Why Sell Your Gold with GoldTrust?
Gold you no longer wear, coins sitting in a safe, a chain in a drawer that has been there for years: these things have real value right now, in South Africa. The question is whether you can trust the buyer in front of you to tell you honestly what they are worth.
That is where GoldTrust starts. Every item tested in front of you. Every karat reading shown on the equipment and explained. Every weight read off the scale while you watch. Every offer broken down before you decide anything. No back rooms. No numbers handed down from somewhere you could not see. No figures padded to leave room for margins you would never know about. The price we quote is the price that lands in your account, during the visit, via instant EFT. That is the process. Simple, visible, and yours to walk away from at any moment.
GoldTrust is a licensed second-hand goods dealer, registered high-value goods dealer, accountable institution, and Jewellery Council of South Africa member.
Your appointment takes place in a private, secure office, or we come to you at home if you prefer (subject to availability). One client at a time, prepared in advance, with the directions sent only after we confirm the booking.
If our offer does not work for you, your gold stays with you. No fee for the valuation, no obligation, no hard feelings. We shake hands and leave. But if it does work for you, the money is in your account before we walk out the door. Turn gold that has been sitting untouched into something that matters to you right now, whether that is a holiday, a car deposit, or simply breathing room.
Gold Items We Buy
We buy gold across all its common forms. Here is exactly what we accept:
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Gold Jewellery. Rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, chains, and pendants in any condition. Any karat from 9ct to 24ct. Broken, bent, missing a clasp: none of that affects the gold content, so none of it affects our ability to make you a fair offer. For the full jewellery guide, including 9ct, 14ct, 18ct, 22ct, and 24ct karat detail, Indian community gold jewellery, broken pieces, and diamond-set items, see our gold jewellery page.
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Krugerrands. 1oz, 1/2oz, 1/4oz, and 1/10oz coins. All years accepted. Krugerrands are among the most straightforward gold items to value because their gold content is fixed and well known. We test and verify each coin in front of you and explain the offer before you decide. See our dedicated Krugerrand selling guide for specifics on what affects Krugerrand pricing.
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Gold Coins. International and South African gold coins of all denominations. American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, Britannias, and other recognised bullion coins. Older or less common coins are assessed individually. Our gold coins buying page covers the most common types in detail.
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Gold Bars and Ingots. All sizes from 1g to 1kg, branded or unbranded. A bar does not need to be in original packaging or come with a certificate to have full gold value. We test and verify every bar in front of you, and the offer is explained before you decide.
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Other Gold Items. Watch cases, dental gold, and any other item you believe contains gold. If you are not sure, bring it and we will test it.
An honest note on gold-plated items: Gold plating is a very thin layer of gold over a base metal, typically copper or brass. Plated items contain negligible gold content and are not worth selling as gold. If you bring plated pieces, we will test them and tell you clearly, without fuss. You deserve that honesty before you make any decision. Not all that glitters is gold, and we will always tell you which is which.
If you also have silver or platinum to sell, our silver buying service and platinum buying service follow the same transparent process.
Which guide is right for you? If you have jewellery in any karat or condition, the gold jewellery guide goes into detail on every type. If you have Krugerrands, the Krugerrand selling guide covers coin-specific valuation. For other bullion coins, see our gold coins page. If you have bars or a mix of jewellery, coins, and bars, book one appointment and bring everything. One visit, one process, one clear result.
What Makes Your Gold Valuable
Whether your gold is a jewellery box full of pieces, a safe with Krugerrands, a bank bag of bullion bars, or a mix of all three, the same two factors determine the value: purity and weight. Higher karat gold contains more pure gold per gram. Heavier pieces contain more gold because there is simply more metal in them. A 22ct bangle is worth more per gram than a 9ct chain, and a heavier 9ct chain is worth more than a lighter one. The combination of karat and weight is what drives the final figure.
This is exactly why we test and weigh every piece in front of you. You see the testing equipment. You see the karat reading. You see the scale and the weight read out. Nothing is decided in a back room. Nothing is decided in advance. Every step of how we arrive at the offer is shown to you and explained before you make any decision. The price we quote is the price you receive, in your account, via instant EFT, before we leave.
No hidden deductions. No surprise fees. No refining charge subtracted after the fact. What we tell you is what you get.
For those who want a specific figure before booking, the only honest answer is that we need to see the actual pieces. Contact us via the form, WhatsApp, or phone and we will arrange a free, no-obligation appointment so you can see the testing, the weights, and the offer for yourself.
Factors That Affect Gold Prices in South Africa
Gold is a global market. Its price is set every trading day by forces that sit well beyond South Africa’s borders, and for anyone thinking about selling it helps to know what those forces actually are. A handful of drivers do most of the work.
- The international spot price. Gold is quoted in US dollars per troy ounce on global markets, and that figure is the benchmark every serious refinery, bullion dealer, and central bank works from. It moves continuously through the trading day as buyers and sellers around the world transact.
- The USD/ZAR exchange rate. Because the benchmark is set in dollars, the rand value of any given amount of gold depends on where the rand sits against the dollar. When the rand weakens, the rand price of gold tends to rise even if the dollar price is flat. When the rand strengthens, the opposite happens.
- Central bank buying. Central banks, notably in China, India, Turkey, and Poland, have been significant net buyers of gold in recent years. That steady institutional demand has been a meaningful tailwind for the gold price since 2022.
- Global jewellery demand. India and China together account for more than half of the world’s new gold jewellery purchases. Wedding seasons, festival calendars, and changes in disposable income across those two markets push and pull the price throughout the year.
- Investment flows. Gold-backed ETF holdings, Krugerrand and other bullion coin demand, and retail sentiment all feed into the price. When investors move into gold as a safe-haven asset during geopolitical tension or inflation worries, demand rises and the price tends to follow.
- Mining supply. New mine output is relatively stable from one year to the next, so supply shocks are rare, but they matter when they happen. South Africa was once the world’s largest gold producer and is now a relatively small contributor to global supply.
We do not advise when to sell. That is your decision, based on your own circumstances.
Understanding Gold Purity and Karat
Gold purity is measured in karats (ct). The karat number tells you how many parts out of 24 are pure gold. 24ct gold is essentially 100% pure gold. 18ct gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals, making it 75% pure. Lower karats use more alloy metals, which add durability but reduce gold content per gram.
In South Africa, you will encounter these karat standards most commonly:
| Karat | Gold content | Common uses | Hallmark to look for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24ct | 99.9% pure | Bullion coins, investment bars | ”999” or “999.9” |
| 22ct | 91.7% pure | Indian and Middle Eastern jewellery, Krugerrands | ”916” or “22K” |
| 18ct | 75% pure | Fine jewellery, watches | ”750” or “18K” |
| 14ct | 58.5% pure | European and American jewellery | ”585” or “14K” |
| 9ct | 37.5% pure | Most common SA everyday jewellery | ”375” or “9K” |
Why 9ct is so common in South Africa: 9ct gold became the standard for affordable everyday jewellery in South Africa because it is more durable than higher-karat gold and far less expensive to manufacture. Most chains, bangles, and rings sold in SA jewellery retailers over the past several decades are 9ct. That does not make them less real. It means each gram contains 37.5% pure gold rather than 75% or more, and the offer reflects that accurately.
Indian community gold: Jewellery from South African Indian families is often 22ct, reflecting the traditional preference in Indian jewellery culture for higher-karat gold. A 22ct bangle contains significantly more gold per gram than a 9ct bangle of the same physical size. A piece that looks similar on the surface can be worth substantially more, and our testing identifies the difference immediately. For the full guide to traditional Indian gold jewellery, including mangalsutras, thalis, wedding sets, kadas, and jhumkas, see our gold jewellery guide.
How to find the hallmark: Hallmarks are stamped on rings (inside the band), chains and bracelets (near the clasp or on the tag), pendants (on the bail), and coins and bars (on the face or edge). A loupe helps with small stamps. Older or handmade pieces may carry no stamp at all, and testing catches every item regardless.
For Krugerrands specifically, the gold content is fixed: a 1oz Krugerrand contains exactly one troy ounce of 22ct gold (91.67% purity). No testing of content is needed, though we verify authenticity as a matter of course. Our Krugerrand selling guide covers everything you need to know about selling yours.
You can book a private appointment at any of our offices across Gauteng, including Sandton, Pretoria, Centurion, Boksburg, Cresta, and Bedfordview. We also serve Umhlanga, Cape Town, and George . We will assess every item in front of you, explain every result, and you make your decision with complete information. That is how it works at GoldTrust.
Frequently Asked Questions
