Silver and Gold Jewelry Appraisals: What you Should Know

The first step to selling jewellery in Kitchener is to have your items appraised. Silver and gold jewellery can fetch top dollar if they consist of high quality precious metals. Silver and gold jewellery will be purchased by the dealer if the purity levels are high. This means the jewellery must have a high karat weight to be considered. With an appraisal, you will be able to learn the value of your pieces and be made an offer. But what happens during an appraisal? What should you know to ensure you get a good deal?

Know What You Are Selling

To begin, you need to evaluate the items you wish to sell. A dealer will not be interested in costume jewellery so you will need to remove any items that are not real gold or silver in nature. You can check for real gold or silver by using a magnet. This is one way to test your jewellery. In most cases, if the magnet sticks to the jewellery, then the item is not real.

Almost all jewellery will have a purity stamp which indicates the type of gold or silver used on the piece. For gold, look for markings of 10k, 14k, 18k or 22k. International markings would show a numeric stamp of .416, .585, .750 or .916, etc. For silver jewellery, the item would be stamped with the term Sterling, .925 or .800 with image stamps used for international items. Any item that has the term filled, electroplate or plate will not be real gold or silver. These terms are used for items that have been coated in gold or silver on top of a base metal.

The Appraisal Process

The dealer will be looking at your jewellery and weighing the items as well as checking for markings. You will be paid for the purity level of each piece based on a number of factors. Any semi-precious stones in an item may have to be removed in order to get the accurate weight of the gold or silver. If you have pieces with diamonds associated, the diamonds may be sellable too. You may receive an offer for the diamond on top of the gold and silver content.

Once the appraisal is complete, the dealer will make you an offer. You can choose to counteroffer, accept or move on. Either way, be sure that you feel comfortable in your decision making. By visiting a dealer who specializes in gold and silver jewellery appraisals it will allow you to feel good about the offer you are given and to receive the most money for your gold and silver jewellery.

When you wish to sell your old gold or silver jewellery items visit Colonial Acres. We offer land-based retail stores as well as online opportunities. We can assist you with the appraisal of your jewellery as well as provide additional assistance. Learn more by visiting our website or our location.