Best Way To Sell Jewelry?

[Gary985112]

Hi Everyone,

New to detecting ? hope you are all doing well. What's the best/most lucrative way to sell jewelry?

- Gold rings

- Diamond rings

- Silver?

Do you sell to a jeweler or privately? Just curious. Thanks for the tips and good luck out there.

[kac]

High end jewelry get it appraised and don't hit a coin or pawn shop they only give you scrap price on just the metal. Not uncommon to have a $1200 stone stuck in $50 of gold.

GIA will run ya $100 a ring.

[YubaJ]

If you're in or near a big city, consigning to a high-end auction house can be a good way to go. Just make sure you're comfortable with the percentage they charge, get a solid estimate--they usually have in-house appraisers, and that they won't sell it lower than their estimate. They want expensive goods to auction.

[PI-Man]

I never sell — all jewelry is lost to the boss when I hit the driveway.  ? 

As well as the great tips above.  The best thing we did was to find a good jeweler to help guide you through the process.  Ask the jeweler lots of questions they know the drill.  Mine has been a valuable asset.  Some jewelers will trade to.

Our new thing is to send stuff out to the jeweler and melt it down to make custom jewelry.  Nothing like repurposing the finds.  If I could figure out a way to do something with the tungsten and SS rings then I would have something.   Thinking about trading the jeweler those to help pay for labor n such on the custom jewelry.  He has a bigger network/customer base then I do.

[GB_Amateur]

21 hours ago, YubaJ said:

If you're in or near a big city, consigning to a high-end auction house can be a good way to go.

Better than Ebay in the long run?

[Jeff McClendon]

There are several refineries that will smelt gold, silver and platinum jewerly for the public with no limit on the amount sent in. Look for one that pays above 90% for gold and does not charge a smelting fee. Some will also remove gemstones and either return them to you or pay for them even though the removal fee can be high on channel and bezel mounted gemstones.

[Clay Diggins]

An insurance appraiser is your best bet if you have finds with gems. They are trained and have no financial interest in buying your finds. Jewelers sometimes know enough to give a reasonable appraisal but unless you have a working relationship with a jeweler you don't know their level of experience or honesty.

GIA does not do appraisals - they never have and never will. GIA will do gem grading for a price but they will not appraise the value.

A GIA certified gemologist (GG) can be a good choice but make sure they have the certificates/training for the type of gems you have. There are separate certifications for diamonds and colored gems.

If a jeweler or appraiser doesn't have a gem lab give them a pass. Just looking at stones or using a diamond testing pen is not adequate. There are insurance appraisers that have GIA GG gemological training. These are known as Certified Insurance Appraisers - they take special insurance appraisal courses after they receive their Graduate Gemologist certificate from GIA.

 

 

[Jeff McClendon]

Just received my check from Midwest Refineries.

I mailed them my 10K and 14K scrap gold jewelry finds and my .925 silver scrap jewelry finds for the last 18 months for processing. I removed as many gemstones as I could before mailing. It all fit into a USPS Priority Mail Small Flat Rate box. I added some extra insurance.

Midwest received and processed it on the same day and I have a check in my hands for $2,400 or so after a one week turnaround. They paid 95% of melt value on the gold and 90% on the silver with no additional fees. Very easy to deal with, no questions asked, just follow their instructions. The amount they sent me is within $200 of my estimate too, so very happy.

[oneguy]

4 hours ago, Jeff McClendon said:

Just received my check from Midwest Refineries.

I mailed them my 10K and 14K scrap gold jewelry finds and my .925 silver scrap jewelry finds for the last 18 months for processing. I removed as many gemstones as I could before mailing. It all fit into a USPS Priority Mail Small Flat Rate box. I added some extra insurance.

Midwest received and processed it on the same day and I have a check in my hands for $2,400 or so after a one week turnaround. They paid 95% of melt value on the gold and 90% on the silver with no additional fees. Very easy to deal with, no questions asked, just follow their instructions. The amount they sent me is within $200 of my estimate too, so very happy.

Thanks for the info on Midwest!  Bills starting to add up even with insurance for the chemo crap....AGAIN.  Highly doubt I'll have to sell my wild gold but nice to know a trustworthy refiner from a trusted forum member...THANKS!  Feel good and the chemo working REALLY well once again and I'll be back on the mtn come spring!!!!!!!