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The DH Fell Story

1950s-1960s

David H. Fell’s first foray into refining came in 1953, when an eighteen-year-old David took a job with Handy & Harmon. He stayed with them for 9 years working on silver sheet, absorbing all he could about the business. 

In 1962, he moved on to refining, fabrication, and alloy making with Martin Hannum.

1970s

After years of working in the dental business and then in refining for Handy & Harmon and Marty Hannum, David was ready to start his own refining business in 1973. In those days, he was refining palladium, gold, and silver out of his backyard. In the beginning, he only had occasional help from his teenage son Larry and Larry’s friends.

The first years of business were marked by the necessity of ingenuity. David created a furnace out of a 50-gallon drum that was so effective that customers asked him to make furnaces for them. He also created a horizontal scrubber that pumped water and caustic soda over plastic to remove the harmful fumes emitted by the refining process.

The business quickly outgrew the backyard. David moved into a 20x20 shop, where he worked with one other employee. The business soon outgrew that shop, as well. One shop became six small buildings, one employee became four, and David got into the dental gold business and added even more employees.

1980s

The company began expanding into other areas of refining. The team also grew, with Larry joining the company full-time in 1983 and Ruth joining 1989. 

At left, Larry Fell at the Mining Expo in Elko, NV mid 1980's.

Early 1990s

David would go to auctions and buy old or broken furnaces, refurbish them, and sell them to gold mines. By this time, he had established a reputation as a reliable and honest refiner in LA, and that reputation soon grew nationwide. His first national customer was in Kansas City. After that, calls came rolling in from all over the country.

At left, furnace #600 at 6009 Bandini Blvd.

1990

During this time, there was no real plan for growth, just people doing what they loved and what they were good at, and doing it with integrity. 

At left, Refining Team at the Annual Holiday Party.

1991

The quality of DH Fell’s work spread by word of mouth, and new customers became repeat customers.

At left, Commerce, CA office refining team.

1992

In 1992, JCK launched a trade show in Las Vegas called Jewelry 92. That event would become the JCK Show, the jewelry industry’s most important trade show. DH Fell was one of the inaugural exhibitors and has been a presence on the show floor ever since. Our journey at JCK is a testament to our unwavering dedication to the jewelry and precious metals industry.

Ken Babayan and the team started working jewelry trade shows around the country, similar to the Tucson show on the left.

2000

Larry Fell became president of the company in 2000 and took partial ownership, along with Ruth, in 2004. Larry then took full ownership in 2006. Building on DH Fell’s reputation for accurate analysis and fair prices, assay became the cornerstone of the business.

2007

The business continued to expand in areas beyond refining, establishing a Technical Products division in 2007. DHF Technical Products, producers of sputtering targets for the automotive, aerospace, glass, medical, and semiconductor industries, was then spun off as a separate entity in 2009. DHF Tech then moved to Rio Rancho, New Mexico in 2014.

2022

Metals are a finite resource, and the future of any business that operates at any point on the supply chain, from the mine to the jewelry store, has to embrace sustainability and the responsible use of our nonrenewable resources. In 2022, DH Fell received SCS Certification for Recycled Gold, Silver, and Platinum to demonstrate our commitment to responsible practices.

At left, Ken Babayan at MJSA Expo 2023.

2023

In 2023, David retired from the business, leaving it in the care of the only other person who has been there since the beginning: his son Larry.

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