Abstract: A process for the recovery of precious metal values as essentially pure gold from gold alloys in the form of thin strips 0.05 to 0.25 inch thick having a gold content of up to 80% gold comprising chlorinating the strips at a temperature of 300 to 700 degrees Centigrade to form a metallic gold/metal chloride mixture and removing the metal chlorides from the gold in the mixture using an aqueous wash. When silver is part of the alloying metal, essentially pure silver is recovered by first washing the metallic gold/metal chloride mixture with hydrochloric acid and then with ammonium hydroxide and recovering the silver from the ammonium hydroxide.