How much is my jewelry worth?

When you are thinking about selling jewelry, this is the first question on your mind. Unfortunately, answering it is not always easy. It’s fairly simple to find the market value for commodity items like electronics or clothing, but jewelry is much more complicated. Different people can place wildly different values on the same piece of jewelry depending on how they are evaluating it, their knowledge of jewelry, and what they intend to do with it.

A great example of this is the classic “cash for gold” offer. I once had a client who sold an engagement ring for $50 to a local “cash for gold” buyer. She actually got a good price for the gold weight of her ring. The only problem was that the buyer paid her $0 for the 1 carat center diamond! The diamond alone was worth $2,500 to $5,000 given its quality. So, how much was her jewelry worth? To a “cash for gold” buyer, it was only worth the gold weight. Of course, we feel her ring was worth much more because we evaluate jewelry as a total piece and not just a number on a scale. But, not everyone is able to accurately evaluate jewelry.

How can I get the most cash?

The key is to sell to a buyer who 1) has a good use for the jewelry you are selling and 2) has the skills necessary to accurately evaluate it.

First, let’s talk about what it means to have a good use for jewelry. If you are buying a piece of jewelry and your sole intention is to resell it to a refiner for the scrap value of the gold, you really only care about the gold weight. So, like the “cash for gold” buyers we talked about before, the piece is only worth the gold weight to you. On the other hand, if you are known for your collection of reconditioned estate jewelry, you know that you can often resell the complete piece for more than the “scrap” value of the gold. So, you can pay more for it upfront. Finally, if you are buying the piece to wear yourself, it may be worth even more to you, but that will depend on your personal preferences and tastes.

Second, your buyer should have the skills to evaluate the piece of jewelry you are selling. If you are a “cash for gold” buyer, you probably know that the center diamond in an engagement ring can have tremendous value. But, if you are not trained to accurately grade that diamond, you will have to bid cautiously in case it turns out to be a low quality (or fake) diamond and you wind up losing money. It takes years of training and experience to be able to consistently grade diamonds. Beyond the 4 Cs, subtle factors like pavilion angles, fluorescence, and more can drastically impact the value of a diamond (and we haven’t even discussed colored gems like sapphires and emeralds). When you sell to a buyer who has the skills necessary to grade your diamonds and gemstones with confidence, that buyer can pay more for your jewelry because they know exactly what they are buying and how much they can resell it for.

Who can I trust to evaluate my jewelry?

Finding a buyer who not only has a good use for your jewelry but also has the skills to evaluate it accurately isn’t always easy. One way to be sure a buyer has the diamond and gem training necessary is to find a gemologist jewelry buyer. GIA is one of the largest and most reputable diamond and gemstone grading organizations in the world. They also train people in the skills they need to identify and grade diamonds, gemstones, and precious metals. It takes a great deal of study and practice, and the final test requires a score of no less than 100% to pass. Once you complete the course and pass the test, you receive your certificate as a GIA trained gemologist.

Of course, knowledge alone doesn’t mean that you will pay the most for jewelry. There are extremely knowledgeable buyers out there who have no qualms about paying nothing for a diamond they know to be highly valuable if they think they can get away with it. That’s why it’s important to find a buyer who has a long standing reputation for honesty and integrity in the community.

At Arden Jewelers, our professional gemologists have been buying jewelry in Sacramento for over 25 years. We built our business on paying the most for jewelry and offering a great selection of refurbished estate jewelry for sale. Even if you’re not ready to sell right now, we would be happy to give you a fair and honest evaluation of your jewelry at no cost. You will get to benefit from the skill and experience of our GIA trained gemologist buyers without any pressure or obligation. We can do this because we know that if you do decide to sell, we can pay the most. We have a great use for your jewelry, we have the ability to accurately evaluate it, and we have a reputation for dealing honestly and fairly with all of our clients. So, come by today for your free value appraisal.

Still not convinced? Checkout the testimonials below to hear from some of our past clients. Or, watch the video above to see how much more we were able to pay KCRA 3 for their jewelry.