Whether you are just taking your first classes in metal work or have been making jewelry for decades, if you are working in silver and gold it is important to save every piece of dust you can! That is why I have put together Metalsmith Society's guide to refining scrap metal, which consists of companies referred to us by members of our community! Refining not only your clean scraps but also "dirty" sweeps which I will get into below, can put hundreds even thousands of dollars back into pocket annually. *I am referring to precious metal scraps throughout the article, not base metals like copper and brass.
YOUR STUDIO GARBAGE IS WORTH MONEY!
Did you know some companies will take items like spent sandpaper, flex shaft bits and dirty paper towels and refine the metal from them? This is "dirty" scrap, it is the paper towel you used to wipe down your bench after sawing out a pendant. It is the contents of your vacuum after you clean around your bench. You can also send the collection bag from inside your dust and fume collectors! All those items I'm afraid to admit that years ago I would toss in my regular garbage or recyling bin. The question you have to ask yourself is whether there is metal dust on the item, if that answer is yes save it in a separate bucket!
WHAT ABOUT CLEAN SCRAPS?
Clean scraps (your metal dust and remnants) can be stored separately in a container, you will want to keep gold and silver separate. Depending on where you are refining you may also need to keep different karats of gold separated as well! It is incredibly helpful to have a scale on hand as you will need to write down the various weights of the clean scraps you are sending in. This Gem Oro scale is reasonably priced and measures between 500g - 0.01g it can also measure in dwt, ozt, ct, gn and oz.
WHAT ABOUT GOLD-FILL?
Gold-fill scraps should be saved, but due to the small amount of gold you will have to collect a significant amount before you can send it in. As an example If you send in 15 toz, it yields 1.5% or .225 toz, gold at $2000 = $450 (15 troy ounces is equal to about 16.4 oz :) Sounds worth it to me!
WHERE TO REFINE
UNITED STATES
Garfield Refining
Established in 1892, Garfield Refining is a precious metals refinery located in Philadelphia, PA. Their award-winning refinery buys gold, silver, platinum, and palladium and offers the industry’s highest payouts. They also except dirty bench sweeps. Garfield is family-owned and operated business. Free shipping, you can get your label here.
PMRS
Located in Illinois they refine dirty scraps and clean scraps! You simply call Ted 1-815-355-4422 and based on your needs he will send you a bucket for dirty scraps and containers for your clean scraps. Free shipping.
Rio Grande Scrap Program
They accept silver, silver-filled, gold, gold-filled, palladium, platinum and PMC® items. They do not accept sweeps (dirty scraps). They charge a $50 service fee for the use of their Precious Metals Recycling Service.
You can donate your scraps through Rio Grande to support We Wield The Hammer! Click here to download the form. There is no processing fee
for donated scrap.
To read more information on how to send scrap to Rio Grande, click here.
Stuller Clean Scrap Return Program
They pay market value for silver and gold metal scrap, no processing fee if you select to be paid in store credit. They also have a diamond return program.
To read more information about their program, click here.
Hoover + Strong
To read more about their program, click here.
AAA Precious Metals
To read more about their refining, click here.
AUSTRALIA
Palloys
They accept all types of material including scrap, lemel (lemel is a jewellery trade term for the small shavings of precious metals such as Gold, Silver, Platinium and Palladium, that are left over from filing and other techniques that handmade jewellery pieces require. Think of it as the wood workshop equivalent of sawdust) & other metal residue to recover gold, silver, platinum and palladium.
To read more information about their program, click here.
CANADA
Umicore
They recover and sell silver, gold, platinum, palladium.
To read more information about their program, click here.
FRANCE
Cookson CLAL
They can provide valuations for clean scrap as well as sweeps!
To read more information about their program, click here.
GERMANY
Burger Edelmetalle
To read more information about their program, click here.
IRELAND
NN Enterprises
To read more information about their program, click here.
NEW ZEALAND
Morris & Watson
Morris & Watson were the first company to provide a refining service for lemels and sweeps (floor scraps) to the precious metals industry in New Zealand and have since expanded our operations to Australia and Thailand.
To read more information about their program, click here.
SPAIN
J & M
They refine silver, gold an other precious metals in Madrid.
To read more information on how to send scrap to J & M, click here.
UNITED KINGDOM
Cooksongold
They treat thousands of pounds worth of scrap metal items every day. They can provide valuations for clean scrap as well as sweeps!
To read more information on how to send scrap to Cooksongold, click here.
King Refining Limited
A small family run business based in Cheshire, United Kingdom. They deal with all forms of precious scrap from Dentists, Dental Labs and Jewelers.
To read more information on how to send scrap to King Refining Limited, click here.
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