WITVT estimates what the precious metal in your items is worth — the melt value — using live market prices. Here's the whole flow, start to finish.
1
Add an item to your workspace
Open the Workspace and click Add Item. Give it a name you'll recognize — "Grandma's wedding band" beats "Ring 3".
2
Enter the weight
Weigh the whole item and enter the number in any unit — grams, troy ounces, pennyweight (dwt), or carats. A kitchen scale that reads to 0.1 g works; a jeweler's scale reading to 0.01 g is better.
3
Pick the purity (alloy)
Look for a stamped marking: 10K / 417, 14K / 585, 18K / 750 on gold; 925 on sterling silver; 950 on platinum. Search for that marking in the Purity/Alloy field. The marking tells us what fraction of the weight is actually precious metal — a 14K ring is only 58.3% gold.
4
Account for stones and other materials
Metal value applies only to the metal. If the piece has stones, add them as gems with their weights so they're subtracted from the metal weight. Diamonds can carry their own value if you set up a diamond value matrix (requires a free account).
5
Read the result
The workspace shows each item's estimated value and a running total. Click "How was this calculated?" on any item to see the math: net metal weight × alloy price per gram, plus gem value. Generate a printable report from the toolbar when you're done.
Frequently asked questions
Where do the prices come from?▾
Spot prices for gold, silver, platinum, and palladium come from a commercial market-data API and update throughout the day. You can see current prices and history on the Metals page.
Why would a buyer offer me less than the value shown?▾
WITVT shows melt value — what the raw metal is worth on the market. Refiners, pawn shops, and gold buyers have costs and margins, so offers of 60–90% of melt are normal. Use the price multiplier in workspace settings (e.g. 0.7) to model a realistic offer.
What is hedging?▾
Stamped purity marks aren't always accurate — a "14K" piece may test slightly under. The hedging setting applies a small percentage discount to cover that uncertainty, which is how many professional buyers price.
Why does my diamond show as 'not priced'?▾
Diamond values come from your own value matrix (Settings → Gem Matrices). A stone shows as unpriced when there's no active matrix for its cut, its carat weight falls outside the ranges you configured, or its clarity/color isn't set. Unpriced stones contribute $0, so the item total is conservative, not wrong.
Is my data saved?▾
Your workspace is saved in your browser (localStorage), so it survives page reloads on the same device. Creating an account additionally lets you save gem value matrices and settings to your profile.
How accurate is this?▾
The metal math is exact for the weight and purity you enter — the uncertainty is in your inputs. Weigh precisely, verify markings (ideally with an acid test or XRF for valuable pieces), and remember stones and solder joints reduce the actual metal content.