By Rocco Clayfield, founder of GoldPaid (GOLDPAID LTD) · Published · updated
Got the piece in front of you? Get a figure for it
Send a photo of the piece and any stamp on WhatsApp. We will reply with a rough estimate for it. No obligation, and nothing needs posting.
No WhatsApp? Call 07944 014111, 8am to 9pm.
Not sure what the mark says? Use the hallmark lookup. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
What UK jewellers actually charge to repair a chain
Prices vary by high street, but the following ranges cover the typical UK independent jeweller in 2026. Chain stores (H. Samuel, Ernest Jones) sit at the upper end. Small-town family jewellers often come in lower. Very complex pieces or specialist chains (Prince of Wales, foxtail, spiga) sit higher again.
| Job | 9ct chain | 18ct chain |
|---|---|---|
| Solder a broken clasp back on | £15–£35 | £25–£45 |
| Fit a new spring-ring or bolt-ring clasp | £25–£60 | £40–£80 |
| Fit a new lobster clasp | £30–£70 | £50–£95 |
| Solder a broken chain link | £20–£45 | £30–£60 |
| Replace a missing chain section (up to 10mm) | £30–£80 | £50–£120 |
| Full chain shorten or lengthen | £40–£90 | £70–£140 |
| Full chain resize with new links added | £50–£150+ | £90–£250+ |
14ct sits between 9ct and 18ct on price. Silver chains are usually about 60–70% of the 9ct figure. Platinum chains are a separate world and typically cost 2–3× the 18ct rate.
What a chain actually pays at scrap
Scrap value comes down to two things: how much the chain weighs and how pure it is. A higher carat holds more gold per gram, so a 22ct chain is worth more than an 18ct chain of the same weight, which in turn beats 14ct and 9ct. The offer applies the tested purity and weight to the live precious-metal market on the day your parcel is valued.
A chain’s payable weight is the gold weight in grams. A gold clasp counts, and so do the soldered joints; a steel spring inside a bolt ring does not, so it is weighed out. For background on how the market moves, see the gold price and selling by post.
Worked example one: 4g 9ct chain with a broken clasp
A common scenario. A 40cm 9ct rope chain, 4 grams, snapped clasp. Kept in a jewellery box for three years.
- Repair route: £25–£35 at a local jeweller to solder or replace the clasp. Turnaround 3–7 days. Chain returns to service.
- Scrap route: a written offer for the gold in the chain, weighed and tested, with payment aimed at within one working hour of acceptance.
The question is not which pays more? It is would you wear it? A 4 g 9ct chain holds only a modest amount of gold, so a £25–£35 repair on a chain you would actually wear is usually a bargain against buying a comparable new one at retail. If the chain has sat in a drawer for three years and will sit there for the next three, the written scrap offer turns it into cash today.
Worked example two: 12g 18ct chain, snapped mid-length
An inherited 45cm curb chain, 18ct, 12 grams, snapped roughly in the middle from an old repair failing.
- Repair route: £40–£70 to solder the failed link plus a check-through of surrounding links. Turnaround 5–14 days. Chain worth more at retail than as metal.
- Scrap route: a written offer for the gold in the chain, weighed and tested, with payment aimed at within one working hour of acceptance.
Repair wins clearly if you would wear it. At 12 g of 18ct there is a solid amount of gold here, but a £40–£70 repair keeps a piece worth more as wearable jewellery than as melt. Scrap wins only if the chain does not fit, does not suit, or has no place in your rotation. There is no shame in either answer.
Worked example three: 2g 9ct broken necklace, unworn
A light 9ct trace chain from a former relationship. 2 grams. Snapped, tangled with another chain, held together by knots.
- Repair route: £25 clasp plus £30–£50 to untangle and repair broken links = £55–£75. The chain is worth more repaired than as metal only if you would actually wear it.
- Scrap route: a written offer for the gold in the chain, weighed and tested.
The verdict here is genuinely close. A light 2 g 9ct chain holds very little gold, so paying £55–£75 to repair and untangle it is likely to cost more than the metal is worth. If you would wear it, repair still edges ahead on wearable value; if not, the scrap offer clears a lingering item without further cost. Either is defensible; a light 9ct chain with sentimental value tips towards repair, a purely ornamental one tips towards scrap.
A plain decision framework
Before you decide, run through five questions:
- Does it fit? A chain that is too short, too long or the wrong style for your neckline is not going to be worn no matter how well repaired.
- Does it match jewellery you actually wear? A yellow 18ct chain in a rose-gold wardrobe will stay in the box.
- Is the sentimental value real or reflexive? Sentimental keepsakes belong in the box. Guilt-keeping does not.
- How does the repair cost compare to the scrap value? If repair is under a third of scrap and the piece fits and matches, repair. If repair is more than half of scrap and the piece is unworn, scrap.
- Is this the third or fourth time it has broken? Chains that keep breaking often have thin, worn links throughout. The next repair fixes the symptom, not the cause.
When neither repair nor scrap is right: auction
A third route deserves mention. If your chain has:
- A named designer or maker’s mark (Cartier, Tiffany, David Yurman, John Hardy, a good British silversmith),
- Distinctive period design (Georgian Albert, Victorian double curb, Edwardian bookchain),
- Original fitted case or provenance,
- Heavy gauge or unusual construction (hand-woven, Byzantine, spiga with matched clasp)
…then a specialist auction house may return more than either repair or scrap. Send photos of the marks and the whole chain to Fellows, Woolley & Wallis, Bonhams or a good regional saleroom for a free valuation before you commit to either route.
If scrap is the answer
Our broken chains page covers what we buy, how it is tested and what you get. Broken clasps, snapped links, tangled masses, single earrings, mismatched pairs, all fine. Send it as-is in a jiffy bag. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the Royal Mail postal method and cover level used.
Once your parcel arrives, we weigh, XRF-test and offer within the working day, and we aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance. Return is free and tracked if you decline.
For questions on posting a chain, see what happens if Royal Mail loses your parcel.