Urban mining turns old jewellery into pure gold – here’s how

home Urban mining turns old jewellery into pure gold – here’s how June 19, 2025 Digital Stream Ltd 0 comment

With gold prices hitting historic highs, New Zealanders are rediscovering the hidden value of old jewellery, heirlooms and even manufacturing scraps.

This surge in demand for what’s known as urban mining, the process of refining recycled gold into investment-grade bullion, is reshaping the local precious metals industry.

Urban mining, which recovers gold from items already above ground, has become a key supply source in New Zealand. At the forefront is New Zealand Gold Merchants, the country’s largest dedicated bullion refinery, where a sharp rise in scrap gold volumes is entering its Onehunga facility.

“April was our biggest month on record," said managing director Tony Coleman. “We’re the largest buyer of gold jewellery in New Zealand, and most of it goes into refining. We call this urban mining".

For over years, New Zealand Gold Merchants has be.....