On , 18-carat gold is bought back at 79.88 €/g by Gold & Silver Company, a Belgian refinery open to private clients; 22-carat at 98.75 €/g, 14-carat at 61.04 €/g, 9-carat at 37.44 €/g, and the 20 F Napoleon at 648.34 € per coin. Net prices, published and updated several times a day.
Three channels for the same piece of jewellery
When you sell a piece of gold jewellery, it always ends up in the same place: in the crucible of a refinery, which melts it, assays it and refines it to turn it back into fine gold. The only question is the number of intermediaries between you and that crucible. With a jeweller, there are often two: they sell on to a wholesaler or to a gold buyer, who sells on to the refiner. With a gold buyer, there is one. With a refinery open to private clients, there are none. Each intermediary lives on a margin taken from the price per gram; that is why the same piece of jewellery is not worth the same amount depending on which door you walk through.
The jeweller: convenient, rarely the best price
The jeweller knows jewellery, not metal: they buy back your gold as a side service, often at a flat rate per carat, sometimes in store credit rather than cash, and the price per gram is rarely displayed. They are the right person to see for a signed piece or a piece of jewellery to be resold as it is, not for gold by weight.
The gold buyer: specialised, but an intermediary
The gold buyer makes buyback their trade and sometimes displays their prices; they weigh and test in front of you. But they do not process the metal: they sell it on to a refinery, and their margin is added to the refiner's. Prices vary widely from one gold buyer to another, especially when they are not published.
The refinery open to private clients: the metal price, direct
A refinery assays, melts and refines itself; it has no reseller to pay and can publish a net price per gram, per carat, aligned with the gold price. In Belgium, Gold & Silver Company, a smelter-refinery approved by the Royal Mint of Belgium and an approved assayer, in Dottignies (Mouscron), welcomes private clients without an appointment and by registered post: weighing and assaying in the laboratory, an offer immediately or within 24 hours, the freedom to decline, payment by bank transfer.
How to choose, in practice
Whoever you are dealing with, three criteria make the difference: a price per gram published per carat, weighing and assaying before your eyes at the actual fineness, and the freedom to leave with your items. Compare the price you are offered with today's price above before accepting.
To find out what your gold is worth, the simplest thing is to bring it to us: the office of our refinery, rue Arthur Roelandt 22 in Dottignies (Mouscron), is open on Mondays from 10am to 1pm, Tuesday to Thursday from 10am to 12pm and from 1:30pm to 5pm, and on Fridays and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm, without appointment; weighing and analysis before your eyes, immediate offer at the published price, and you remain free. Too far? One call to +32 56 33 19 96 and your registered shipment is taken care of in the same way. Our prices today: private client rates.
Frequently asked questions
Do jewellers buy gold?
Many do, most often at a flat rate per carat and sometimes in store credit; ask for the price per gram and the method of payment before accepting.
Who buys gold at the best price?
Whoever is closest to the crucible: a refinery that processes the metal itself publishes a net price; today 79.88 €/g for 18-carat.
Is the gold buyback price the same everywhere?
No: the gold price is global, but each buyer applies their own margin; only a price per gram published per carat allows you to compare.
Can a private individual sell gold to a refinery?
Yes, in Dottignies (Mouscron) without an appointment during opening hours, or by registered post after a call to +32 56 33 19 96.
Is it better to sell a signed piece of jewellery by weight or as it is?
A signed piece of fine jewellery or a rare piece can be worth more than its gold; have it appraised before selling it by weight. An ordinary, broken or old-fashioned piece of jewellery is worth the gold it contains.
How are you paid?
By bank transfer within five working days; at the office, up to €500 in cash, the ceiling set by Belgian law for the buyback of precious metals.
See also: What is the buyback price of 18-carat gold today? · How much is my gold worth today? · Selling your gold in Belgium: price, expertise and the precious metals chain · Selling your gold bars and coins: direct-to-refinery buyback.