Selling your gold

To get the best price for your gold you will need to clean and dry it before presenting it to a gold buyer. Gold buyers won’t accept it with black sand or other debris in it. When you deliver your gold to a gold merchant or any buyer who has a licence to buy gold (this may be a jeweller), your gold will need to have an assay done to test it for purity. The merchant then pays you according to the outcome of the assay and the world gold price on the day of the assay. One gold buyer and refiner in New Zealand is willing to take any amount of gold you want to sell, whether it is half an ounce or 50 oz, large nuggets, small flakes, or bright, fine gold.

 
Whoever you sell to ask what the buyer will put in your hand after the assay has taken place, the purity establshed, the assay fee paid and the buyer has deducted their fee. Some buyers can be cagey. Shop around.

(Weight of gold x % purity x gold price of the day) - assay fee - dealer fee = money in your hand

Morris & Watson Ltd., Precious Metal Refiners 350 Neilson Street, Onehunga, Auckland. Phone (09) 634 2035.

Gold Buyers on the West Coast of the South Island are:

Morris & Watson – Agents: Brian & Jenny Forrest,18 Bridge Street, Greymouth. Phone (03) 768 0559. Ring for current charges.

Jewellers

It is easiest for the fossicker to sell to jewellers. Usually there will be no assay charges, just a handling and toll-call fee. In some cases this may amount to as much as $100. They ring the refiner, Morris & Watson or Tennant, and get the current price, then add their own handling fee. Many jewellers have to package your gold and send it to the refiners; others may sell it through their shop like the Gold Room in Hokitika, and the Gold Shop in Arrowtown. European Jewellers in Christchurch will assay your gold for nothing, but charge a fee if you want it refined, which they can do on the premises. Most jewellers will give you a cash cheque on the spot.

European Jewellers 279 Hoon Hay Road Christchurch and the Akaroa wharf. Phone (03) 366 4567. This firm will assay and buy gold for no fee and can refine gold for a fee.

The Gold Room Tancred Street, Hokitika. Phone (03) 755 8362. The Gold Room will buy nuggets and gold and make jewellery. No assay charges if the gold is local.

The Gold Shop 29 Buckingham Street, Arrowtown. Phone (03) 4421319 The Gold Shop will buy gold and nuggets and make jewellery. No assay charges if the gold is local.

Jens Hansen, Gold/Silversmith Jewellers 320 Trafalgar Street, Nelson. Phone (03) 548 0640. Fee depends on amount and type of gold

Internet

Gold Smart will refine and purchase alluvial gold in any condition. They have a price guarrantee and will consider any volume. For more information see their website www.goldsmart.co.nz

If you have a favourite gold buyer not listed here would you let us know?

We want to keep updating this website with new information and gold fossicking finds. Do keep the stories coming.