Estate Jewelry and Intrinsic Value
Frisco Gold and Silver Exchange and Richardson Gold and Silver Exchange offers competitive prices for your gold and estate jewelry. Estate is a general term used to describe previously owned jewelry. Pre-owned/estate jewelry is not as valuable as new. In general, most people will never buy a previously owned engagement set, so the market for pre-owned engagement rings is not profitable making the value of your ring intrinsic. A jewelry pieces intrinsic value is its value measured in its metal weight and quality of diamond or gemstones. You can garner a handsome payout for your estate jewelry in its intrinsic value. Visit one of our locations in Frisco, Texas or Richardson, Texas to have one of our specialist review your trade.
Jewelry is a style driven industry. Some styles are classic and stay around for decades, others last just a few months. Estate jewelry that is out of style can’t command a premium price. In fact some styles are so out of favor that the jewelry’s only value is its intrinsic worth.
Antique Jewelry
The other extreme is that the jewelry could be antique. Antique jewelry is highly collectible and may require a specialty option to sell RGSE and FGSE can offer you a wholesale collectable price depending on the piece. Knowing if your jewelry is just old and out of style or an antique can mean the difference of hundreds, if not thousands of dollars. Our team can help you to determine your jewelries collectability.
If you do own an item that is deemed collectable its condition is a major determining factor of the price received for your jewelry. Damaged and broken jewelry many times justify the restoration costs but most of the time damaged jewelry is only valued at its intrinsic worth. Worn out jewelry impacts the value. It is a difficult repair to bring life back into a piece of jewelry. Most worn out jewelry is valued at its intrinsic worth. When we purchase damaged or worn jewelry at intrinsic value we melt it down at a refinery for a profit.
The jewelry industry has been recycling for millennia. In fact some of the gold in your jewelry could have been in use since the turn of the century or even further back in time. The refining process used to recover the metal utilizes strong chemicals and has strict environmental regulations which impact the price given for metal brought to be recycled.
Metal Formula
The formula used to calculate the price is the metal price (the daily spot price) multiplied by purity (the true noble metal content) times weight (can be in ounces, pennyweights or grams). Richardson Gold and Silver and Frisco Gold and Silver measure the purity of your trade in the karat of gold or percentage of noble metal (gold, platinum, silver). 24 karat is pure. 10 karat is 10/24 or .410 gold and the balance of weight is the alloys. 14 karat is 14/24 or .583 gold and 18 karat is 18/24 or .750 gold. Platinum most of the time is 90% pure and 10% alloy. Silver jewelry is usually sterling, which is .925 pure. The three units of weight used with precious metals are troy ounces, pennyweights, and grams. The troy ounce is equal to 20 pennyweights (DWT) or 31.15 grams. So here is an example; say the spot price of gold is $300 and a 14K ring weighing 10 grams would work out like this. $300 (spot price) X .583 (the fineness of gold) equals $174.90 per ounce divided by 31.15 (troy ounce to gram) equals $5.63 per gram times our ring of 10 grams equals $56.30. Just remember to subtract some refining cost and profit for the dealer and you can find out the intrinsic metal value for your jewelry.
Diamonds and Gems
Gems are an important part of jewelry. The estate jewelry value could be 99% determined by the gem. On the other hand the gem could add zero to the value. The two critical factors are the gem itself and the condition. Some gems have a higher value then others. A natural ruby is worth many times more then a synthetic ruby. Knowing your gem’s grade and rarity will help with understanding its value. The condition of the gem is critical to the value. Some chips and abrasions can justify the re-polishing cost. But in most cases chips and scratches will render the gem unappealing and valueless. Diamonds are generally more valuable and are evaluated based on the 4 C’s known as Carat, Cut, Clarity, and Color the larger the stone and the hirer the grade increase the value of the diamond.
Overview
The overview of the determining factors of estate jewelry is style, condition, and intrinsic worth. Remember you don’t get paid for the jewelry in relation to what you paid but the condition and demand when you sell. Clean jewelry shows the item at its best and helps in evaluating the design and gems.
Selling Options
Selling estate jewelry is the art of compromise. There is a balance between dollar paid and quickness of payment and ease of transaction. You may want the high price, fast and easy, but the higher the price gained from the sale of estate jewelry, the longer the time and more difficult the transaction. Finding another consumer to buy your jewelry is the most profitable but the most difficult, time consuming and problematic. Bringing your sellable jewelry to RGSE in Richardson, Texas or FGSE in Frisco, Texas will be the least time consuming and profitable. We make the process easy and fast. We have two centrally located shops near Dallas in Richardson, Texas and at the border of Plano, Texas in Frisco, Texas.