Determining Diamond Jewelry Value
Perhaps that piece of jewelry isn’t as special to you anymore, or perhaps you’ve fallen on hard times and need to pawn jewelry in order to get the money you need. Regardless of your reasons, if you’re looking to sell your diamond jewelry, you’ll want to make sure first that you have a good idea of whether it’s valuable. Here are a few tips for determining the diamond jewelry value, and equating that to cash.
Analyzing the Precious Metal the Stone is Set In
High-quality jewelry will always have markings indicating the quality of the gold used, and possibly a mark that indicates the maker, too. These markings are called hallmarks. On gold jewelry, look for markings such as 18K, 14K, 10K, 750, 585, or 375. All of these markings indicate the purity of the gold. On silver toned jewelry, 925, 800, Silver, or Sterling indicate that the jewelry is silver, while 950, PLATINUM, or PLAT mean that it is platinum.
Getting to the Root of Diamond Jewelry Value
One of the first things to determine diamond jewelry value is to inspect the stones to see how they are held in. Prongs typically indicate that the jewelry is high-quality, since inexpensive jewelry tends to have glued-in stones. If your jewelry is new and has prongs holding the stones in, chances are it’s worth something. Occasionally older costume jewelry is valuable too, so it may be worth checking even if you realize your jewelry isn’t made of diamonds after all.
The Carat is the Weight
Another indicator of whether you have a valuable piece of fine jewelry on your hands is the weight. Gold or silver jewelry will feel much heavier than costume jewelry made of cheaper metals, for example, and the workmanship will have a higher quality feel to it, too.
Estimate Stone Quality
Diamond appraisal is a tricky business. And the value of each individual stone is determined by four different factors: cut, clarity, color, and carat. Most likely you won’t be able to estimate your own jewelry’s value. Although, you should be able to look at the stones and get a feel for whether it’s worth checking on their value. Are the stones clear and bright? Do you see any flaws in the diamond? If so, it never hurts to ask an expert to take a look.
No one expects you to become a jewelry appraiser overnight. So if you have questions about the value of your diamond jewelry, an expert is the one to ask . To find out whether your jewelry is worth something, bring it into Oro Express Chandler. We are a trusted diamond buyer to Phoenix customers all over the Valley and will give you a fair price for your diamonds and jewelry.
Feature image: Kozlenko/Shutterstock
