Can I Sell Broken Gold in Dehradun?

One of the most common questions people ask before visiting a gold buyer: "Will you buy my gold if it's broken?" A bent bangle, a snapped chain, a cracked ring, a pendant with a missing stone — they all feel like "damaged goods."

The truth surprises most people. At a professional gold buyer like IGoldcash, broken gold is bought at exactly the same rate as intact gold. Here's why — and what to expect from the process.

Why Broken Gold Gets the Same Price

The rate you receive for your gold is calculated as:

Payout = Pure gold weight × Today's MCX gold rate

Both variables — pure gold weight and the MCX rate — are completely unaffected by whether the jewellery is intact or broken. The price of 10 grams of 22-karat gold is the same whether it's a pristine necklace or a pile of broken fragments.

Gold does not degrade. A broken chain does not become less pure or lighter than an intact one. What a professional buyer purchases is the metal content — which is entirely unchanged by physical damage.

What Types of Broken Gold Does IGoldcash Buy?

• Broken chains — snapped, kinked, or with missing links
• Bent or crushed bangles — kadas, plain bangles, designer bangles
• Cracked or misshapen rings — gold rings bent out of shape, broken shanks
• Earrings with missing pairs — single earrings are bought at their gold weight
• Pendants with empty settings — missing stones don't reduce the gold value
• Temple jewellery — antique, old-style pieces in any condition
• Gold coins with damage — bent, scratched, or partial coins
• Unidentifiable scrap pieces — even if you can't tell what the item once was

The only question is whether the item contains gold. If it does, it has value — regardless of how it looks.

What About Items with Stones or Non-Gold Parts?

Many broken pieces arrive with stones (diamonds, rubies, emeralds, kundan work) or non-gold fittings (silver clasps, base metal hooks). At IGoldcash:

• Stones are removed and kept by the customer — unless the customer prefers otherwise. You can take the stones, sell them separately, or have them left out of the gold valuation.
• Non-gold components are excluded from the weighing. Only the gold parts are weighed and valued.
• Mixed-metal pieces (e.g., a ring that's gold on top, silver underneath) are tested and valued on the gold content alone.

This is why testing happens before weighing: to establish exactly what is gold, what isn't, and to what purity.

The Purity Testing Process for Broken Gold

Broken gold is tested using the same two methods as any other piece:

1. Acid Testing (Touchstone Method)

A small streak is made on a touchstone from the gold item. Nitric acid or aqua regia is applied depending on the suspected karatage. The colour reaction of the acid on the gold streak reveals the fineness — 24K, 22K, 18K, 14K, or lower. Works on any shape or condition of gold.

2. Specific Gravity Testing (Archimedes Method)

The piece is weighed in air and then in water. The density calculated from these two weights is compared against known gold alloy density tables to confirm purity. A broken piece tests the same as an intact one — density is a property of the material, not the shape.

Both results are provided to you in writing before any price is discussed. If there are multiple pieces of different purities, each is tested separately and valued at its own rate.

An Honest Comparison: Broken Gold vs Intact Gold

Factor	Intact Jewellery	Broken Jewellery
Purity	Tested on acid + density	Tested on acid + density
Weight measurement	Net gold weight	Net gold weight
Rate applied	Today's MCX rate	Today's MCX rate
Stones/fittings	Excluded from gold weight	Excluded from gold weight
Design or condition	Not considered	Not considered
Final payout	Purity × weight × rate	Purity × weight × rate

The formula is identical. There is no "broken penalty."

What to Bring When Selling Broken Gold

• The gold piece(s) — any condition, any weight, any age
• A government photo ID (Aadhaar, Passport, or Driver's License) — required for all gold transactions
• PAN Card — mandatory for transactions above ₹2 lakh (Section 269ST, Income Tax Act)
• Bank account details (IFSC code, account number) for the transfer

You do not need hallmarking certificates, original purchase receipts, or any proof of how the gold was acquired. We do not require a reason for selling.

How Long Does It Take?

For broken gold, the process typically takes 20–35 minutes from walk-in to payment:

• 5–10 minutes: Purity testing (acid + density)
• 5 minutes: Weighing and stone/fitting separation
• 5 minutes: Written quote and KYC verification
• 5–10 minutes: Bank transfer initiation and confirmation

Visit IGoldcash with Your Broken Gold

If you have broken gold lying in a box, or old jewellery you've been hesitating to sell because it doesn't look presentable — bring it in. The condition is not a factor in the price you receive.

IGoldcash is at BS-26, Nehru Colony, Dehradun. Open Mon–Sat 10am–7pm, Sunday 11am–5pm. No appointment needed. Call +91 9258344869 before visiting to confirm today's gold rate.

Frequently Asked Questions