   | At Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers, we see high karat jewelry come in our doors often. More times than not, folks are quick to say "I don't think this is real." or "The place I went to before here, doesn't believe this to be real." High Karat Gold Jewelry has a very different look and feel from the traditional 10k, 14k, 18k Jewelry we are all mostly used to seeing. It has a buttery look, and is EXTREMELY yellow. Understandably as most of us are not used to seeing genuine gold jewelry with this look, too often it is mistaken for costume jewelry. Most of this high karat jewelry comes from overseas. In particular from India, Thailand, and many areas in the Middle East. This gold typically ranges in purity from from 20k to 24k. We are able to quickly determine the purity using our XRF X-Ray. No scratching, placing acids or damaging your jewelry at Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers! Don't throw out that lot of Costume Jewelry, or sell it in a Garage Sale just based on how it looks. If it is non magnetic, and heavy, we highly suggest you have it checked out. Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers are always competitive on our Gold and Silver payouts. We pride ourselves on our honesty, and our hassle-free Gold and Silver Selling Process. Give us a call, text or email today! [email protected] 806-670-5499 13480 FM 2590 UNIT A Amarillo, Texas 79119 |
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What exactly is a Gold and Silver Exchange? Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers of Amarillo, Texas are a licensed and regulated Precious Metals Dealer Business in the State of Texas. We are licensed and permitted by the State of Texas Office of Consumer Credit to engage in the trade of Precious Metals. Our scales for weighing Precious Metals are licensed and regulated by the Texas Dept. of Agriculture. We purchase and pay TOP DOLLAR on all things that are Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium! This includes but is not limited to: Jewelry, Scrap, Coins, Bullion and Dental Gold. For a complete list of items that we buy please check out our "Items We Buy" page on the website.
Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers of Amarillo are a local, family ran business with 40 years combined experience in the Precious Metals industry. Rest assured you are dealing with experts in all things Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium! Honesty, Integrity and CUSTOMER SERVICE sum up our Mission Statement perfectly. Relax in our nice and clean office and be rest assured you are dealing with professionals with your high value Gold, Silver, Platinum and Palladium items. Before you sell your precious metals to a pawn shop or other places that will pay less, please consider seeking a FREE quote on your Gold, Silver, or Platinum from us. Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers prides itself on a hassle-free, quick and friendly transaction. We exclusively use state-of-the-art NON-DESTRUCTIVE XRF X-Ray and Sigma Metalytics testing tools to provide an honest assay/test. Most other places will use the outdated and non precise acid test method. This method is damaging and dangerous. Harmful fumes go in the air everywhere, and it certainly is going to damage your precious metal items. We have invested in the precise machinery to never have to acid test items and provide conclusive, honest testing results. We value our customers and understand your need for an up-front, safe, private and honest transaction. We are low overhead, family-locally owned/operated, and really love what we do! This allows us to pay you TOP DOLLAR EVERYDAY. We welcome you to call, text, email, or come by today for a FREE - NO PRESSURE QUOTE! Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers 13480 FM 2590 UNIT A Amarillo, Texas 79119 806-670-5499 When researching gold jewelry most people have come across the word "karat" used to describe the quality or worth for a piece of jewelry. It is common knowledge that the higher the karat, the more expensive or valuable the jewelry will be. But what is a karat? What do all the numbers associated with karat actually mean? What do stamps on a gold piece of Jewelry actually mean? Below we will explain karats and their actual meaning. What is a karat? A karat is defined as the measurement of the fineness or purity of a piece of gold. The fineness of a piece represents the total of fine or pure metal that it contains in proportion to the total weight of the piece, which includes other alloyed metals and any impurities. Karat is not to be confused with the word "Carat." Carat is specifically for Diamonds and other colored gemstones. These are measured in carats per 200mg, meaning for every 200mg of diamond, the higher the carat. Carat has nothing to do with KARAT which only applies to purity in Gold. In regards to gold, a karat is a fractional measurement of purity for gold alloys, and is measured per 24 parts whole. Pure gold that has not been mixed with any other metals is therefore the highest possible karat, 24 karat (24k) pure gold. Whereas the most valuable, pure gold is rarely used for jewelry pieces because of its notorious softness and malleability. It has a very well known tendency to scratch, nick, and dent. Because of this, it is usually alloyed with base metals for use in jewelry, making it more durable. Which karat is the best? As mentioned above, 24 karat gold is the highest possible number in pure gold, but it is typically mixed with other base metals to create alloys that are more durable and more suitable for everyday wear and use in jewelry. The more an alloy is mixed with pure gold, and therefore the less gold there is, the lower the number of karats. This results in a lower gold content value as opposed to pure gold. Gold is usually mixed (alloyed) with either silver, zinc, or copper. This will create a different number of karats and often results in a different color or shade of gold, such as rose gold! Traditional karats used in gold jewelry range from pure gold at 24k, 22k, 18k, 14k or 10k. 9k can also be common from jewelry manufactured in England. Below we have included a chart that explains the conversion figures of gold from percentages and decimals to karats.  What do the stamps mean?
While it is definitely possible to come across some pieces of gold that are not stamped with purity, most gold, especially jewelry pieces, will come manufactured with what is known as a "hallmark" as a reference to the purity. Most genuine jewelry that is gold will be stamped with some form of numbers/letters to indicate the karat/gold content. There are some more common hallmarks which can be very helpful to help understand when looking at gold jewelry. Authentic and genuine gold jewelry should have a stamp to indicate the purity of the gold in the piece of jewelry. This mark can be discovered in multiple different formats. For example: 585, 14kt and 14K will all mean the same thing: 14 karat gold. All of these formats are easy to understand, except for most people, the 3 digit number format. In the informational graphic above three digit numbers depicted tell how pure the gold is as well. They are measured in the thousandth, so if you want to know the purity percentage, just move the decimal point in one space. For example: 750 is 75.0% pure gold (or 18 karat). How is that number derived? 18 divided by 24 = 0.75, hence 75% Gold Content. Other stamps that can be included on gold looking pieces can indicate whether a piece has been plated with another metal or not. An Example: GE, which stands for “Gold Electroplate”. GP is another example that means "Gold Plated." These examples mean that the base of a piece is made of one base metal, usually brass or copper, and a certain thickness of gold has been deposited on the base, giving it a gold plating. Gold Plated Jewelry does not have any precious metal value. They can use microscopic amounts of gold to do plating in the electroplating process. At Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers of Amarillo, we do not purchase Gold Plated items, but always are buying and paying TOP DOLLAR on karated gold jewelry (10k, 14k, 18k, 22k, 24k) How can you tell if gold is real? As mentioned above, any genuine gold pieces will be stamped with a hallmark stating the content of pure gold that the piece contains. Always check for the hallmark. The hallmark stamp is can be found on the clasp of a necklace or bracelet, or in the inner band of a ring. But with this being said, unfortunately there are fakes and counterfeits that are produced to deceive and scam. Just because a piece of jewelry is stamped "14k" doesn't mean that it is not a fake. At Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers, we exclusively use XRF X-Ray Technology to harmlessly and quickly test jewelry for authenticity. A few hallmarks, such as EPNS, EPBM, and GF, also indicate that a piece is not real karated gold. As with Gold Electroplate, these symbols indicate that a piece is not actually made of gold but primarily another metal, and has simply been gold plated or gold filled with a very minimal worth of gold material. (usually a few cents worth) Where we wish there was a simple "home test" for our customers, this is simply not the case in today's world of fakes, counterfeits and deceptive stamping. The one possibility to test at home would be the Acid Test. The problem with this.... The acids are volatile and dangerous, sometimes inconclusive, and are generally unreliable. Many Gold Buyers still use this method. WE DO NOT! It is damaging on jewelry, the fumes are noxious, and technology has come a long ways from the Acid Test. If you would like a fast, precise and honest assay of your items, look no further! Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers would be happy to XRF X-Ray test your items, and make you a TOP DOLLAR CASH OFFER!  "Pre-1933 gold" refers to any United States Mint legal tender gold coins produced before 1933.
1933 is a extremely important date in the history of United States gold. The year 1933 marked the end of circulating gold coins in the United States of America Today, the value of pre-1933 United States gold coins is based on the coin’s gold content, the condition of the coin and rarity, which typically is based on original mintage or how many surviving coins are still around. The amount of gold in pre-1933 United States gold coins was devised to be proportional to the denomination. For example, a U.S. $5 gold half eagle contained exactly twice as much fine gold as a U.S. $2.50 gold quarter eagle. With only extremely slight variations, this holds true for all of the U.S. gold denominations, even the extremely small gold $1 coins that were produced by the United States Mint. Below is the actual fine gold weight (AGW) of each pre-33 denomination and coin, stated in troy ounces. U.S. Gold Dollar ($1)- 0.04837 ozt U.S. Gold Quarter Eagle ($2.50) - 0.12094 ozt U.S. Gold $3 Piece - 0.14512 ozt U.S. Gold Half Eagle ($5) - 0.24187 ozt U.S. Gold Eagle ($10) - 0.48375 ozt U.S. Gold Double Eagle ($20) - 0.9675 ozt The denominations, or face values, of pre-1933 U.S. gold coins are as follows:
All of the other denominations used and depicted a variation of the classic Liberty Head design. In the early 20th century, these designs were replaced by two different Indian Head designs. The $20 U.S. double eagle gold coin received the biggest redesign in the year 1907 with the Saint-Gaudens design. At Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers of Amarillo, we are Pre-33 Gold Coin experts! We deal with these type of coins on a daily basis, and are always paying TOP CASH for your Gold coins! We use state-of-the-art Sigma Metalytics testing equipment to validate and authenticate gold coins brought into our store. We will never damage or destructively test your coins in our buying process! As always we give FREE, NO PRESSURE, NO HASSLE QUOTES! Give us a call, text or email today. Or stop by! [email protected] 806-670-5499 13480 FM 2590 UNIT A Amarillo, Texas 79119  Silver Bullion Bars come in many sizes, but did you know there are different manufacturing forms of Silver Bars as well?
Here we have an example of 2 totally different Engelhard Silver Bullion Bars. At first glance they may look similar, but in fact they have a totally different look and manufacturing process. Both are indeed 100 Troy Ounces, and both have a purity of .999+ Fine Silver. However, the Engelhard 100 oz Silver Bar on top is a poured bar and the Engelhard 100 oz Silver Bar on the bottom is a pressed bar. When mints or manufacturers make fine silver poured bars, they pour melted molten fine silver into molds and/or casts. After the metal cools and forms they will weigh the bar and then provide appropriate certification showing its origin, weight, and purity. Due to the process of pouring and molding the fine silver, most every poured bar has its own unique and distinct "imperfect" characteristics. Mints and manufacturers making pressed bars take a much different approach. With this method they start by extruding metal from a much larger source, then cut the metal to match a specific size and weight specification. They then press the weight, purity, and refiner’s name onto the Silver Bar's face. These bars look more glossy and have a higher level of polished shine to them. At Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers of Amarillo, we are you local precious metal experts, and are ALWAYS buying Fine Silver Bullion Bars, Rounds and Coins. In addition we also buy Gold, Platinum and Palladium Bars, Rounds and Coins. Did we also mention that we purchase Gold, Silver, Sterling Silver Jewelry, Flatware and Scrap? We even buy that old ugly Dental Gold! Give us a call, text or email today. [email protected] 806-670-5499 13480 FM 2590 UNIT A Amarillo, Texas 79119  It is a safe bet to say that gold will remain between $2000 and $2,400 for the immediate future. (based on current market conditions and recent trends) However there is never any guarantee on what Gold prices will do. This means that currently when you sell your scrap gold, the cash you earn should not be too much different one week to the next assuming we stay in this price range. There is no point in waiting, especially if you need money now, unless you have significant amounts of gold to sell. If you have over an ounce, then analyzing the price changes could benefit you. But most people only sell scrap gold several grams at a time.
Whether it is right now, or next week, whenever you have a real need for the money is the best time to sell scrap gold and jewelry. A $10 difference in the price of gold will not affect your cash for gold payout noticeably on karated gold jewelry, so sell your gold when you need to! Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers Amarillo, Texas 806-670-5499 There are as many reasons to sell gold jewelry for scrap. If one of the below reasons is your own situation, now is the right time to sell gold jewelry. Reasons to sell your Gold Now 1. Your Jewelry is damaged and broken If you have earrings without mates, a brooch with a busted clasp, an old watch that doesn’t tell time, or a chain that is twisted and kinked, you may keep thinking to yourself, “Someday I will get this fixed.” If you haven’t done it by now, will it ever happen? You’d be surprised at the price of jewelry repair these days. The careful dexterity required as well as the relative softness of gold jewelry means a large bill for getting the damage repaired. 2. The Jewelry You Have is Out of Style Most people have very selective taste in jewelry so finding a buyer for older, dated jewelry can be hard. It can be a tedious task to find a prospect for outdated jewelry and there is no guarantee you will ever find interested customers. At Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers, we are always ready to buy from you, and we don’t care about the condition or style of your old jewelry. Our promise is that we will not penalize you on the payment just because your jewelry is ugly and old! 3. You never wear it! Most of us all have purchased a piece of jewelry on an impulse. Maybe on a cruise, vacation, or a mall outing. We may wear it a few times, and realize it is uncomfortable, or that bracelet keeps snagging on things. Heck many necklaces even are GREAT at catching our hair and pulling it. OUCH! On the other hand, sometimes we are gifted items that we appreciated the thought, but it's just not our style. Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers pays TOP DOLLAR PAID ON YOUR GOLD JEWELRY We also buy Sterling Silver Jewelry scrap or not, Gold Coins, Silver Coins, Gold Bullion, Silver Bullion, Junk Silver, Sterling Silver: Flatware, Platters, and Serving Dishes (stamped Sterling), Platinum and Palladium! [email protected] 806-670-5499 14601 Soncy Rd, Suite 2E Amarillo, Texas 79119  There are many things that makes us stand out, but one of the largest reasons is our state of the art XRF X-Ray. Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers do NOT scratch or file your jewelry, coins and other precious metal items. Most other places will. With this method, they will damage your precious metal items and then what if you are not OK with their offer?? You are left with a significantly noticeable scratch mark and damage on your valuable items. We feel that your jewelry, coins, bullion and other items should be handled in a manner where you are left with it, in the same condition as it walked in our door. We give no pressure, no-hassle FREE quotes. We welcome you to come by for a free quote and see the difference. See why it PAYS to sell your Gold, Silver, and Platinum items to Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers. Fast, Safe, Hassle-Free, and Honest!  THE DIFFERENCE IS CLEAR! GIVE US A CALL, TEXT, EMAIL or COME BY AND SEE US TODAY! Please see the video below for a presentation of our XRF-Xray Technology! We Buy Gold, Silver, Platinum, Bullion, Coins, Jewelry, Dental Gold, Sterling Silver Flatware and Platters and pay the highest prices in Amarillo.
sell my gold, we buy gold, sell my silver, we buy silver, sell my coins, gold dealer, cash for gold, cash for silver, cash for coins, cash for watches, we buy diamonds, sell diamonds, Gold Buyers San Antonio, sell my jewelry, cash for jewelry, we buy platinum, sell my platinum, gold buyer, coin buyer, silver buyer, gold exchange  We offer a unique experience for our customers who want to sell their Gold, Silver, and Platinum Precious Metals in Amarillo, Texas! We are open to the public, but will always respect your need for discretion. We offer the option to call ahead for a private appointment. We stay rather busy with walk-in customers, but private appointments are given first priority and a sign goes up on our locked office door we are in a private appointment. Even if you do not call ahead and arrive to our store, please just let us know if you would like for us to let other customers know, who may arrive during your time here, that they will need to wait until our transaction is finished. We have found because of our fast, hassle-free service, TOP DOLLAR quotes our transactions flow so quickly for our customers, other customers do not mind waiting a few minutes to have their own private transaction. On top of this, we offer a discrete, safe and secure location. Many times if you visit a Pawn Shop or some of the other Precious Metal Buyers, they will allow others to come in and wait which allows potential eavesdropping on your transaction. We give every customer the opportunity to feel as safe and comfortable as possible! We welcome you to give us a call, text, email or come by today for your own individual PRIVATE transaction. Just let us know that you have a need for a private experience and we will be more than happy to honor that for you. This is what makes Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers of Amarillo, Texas so much different. Our #1 goal is for all of our customers to be treated fairly, and have the respect given to them that they deserve relating to their precious metals transaction.    All silver will tarnish and tone in color. It’s an unfortunate fact of life. Tarnish/Toning is actually a very normal thing in the world of Silver Coins.
What Exactly Is Tarnish? Down to the the nitty-gritty. Tarnish is a chemical reaction that occurs when silver comes into contact with humidity and chemicals in the air which causes silver to lose its beautiful luster. When the atoms of silver come into contact with oxygen, a layer of silver oxide is created as a protective barrier – much like rust. However, unlike rust, silver tarnish is self-limiting and the underlying layers are not affected by the outer layers of tarnish. This not only happens to silver, but also happens to copper, aluminum, brass and other similar, soft metals. Tarnishing is simply the product of oxidation. Tarnish vs. Toning When strictly speaking about tarnish on coins, the term “toning” is the preferred vernacular. Toning on coins is sometimes a desirable trait that is all subjective. We’ve all heard the term “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” That term could never be more apparent than when it concerns coins. Some people prefer crisp, pristine, “white” silver coins. However, some people love the beauty of rainbow-toned silver Morgan Dollars. Rainbow toning in Morgan Dollars is more common than in other silver coins. This is because many coins were stored in U.S. Treasury vaults in canvas bags for decades and in some cases (The Battle Creek and Continental Bank Hoard) for up to a century! The coins that were closest to the canvas were constantly in contact with a tiny concentration of sulfur. Sulfur was used in the bags to prevent rats from chewing through them. The silver in the coins reacted with the sulfur to form a thin layer of silver-sulfide. It is that thin film that refracts the light and creates the beautiful rainbow toning seen on many toned Morgan Dollars. How Can I Protect My Coins From Tarnish? The best way to prevent coins from developing toning is to limit their exposure to the elements. For example, a basement is normally not a good place to store your coin collection because basements often contain higher rates of humidity than compared to the rest of the house. The best way to store your precious metals would be to have them stored in a hermetically sealed chamber (void of any air or gas) and have them not be in contact with any surface. However, since this is a near impossibility, you’ll want to store your precious metals with as little contact to the air and elements as possible. Many people purchase “air-tite” coin holders thinking they’re preventing air from touching their coins, but because there is air all around us, when they enclose their coin in the holder, they don’t realize that air is already present. (BUY AND USE "NON PVC ONLY" COIN PROTECTORS!) NEVER ATTEMPT TO "CLEAN" A COIN! IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY CLEAN A COIN WITH NUMISMATIC VALUE (RARE, KEY DATE, ETC.) YOU RUN THE VERY LIKELY CHANCE OF DRASTICALLY LOWERING THE VALUE OF YOUR COIN! SILVER COINS CAN RUN IN VALUE FROM THE ACTUAL SILVER WEIGHT VALUE TO EXAMPLES OF RARE MINTS AND KEY DATES THAT CAN BE EXTREMEMLY VALUABLE. At Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers of Amarillo, Texas we are always PAYING TOP DOLLAR ON YOUR SILVER COINS! GIVE US A CALL, TEXT, EMAIL OR COME BY TODAY FOR A QUICK, HASSLE FREE, TOP DOLLAR QUOTE! [email protected] 806-670-5499 13480 FM 2590 UNIT A Amarillo, TX 79119  ALWAYS make sure when selling your jewelry and other precious metal items you are dealing with a Licensed Precious Metal Dealer. When contacting or visiting a potential buyer it is always a good idea to ask for their State of Texas Certificate of Registration with the Office of Consumer Credit. Any honest Gold and Silver Buyer will be more than happy to supply that information. When your items are being tested and weighed, it is also a very good idea to verify the weights on the scales. If they are unwilling to let you see the weight, then proceed with caution. Precious Metals dealers are obligated to register and have their scales inspected and verified by the Texas Department of Agriculture as well. Lone Star Gold and Silver Buyers in Amarillo,Texas value our integrity and honesty and will always be transparent, fair and honest with our customers.
Below are some tips regarding purchasing gold jewelry and things you need to look for to make sure you are buying genuine gold or silver jewelry. Lots of counterfeits and fakes are being sold these days. We want our customers to be as educated as possible! When you buy gold jewelry, look for the karat quality mark. The karat mark should tell you how much pure gold is in the piece. Pure gold or "Fine Gold"– 24 karat (24K) gold – is soft, so it’s often mixed with other metals to increase its hardness and durability. The total of pure gold and other metal adds up to 24, so:
Near the karat quality mark, you should see the name or the U.S. registered trademark of the company that will stand behind the mark. The trademark may be in the form of a name, a symbol, or initials. If you’re considering a piece of gold jewelry but don’t see a trademark along with the karat mark, don’t buy it. Please note that counterfeits may also have these markings. You can't just rely on the markings! “Solid Gold” refers to any gold item where the inside of the item is not hollow. The karat mark still will denote the proportion of gold to other metal. Gold Plated Jewelry can be plated with gold by mechanical plating, electroplating, and other processes. Eventually, gold plating wears away. How soon depends on how often the item is worn and how thick the plating is.
Vermeil, a special type of gold plated product, consists of a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated with gold. Gold Flashed or Gold Washed: The terms “gold flashed” and “gold washed” describe products that have an extremely thin electroplating of gold (less than .175 microns). This will wear away faster than gold plate, gold filled, or gold electroplate. Silver Jewelry: The words ”sterling silver” describe a product that contains 92.5% pure silver. Silver products sometimes may be marked 925, which means that 925 parts per thousand are pure silver. Generally speaking "Fine Silver" or "Pure Silver" usually only applies to Silver Bullion. In these cases it is customary to see ".999" or "Fine Silver. Very uncommon to have "Fine Silver" Jewelry, but it does exist. Just remember, even though a piece of jewelry is marked 925 or Sterling, it can still be a counterfeit! Some jewelry described as ”silver plate” has a layer of silver applied to a base metal. EP, falls into this category and means "electro plated" ”Coin silver” is used for compounds that contain 90% pure silver. According to the law, quality-marked silver also must bear the name or a U.S. registered trademark of the company or person that will stand behind the mark. Please keep in mind these are U.S. laws, and jewelry manufactured outside of the U.S. may not be subject to these laws. In conclusion without a professional testing method it is quite easy to be a victim to fake or counterfeit jewelry. The counterfeiters are using Brass and polishing it to look and feel like gold. Your #1 Defense, is purchasing from LICENSED, WELL KNOWN sellers. And remember, if it seems to good to be true, it probably is! |
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