We purchase all forms of gold jewelry except for gold-plated items,which have only a very thin,unrecoverable layer of gold on the outside. If your item is marked "GF" or "GP",or with a fraction ("1/10" or "1/20",for example),the item is gold-plated. "12K" also signifies gold plating. We will purchase most items that are stamped and pass both of the tests described above,but we do reserve the right to decline any item. We cannot purchase gold nuggets or dust,since the purity and actual gold content cannot be determined without melting the entire sample. We also purchase silver jewelry,plates,silverware,etc. Generally speaking we only purchase items that are marked as being sterling silver - sterling items are 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals (usually copper). These will be stamped with either "STERLING" or "STER",or with the number "925" (or occasionally "950"). Older items may signify sterling with a set of hallmarks (symbols). Unfortunately fake silver items are also abundant. As is the case with gold,testing with a magnet will rule out some items (silver will not be attracted to a magnet),and a streak test may be performed on questionable items. We cannot purchase silver-plated items. We do purchase platinum jewelry,which will usually be stamped "PT","PLAT","900",or "950". Real platinum items will not be attracted to a magnet,and an acid test will usually be done to verify the authenticity of the metal.