Can 19kt white gold be recast?

[hoover]

I was getting some quotes for a project, hoping to reuse the gold from an existing piece, and one jeweller told me that they would give me gold credit because they can't recast 19kt white gold. None of the other places I went to said it would be an issue.
I'm just curious, is the alloy not as "blended" or not as strong if it's melted down and made into a new piece? Does it make a difference if the new piece is cast or hand forged?

Thanks!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I have read here and been told by jewelers that they really don't melt your gold and reuse it in most cases. They have to send it to be refined.

 

[aviastar]

I think there was a thread over in the Colored Stones forum that was discussing this...will try to find for you!

ETA: Found it! https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/inherited-a-setting-need-inspiration.186815/

Hope that helps clarify some of your questions! I do agree with DS- make sure the vendors you are talking to mean the same thing you do when you talk about re-using gold...

 

[chrono]

Some places will reuse your gold and some places will not so it's best to be very clear when you ask.

 

[Karl_K]

I have read here and been told by jewelers that they really don't melt your gold and reuse it in most cases. They have to send it to be refined.

That is the best thing to do.
You may be able to find someone who will use the old gold but it is not a good idea.
The results are often less than ideal.

 

[chrono]

Contamination and porosity issues? What about 22kt gold since it is purer?

 

[hoover]

Thanks for the info - good thing I checked here.

I would like to know about reusing 22kt gold too, I have a pendant that needs a makeover...

 

[denverappraiser]

Start new. The jeweler can add the old one to his/her scrap pile and give you a credit and I would be surprised if you are 'losing' more than $10-15/gram or so in processing fees. With most jobs this means the effective fee is in the dozens of dollars. The upside is that you get far less porosity or similar problems and you completely remove any excuse if you do. 100% new gold supplied by him/her makes it 100% their problem if anything goes wrong.

 

[Karl_K]

Contamination and porosity issues? What about 22kt gold since it is purer?

yes, but also parts of the mix get burned off every time its melted changing the properties, still a roll of the dice.
Some alloys are worse than others.
The casting company my local guy uses will refine gold alloy that has been melted 2x after it was alloyed rather than try and use it the 3rd time.
Since there is no way of knowing how many times the gold has been melted it could be that one time to many even if all the impurities and solder were removed.
One tiny bit of solder can at times wreck several ounces of alloy.