What is valued, item by item
| Item | What matters most |
|---|---|
| Chains and bracelets | Weight and standard. Length and style rarely affect metal value; broken links do not either. |
| Rings | Standard, weight of the metal excluding stones, and whether the design or maker adds value. |
| Earrings | Weight and standard. Odd earrings are valued exactly like pairs — see selling broken gold jewellery. |
| Pendants and charms | Weight and standard, with bails and jump rings counted only if they are gold. |
| Watches | Assessed as watches. A gold case is not the whole story and should never be scrapped without identification. |
Stones and non-gold parts
Stones are not gold and are never included in fine gold weight. Neither are steel spring bars, watch pins or base metal safety chains. Where a stone carries genuine value, the piece is generally worth more intact than melted.
When jewellery is worth more than its gold
- A recognised maker's or retailer's name on the piece.
- Victorian, Edwardian or Art Deco work in original, unaltered condition.
- Diamonds of any real size, particularly older cuts.
- Unusual construction, enamel, or fine hand-finished detail.
Retail price and metal value are different things
What a piece cost in a shop included design, branding, retail margin and VAT. A metal valuation covers the gold content only. Neither figure is wrong; they measure different things — and that gap is exactly why pieces with real design value should be sold as jewellery rather than scrapped.
White gold, rose gold and colour
Colour comes from the alloy, not the gold. 18ct white gold and 18ct yellow gold are both 75% fine gold and are valued identically. Worn rhodium plating on white gold is normal and costs nothing in metal terms — see 18ct gold.
