, gold is often mixed with other metals such as copper, nickel and zinc to increase strength and durability in jewelry. Alloys are commonly used in all dental metals and fine jewelry.

An assay is a procedure that assesses the properties of an unknown substance. In precious metals refining, an assay precisely identifies the precious metals contained within an alloy. Put simply, assays determine how much gold is in the metals you send, which helps us calculate your payment.

Once we re-purify the precious metals we receive, they enter back into the market, where they can be bought as an investment or used to create new products. Precious metals refining is essentially recycling. All the material we receive is put back to good use, reducing the need to mine new material.

Karat is a purity rating used in jewelry. For gold, it’s used as a standard marker of quality, acting as a shorthand label to identify the alloy. Karat jewelry is far more valuable than more common gold-filled, gold-plated, and costume jewelry.