How To Sell Jewelry: A Quick Guide to Your Best Options

examining a bracelet among gold, silver, and platinum jewelry sorted on a tray for sale or trade-in

A bracelet with a faulty clasp. A ring that hasn’t fit in years. A few tangled chains at the bottom of a drawer. These pieces may no longer see the light of day, but they still have value.

When you’re ready to let them go, there are three clear paths: sell them, consign them, or trade them in. At Nelson Coleman Jewelers, our job is to make each step easy and transparent so you can decide what works best for you.

Selling Your Jewelry

Selling is the most straightforward option. It’s often the right fit when you want quick payment for items you’re no longer using. We buy almost anything made of gold, silver, or platinum. This includes broken jewelry.

What To Expect

When selling your gold or jewelry, you can meet privately with our buyer by appointment or drop off your items for review. No matter which option you choose, we follow the same process for reviewing your items.

First, items are sorted by metal type (gold, silver, or platinum) and by purity. Purity shows how much of the metal is actually present versus other alloys.

Silver is typically marked .925 (sterling) or .999 (fine silver).
Gold is commonly marked 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K, or 24K. Older items may have other markings depending on when they were made.

Any unmarked or unclear pieces are tested using an acid test. Here’s how it works: the piece is gently rubbed on a special testing stone to leave a small streak of metal. Then, a tiny drop of acid is applied to the streak. Different acids react with different purities of metal, allowing the tester to identify exactly what the metal is. The streak is wiped away afterward, leaving the piece unharmed. This process helps us determine the metal’s purity so we can calculate an accurate offer.

Next, items are weighed to see how much precious metal each group contains.

Finally, we calculate your offer using current market prices, adjusted for purity and weight, and present it to you clearly.

Trade-In Your Jewelry

Trade-in follows the same process as selling. Your items are sorted, tested, and weighed just like they would be for a direct payment offer. The difference comes at the end: instead of receiving payment, you receive store credit that is 20% higher than a standard payment offer.

This store credit can be used right away toward new pieces of jewelry, or toward repairs and custom designs to refresh or extend the life of pieces you want to keep. Trading in lets you put your jewelry toward something meaningful, without leaving it unused.

Consign Your Jewelry

Consignment is a different approach. Instead of receiving payment right away, your jewelry is offered for sale through our store and e-commerce channels. Payment is issued after the item sells.

When considering consignment, it’s important to know that this is not a quick process. Some items may take longer than expected to sell, so consignment is best for high-value pieces where you’re comfortable waiting for payment.

What To Expect

We’ll carefully review the items you’d like to consign to determine if they’re a good fit based on condition, style, and market interest.

If a piece is a good fit, it will be cleaned and repaired so it’s ready for sale. We handle the repair work in-store, and repair costs are deducted from the final payment once the piece sells. The repair prices are shared with you up front, so there are no surprises.

Once ready, the piece is added to our in-store inventory. It may also be included on our website or other online channels, but this addition isn’t always immediate — it can take several weeks before your piece is listed for sale.

When the piece sells, you receive payment minus any repair costs. Payment is issued once all steps are complete, which means you may need to wait for payment after the item is listed and sold, but we’ll keep you informed throughout the process. If a piece doesn’t sell in a certain timeframe, we’ll discuss next steps with you.

Consignment is a good choice for pieces that are of high value, have strong design appeal, or are of collectible interest. Consignment payment is often higher than what you would receive with a direct offer, making it a worthwhile option for the right items.

Choosing The Right Option For You

Each approach, Selling, Trade-In, and Consignment, works a little differently. Here’s a quick guide to help you decide which might be best for you and your jewelry:

GOAL	BEST OPTION
You want quick payment, even for broken pieces	Selling
You want extra store credit to use immediately, including for new jewelry, repairs, or custom designs	Trade-In
You have high-value pieces and are comfortable waiting for payment	Consignment

No matter which path you choose, our goal is always the same, to make the process clear, fair, and easy.

Deciding what to do with old or unused jewelry doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re looking for straightforward payment, a way to refresh your collection, or the opportunity to maximize a high-value piece, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.