It’s not every day that someone tries to pawn a handful of teeth.

But when the price of gold tops $1,140 an ounce, there’s no telling what will happen.

At Western Pawnbrokers this week, a customer borrowed a hammer to break the gold fillings out of a set of molars.

“I don’t know where he got them,” said Andy Nelson, who owns the pawnshop.

Class rings, watches, chains — if it’s gold, somebody has probably tried to sell it in the past few weeks.

“It’s a sign of the times,” Nelson said. “It’s tough out there. People can use the money, and it’s not doing anything sitting at home.”

Gold has steadily climbed in value for a decade, but it has jumped recently. The price per ounce is up about 30 percent since January.

“People throughout the world are using gold as a hedge against inflation and the falling dollar,” said Henry Kornegay, a commodities broker who owns Jackson Commodities in Billings.

“It’s an asset that has never been at zero,” Kornegay said. “It will always be worth something.”

Gold can seem safe to investors wary of an uncertain economy, although its value can fluctuate just as the value of any asset can.

“People want protection from the unknown,” said Ardie Halvorson, owner of Ardie’s Coins. “They fear an economic meltdown.”

Halvorson’s staff has been working overtime buying and selling gold. It is not uncommon for 100 people to filter through his store in a day.

“People are cashing it in to get extra money,” he said. “Some of it is the economy and some of it is just that the price is good.”

The market is better for sellers than for buyers, but that hasn’t stopped consumers from buying gold jewelry, said Fred Peterson, general manager of Goldsmith Gallery Jewelers.

Customers like knowing that a purchase with emotional value also has financial value, Peterson said.

“No matter what happens in the world, if nobody wants the paper dollar, if you have gold you could always shave off a piece of it and buy a loaf of bread,” he said.

Contact Diane Cochran at dcochran@billingsgazette.com or 657-1287.