Sell Gold Jewelry in Dallas

Gold karat chart for jewelry

Use this chart to estimate what your jewelry holds, then let the test settle it. Higher karats hold more gold per gram but bend and scratch more easily, which is why 10K and 14K fill most American jewelry boxes.

Stamps are a good first clue, not the final word. Older pieces, repaired pieces and jewelry made overseas sometimes carry a stamp that does not match the metal, and some carry no stamp at all. A ring sized up years ago may have a strip of lower karat gold added to the band. That is why we read each piece with the XRF reader instead of sorting by the stamp alone. If two pieces in your pile test differently from their marks, we show you the readings so you can see it for yourself.

Class rings, broken pieces, dental gold and sterling

We buy gold jewelry in any condition. A snapped chain holds the same gold as a whole one, so do not pay a jeweler to fix something you plan to sell.

• Class rings: most are 10K or 14K with a synthetic stone. We test the band and leave the stone out of the weight.
• Chains and bracelets: rope, box and herringbone styles, whole or broken. Steel clasps get set aside.
• Single earrings and orphaned charms: they add up, so toss them in the bag.
• Dental gold: crowns and bridgework come in many alloys. Bring them as they are, porcelain and all, and we test to see what they hold.
• Sterling silver: jewelry, flatware and serving pieces stamped 925 or Sterling are 92.5% silver. Silver-plated pieces hold very little silver.
• Gold coins worn as pendants: the bezel and the coin get checked separately, since the coin may carry a collector premium.

Before you sell: what to pull from the jewelry box

Go through the box with family first. A ring that looks like scrap to you may be the one a sister wanted. Set aside anything with a maker's name stamped inside, like a well-known designer or jewelry house, and show those to us separately so we can tell you whether gold value is the right way to price them.

Costume jewelry can stay home unless you are unsure. If a piece has no stamp and you cannot tell, bring it and we will test it. Untangling chains is not necessary. Cleaning is not either. Keep watches with gold cases together with their bands, and we will tell you which parts are gold and which are steel.

Most of all, take your time. Your gold is priced the same way whether you sell it this week or next month, give or take the spot price that day.

Gold jewelry from Dallas jewelry boxes

Walk through almost any Dallas jewelry box and you will find a class ring. Hillcrest, W.T. White, Skyline, Lake Highlands, Bishop Lynch, Jesuit, Ursuline and SMU have all handed out decades of gold rings, and most of them now sit in a drawer. We see plenty of them, along with the rings that came after: wedding bands from a first marriage, anniversary bands, and signet rings with initials no one in the family uses anymore.

Dallas shopped for jewelry at the malls for a long time. NorthPark Center opened in 1965, and the old Valley View mall and Prestonwood mall once had a jewelry counter on nearly every wing. Much of that jewelry was 14K, and the chains from the 1980s, thick herringbone and rope styles, often weigh more than people expect.

The city is also home to families with roots across South Asia and the Middle East, and their jewelry tells a different story. Bridal sets and bangles in 22K gold hold far more gold per gram than American pieces. They also tend to be stamped 916. We test them the same way and price them on actual gold content, so the higher karat shows up in the offer.

Hotel buying events still roll through Dallas a few times a year, usually in a rented meeting room off LBJ Freeway or Central Expressway. They advertise heavily and then leave. If you sell gold jewelry to anyone, make sure you see the karat test, the weight and the spot price used, and get it in writing before you hand anything over.

Dental gold deserves a calm, practical note. When families clear out a parent's home, a pill bottle of old crowns often turns up in a bathroom drawer. You do not need to clean them or pry anything loose. Seal them in a bag, bring them to the appointment, and we will tell you what the XRF reader shows.

If your gold jewelry is part of a whole estate, with silverware, coins and a safe to go through, call to set up a home appointment. Sorting a house full of pieces is easier where they already are.