Gardens Gold & Loan "Cash for Gold" - Hawaiian Gardens, California

John Sendrey

So, here’s a little adventure for anyone considering selling gold dental crowns (yes, you read that right—dental crowns). I recently accompanied my father to a tooth extraction, and as a parting gift, he let me take his gold crown home. A family keepsake? Nah, I saw gold and thought, “Cha-ching!”

I called Gardens Gold & Loan to see if they dealt with dental gold, and they said yes but were mysterious about how much they’d pay—probably trying to maintain the element of surprise. When I finally went in, they used an XRF Gold Tester (sounds fancy, right?) to check the fineness. Turns out it was about 14K, or 53%-58% pure gold. Not the treasure chest I imagined, but hey, it’s still gold!

Then came the “pennyweight plot twist.” I asked for the weight in grams, and the guy pointed at the scale, which showed about 1.8. I quickly noticed it was measured in pennyweight (pwt), not grams, so I pressed him, and he explained. For anyone not familiar, 1 pwt equals about 1.555 grams. I’m still not sure why they use pennyweight—most scales show grams, ounces, and even troy ounces—but hey, you live and learn.

After doing a little math based on the current gold price of $85.40 per gram, I calculated the melt value to be around $127 at 53% purity. Here's where it got interesting. The offer? $80 cash, all in. That's about 63% of the melt value, which is a little lower than the 70-80% I expected but still within reason for dental gold (apparently, it’s a niche market). Plus, they gave me a few complimentary mini bottles of water—hydration = gold, right? So, I accepted the offer to save myself from making the rounds for an extra $10.

The whole process took less than five minutes, and while there were a couple of small hiccups—like the shifting fineness estimate (from 57%-58% to 53% when I started crunching numbers) and the pennyweight-to-gram confusion—I left mostly satisfied. They didn’t lowball too hard, and although the transparency could’ve been better, the deal was quick, friendly, and hassle-free. No receipt was offered, but I wasn’t too concerned, given the hydration bonus!

Here’s a little inside scoop the guy shared: they get a lot of dental workers bringing in gold crowns. Turns out, many patients don’t know their crowns are worth decent money, and dental practices don’t always inform them. So, the dental staff collects the “scrap” gold and sells it—sometimes walking away with thousands of dollars from a week or two of patient extractions. Wild, right?

Bottom line: If you’ve got some dental gold lying around and don’t feel like making the rounds for a slightly better offer, this place will do the job. Just keep an eye on those units of measurement and be ready for some impromptu math. And don’t forget to grab your complimentary water on the way out!

K1MCHE3

I recommend anyone who's in a tight pickle to give this business a try. The service was flawless. Customer service is beyond my expectations. Also staff very professional and generous quotes for your jewelry. Will come back and will refer to others. Thank you again!!

Dawn Beard

Somehow I feel scammed. Will not be going back.

Rodi Fork

Came today at 11 they weren’t working even though it said on the schedule

Sasha Elmore

Great pawn shop! It was my first time in a pawn shop and the working employee was very friendly and helped me with my coin collection. It was unfortunate that they were unable to take some of my collection but he checked everything very thoroughly and made the entire process very easy for me! Very happy with the service given.

Robin Bāty

Honestly I love these guys. They are conveniently located with lots of parking.

The whole staff is professional and friendly and the place is nice and clean. I usually see David & always feel.i get the best service and the best value here.

Five stars all the way give them a try,! ¡ ! ¡

I S A A C

David and Shawn gave me a more than fair market value on my gold jewelry ✨️ . Don't hesitate to stop by and say hello. Super satisfied customer! A+ service

Tracy Barnes

Sean & David helped me out so much today!! Love this place. They are honest and customer friendly... getting you the best deal possible and taking care of you with a smile the hole quick process !! Thanks Guys