Pease & Curren
Pease & Curren is a 108-year-old, family-owned precious metals refinery based in Warwick, Rhode Island, serving retail jewelers, pawnbrokers, and dental recyclers across the US, Canada, and Mexico with true fire assay refining, cyanide-free stone removal, and a Direct Buy diamond bidding service.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1916
- HeadquartersWarwick, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Pease & Curren does
Pease & Curren is a family-owned precious metals refinery founded in 1916 by Francis H. Curren and Charles Pease in Providence, Rhode Island, and now operating from a 40,000-square-foot single-site facility on Pennsylvania Avenue in Warwick, Rhode Island. The company provides gold, silver, platinum, and palladium refining services to B2B customers across three verticals: retail jewelers and manufacturers, pawnbrokers/gold buyers/recyclers, and dental and environmental recycling clients. It serves every US state as well as Canada and Mexico, and is the designated Official Jeweler of the United States Military Academy at West Point, where it hosts an annual Ring Melt ceremony that has run for 14+ years.
The core technical platform is true fire assay, a method the World Gold Council recognizes as the most accurate gold assay technique and which the company claims is 20 times more accurate than common X-ray or melting methods. Processing infrastructure includes 25 custom-designed incinerators with secondary furnaces, a dedicated melt room handling lots over 500 oz, a chemical analysis laboratory built on a separate foundation to isolate vibration, and secure vault handling under video surveillance. Adjacent services include a cyanide-free premium stone and diamond removal process, a Direct Buy blind-bidding diamond marketplace (facilitated twice monthly with North American buyers), Stone Sorting by GIA-certified staff, and Solutions Recovery for trace metal-bearing liquids. Finished products are 99.99% pure gold and 99.9% pure silver bars and grain.
Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis: customers ship scrap and are paid the fire-assay-determined value minus refining fees, with no public rate card and no service to individuals. Go-to-market is sales-led via a nationwide network of local representatives, an inside sales team, free insured shipping containers, and scheduled pickups. Minimum incoming weight thresholds (10 oz karat gold, 10 lbs sweeps, 1 oz platinum) filter for commercial volume. The company is led by third-generation President Francis H. Curren III and remains privately held with no external funding rounds, no parent company, and no disclosed subsidiaries.
Pease & Curren firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pease & Curren
- Legal name
- Pease & Curren, Inc.
- Website
- https://peaseandcurren.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1916
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Pease & Curren is a 108-year-old, family-owned precious metals refinery based in Warwick, Rhode Island, serving retail jewelers, pawnbrokers, and dental recyclers across the US, Canada, and Mexico with true fire assay refining, cyanide-free stone removal, and a Direct Buy diamond bidding service.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Pease & Curren industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Precious Metals Refining Services
- NAICS
- Secondary Smelting, Refining, and Alloying of Nonferrous Metal (except Copper and Aluminum) (331492)
- SIC
- Secondary Smelting & Refining Of Nonferrous Metals (3341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Precious Metals Recycling & Urban Mining (E-waste, Catalysts, Jewelry Scrap) (IMAKAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Precious & Specialty Metal Recovery (Smelting, Refining, Hydrometallurgy) (EUAIAIAD)
Keywords
Where Pease & Curren is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Warwick
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pease & Curren business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Precious Metals Refining Fees: Pease & Curren charges refining fees for processing customer precious metals. Customers ship scrap materials (karat gold, platinum, palladium, silver, sweeps) and receive payment based on the true fire assay determined value minus refining fees. Solutions Recovery service reportedly saves customers more than 50 percent on refining and associated fees.
- Diamond Direct Buy Service: Facilitates blind bidding between North American diamond buyers and customers. Pease & Curren does not purchase diamonds but holds merchandise securely until customer release. No purchase/resale by the company - check is issued directly from Buyer to Seller. Claims customers received 35% more for diamonds using Direct Buy.
- Stone Removal Services: Premium stone removal services with sorting, cleaning, and appraisal. Additional services include stone frosting for CZ identification, sorting by size, no-obligation third-party appraisals, and Direct Buy bidding options.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Refining Services (Karat Gold, Platinum, Palladium, Silver) |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Solutions Recovery |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Direct Buy Diamond Service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Pease & Curren product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pease & Curren refines precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) sourced exclusively from businesses using true fire assay methodology, producing 99.99% pure gold and 99.9% pure silver bars and grain. The company also offers cyanide-free stone and diamond removal from jewelry, a Direct Buy blind bidding service that connects customers with North American diamond buyers, High Grade and Low Grade (incineration) processing for scrap materials, Solutions Recovery for trace metals, and dental/environmental recycling.
Product overview
Pease & Curren is a family-owned precious metals refinery operating since 1916, offering a comprehensive suite of refining and stone recovery services. The core offering centers on true fire assay-based gold and precious metal refining (producing 99.99% pure gold and 99.9% pure silver), supported by specialized stone/diamond removal services and a Direct Buy diamond selling platform. Additional services include High Grade Processing for karat gold materials, Low Grade Processing (incineration) for sweepings and burnable materials, Solutions Recovery, and dental/environmental recycling. The company also provides a customer portal called Vault for 24-hour account tracking. All services are performed in-house at the company's 40,000-square-foot Rhode Island facility, with separate lot processing to ensure material integrity.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gold & Precious Metal Refining Core refining service using true fire assay methodology to process gold, silver, platinum, and palladium from jewelry, dental, and industrial scrap materials, producing 99.99% pure gold and 99.9% pure silver bars and grain. Available only to businesses.
- Stone/Diamond Removal Proprietary cyanide-free process for safely removing stones from gold, platinum, or silver jewelry. Recovers even the smallest melee diamonds, returning stones sorted, cleaned, and ready for resale.
- Direct Buy Diamond Buying Service Service where North American diamond buyers blind bid on customer stone lots twice monthly. Pease & Curren does not purchase diamonds; checks are issued directly from buyer to seller, with customers reportedly receiving 35% more for diamonds versus other methods. Merchandise is securely held at the refinery until customer release.
- High Grade Processing In-house fire assay processing for meltable precious metal materials including karat gold, casting sprues, buttons, miscasts, wire, foil, alloys, and bench grindings. Accommodates lots over 500 oz in large melt furnaces.
- Low Grade Processing (Incineration) Furnace-based processing for burnable materials including polishing buffs, vacuum bags, shop floor sweepings, filters, protective equipment, precious metal-bearing rugs, and sink sludge. Uses 25 custom-designed incinerators with separate lot processing to eliminate precious metal loss.
- Solutions Recovery Recovery service for solutions containing precious metals with no material loss, reduced variability, and the ability to recover trace metals. Customers reportedly save more than 50% on refining and associated fees.
- Dental & Environmental Recycling Refining and recycling services for dental materials including dental crowns, bridges, prosthetics, dental x-ray film disposal, and dental scrap, serving dental labs and environmental recycling needs.
- Stone Sorting Premium stone sorting service that separates stones by size with clarity and grade sorting by GIA-certified diamond experts, including frosting for CZ identification and third-party appraisals.
- Premium Stone Removal Enhanced stone removal process with premium services including clarity and grade sorting, frosted stone separation for CZ identification, and no-obligation third-party appraisals.
Quantifiable outcome
- Fire assay is 20 times more accurate than common X-ray and melting methods
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Pease & Curren
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Pease & Curren technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Pease & Curren partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- United States Military Academy (West Point) Association of GraduatesflagshipPease & Curren has been the designated refinery for the West Point Ring Melt Ceremony for 14+ years. The annual ceremony incorporates gold from previous class rings into new cadet rings. Each year's rings contain portions of all rings donated since the program's inception in 2002. This partnership is a key brand differentiator and source of national visibility.
- Coast GuardcorePease & Curren hosted the 1st Coast Guard Ring Melt in 2017. Captains and Cadets attended the event at the refinery. Expands the military ring melt ceremony concept to other branches.
- North American Diamond Buyers (Direct Buy Program)coreDiamond buyers attend Pease & Curren twice monthly to blind bid on customer stone lots. Top 3 buyers participate in competitive bidding. Checks issued directly from buyer to seller. Pease & Curren securely holds merchandise until customer release.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Pease & Curren competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Metalor Technologies: Swiss-based global precious metals refiner with US refining operations serving jewelry, industrial, and financial customers. Provides refining as part of a vertically integrated precious metals value chain.
- Heraeus Precious Metals: German-headquartered global precious metals refiner with extensive US operations serving industrial and jewelry customers. Larger scale competitor offering refining as part of a broader precious metals portfolio including fabrication and trading.
- A-Mark Precious Metals: US-based precious metals dealer and refiner serving wholesalers, retailers, and industrial accounts. Vertically integrated with broader precious metals trading and secured storage beyond pure refining services.
- PAMP Suisse: Swiss global precious metals refinery producing LBMA-good delivery bars and serving institutional and industrial customers. Larger scale brand with adjacent refining capability in jewelry and scrap.
- Johnson Matthey (now Heimerle + Meule): Global precious metals group with US refining operations serving jewelry and industrial customers. Larger incumbent offering refining alongside PGM fabrication and catalyst products.
Direct peers
- NTR Metals: US-based precious metals refiner serving jewelry, dental, and industrial scrap customers. Comparable mid-scale competitor in karat gold and sweeps refining.
- Dillon Gage Metals: Dallas-based precious metals refiner and dealer serving jewelry retailers and industrial accounts. Direct competitor in karat gold, sweeps, and dental refining across US markets.
- Republic Metals Corporation (historical peer): Was a major US precious metals refiner serving similar jewelry, pawn, and industrial customers before its 2018 bankruptcy. Closest scale analog, though its failure is itself a competitive dynamic that benefits Pease & Curren's trust positioning.
- Garfield Refining Company: Philadelphia-based precious metals refiner serving jewelers, pawnbrokers, and dental clients. Most direct comparable in US secondary precious metals refining with similar customer base and B2B-only model.
- United PMR (United Precious Metal Refining): US precious metals refiner serving jewelry retailers, pawn shops, and dental markets with karat gold and sweeps processing. Comparable customer base and service model to Pease & Curren.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Pease & Curren social profiles
Digital presencePease & Curren financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pease & Curren leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Pease & Curren funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pease & Curren M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pease & Curren
What does Pease & Curren do?
Pease & Curren refines precious metals (gold, silver, platinum, palladium) sourced exclusively from businesses using true fire assay methodology, producing 99.99% pure gold and 99.9% pure silver bars and grain. The company also offers cyanide-free stone and diamond removal from jewelry, a Direct Buy blind bidding service that connects customers with North American diamond buyers, High Grade and Low Grade (incineration) processing for scrap materials, Solutions Recovery for trace metals, and dental/environmental recycling.
Is Pease & Curren a public or private company?
Pease & Curren is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Pease & Curren founded?
Pease & Curren was founded in 1916. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Pease & Curren based?
Pease & Curren is headquartered in Warwick, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pease & Curren make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Precious Metals Refining Fees are the primary driver. The others are diamond Direct Buy Service and stone Removal Services.
Who are Pease & Curren's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Metalor Technologies, Heraeus Precious Metals, A-Mark Precious Metals, PAMP Suisse and Johnson Matthey (now Heimerle + Meule). Direct peers are NTR Metals, Dillon Gage Metals, Republic Metals Corporation (historical peer), Garfield Refining Company and United PMR (United Precious Metal Refining).
Does Pease & Curren have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pease & Curren.
What industry is Pease & Curren in?
Pease & Curren's product category is Precious Metals Refining Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAKAEAG, Precious Metals Recycling & Urban Mining (E-waste, Catalysts, Jewelry Scrap), with a secondary code of EUAIAIAD, Precious & Specialty Metal Recovery (Smelting, Refining, Hydrometallurgy). Its NAICS code is 331492 and its SIC code is 3341.