As pawn shop owners seek innovative strategies to remain competitive, one avenue worth exploring is the incorporation of bullion - bars, coins, or ingots of precious metals - into the business model. By offering bullion, pawn shops can appeal to a broader audience, attract more customers, and increase revenue. This article will provide insight into integrating bullion into your business, improving store traffic, loaning on bullion, and enhancing profits.

Gold recovery is a crucial part of any jeweler's business model, often helping boost profits by recycling and refining gold from various sources. Utilizing efficient recovery methods not only reduces waste but also offers economic benefits by extracting value from what would otherwise be lost. This article outlines several tips and methods jewelers can employ to maximize their gold recovery returns.

The National Gold and Silver Marking Act, also known as the National Stamping Act, plays a crucial role in the United States precious metals industry. Enacted in 1906, its purpose is to protect consumers from misleading claims about the content of gold and silver in items like jewelry and tableware. This federal law maintains the industry's integrity by stipulating accurate marking or 'stamping' of gold and silver items with their metal content, also known as fineness.

Placer gold is a type of gold that has been relocated from its original vein or lode due to weathering and erosion over millions of years. The gold is moved by natural forces such as water or glaciers, causing it to accumulate in crevices or deposits in rivers, streams, or other bodies of water. These locations are known as “placers,” hence the name “placer gold.”

Gold-filled jewelry refers to a specific type of gold jewelry that offers similar durability as solid gold without the hefty price tag. It is created by using heat and pressure to bond a layer of gold to a base metal, often brass or copper, resulting in a piece that has a similar outer appearance as a solid gold item.

Karat gold jewelry is any piece of jewelry made from gold that is not 100% pure, denoted by a karat (K) rating. The karat system is used to express the proportion of gold in an alloy out of 24 parts.

Know your customer, also known as KYC, is a policy adopted globally by the precious metals industry.

Alaska is home to six large production hard rock mines, four of which produce gold. Alaska’s largest producing gold mine is aptly named Fort Knox, an open pit mine located 25 highway miles northeast of Fairbanks.

Before we dig into the modern-day Alaska gold mining industry, let’s distinguish two general categories of mining: hard rock (lode) mining and placer mining. Hard rock mining involves extracting minerals from deposits in veins (lodes) formed in cracks and between layers of rock.

Although the first Alaskan gold rushes were relatively minor, interest exploded following one event. On July 17th of 1897, an ordinary steamboat named the SS Portland docked in Seattle, Washington.

“I still remember the sound of my first nugget hitting the sluice box.” recalls Brian Berkhahn, a long-time Alaskan miner. The conviction in his voice and look in his eye provides a very clear message that gold mining is not just a business venture or pastime to him; it’s a way of life.

For customers who are not close to one of our branch locations or simply prefer the ease of shipping, Elemetal Direct express shipping is here to meet your needs.

Elemetal 1 oz Silver Round is an affordable and certified means to increase your holdings in .999 Fine Silver.