Selling gold around Hatton Garden and The Arcade

At a glance

The Hatton Garden BID directory is a useful starting point for identifying businesses. The Arcade's location page is the direct location source, but we could not verify a readable common buying policy from it. This guide therefore does not promise that every counter buys from the public or shares opening hours, rates or safeguards.

Plan the assessment, not a tour of shopfronts

First decide what needs assessing. A broken plain chain raises different questions from an antique diamond brooch or a signed bracelet. Ask prospective businesses whether they buy your type of object and whether the appointment is for a purchase offer, a paid valuation report or another service. These are not the same thing.

If you already have an insurance valuation, take it as identification evidence rather than a required buying price. For a family collection, photograph and number the pieces before travelling. Keep pairs and sets together. An orderly inventory helps you compare offers and notice if a total excludes an item that another buyer included.

Avoid taking every valuable from an estate on an unplanned visit. Start with clear photographs or a smaller agreed selection where appropriate. Confirm arrangements directly with the actual firm using its official contact details. A directory entry, an area name and a social-media account with a similar name are not interchangeable evidence of who will receive your property.

A practical visit, step by step

1. Choose relevant dealers. Use the district directory and individual business information to check the service rather than assuming any jewellery retailer buys used pieces.
2. Confirm the purpose and cost. Ask whether an offer assessment is chargeable and what any report would contain before agreeing to it.
3. Prepare a private item record. Note photographs, marks, condition, paperwork and the pieces included in each proposed sale.
4. Ask for the basis of the offer. Separate a scrap calculation from a whole-piece commercial assessment and request the net amount payable.
5. Compare before committing. Check which pieces and accessories each figure covers, and keep a receipt if property remains with a business.

Do not allow a busy counter or a persuasive explanation to replace a clear record. If an item is taken elsewhere for examination, ask who has custody, why it is necessary, whether testing could leave a mark and how you will receive it back if you do not sell. You should understand an assessment step before consenting to it.

Gold: weight, purity and the actual buying basis

For a metal-only estimate, eligible gold weight multiplied by fineness gives fine-gold content. Multiplying that by a stated fine-gold reference price produces a reference metal value before buying deductions or margin. Ask whether the quoted price is per gram of fine gold or per gram of the jewellery's stated fineness; confusing them can produce a misleading comparison.

Gross weight can include stones, steel springs, enamel and other materials. Ask how deductions are established rather than assuming every gram is gold. A mixed batch should not receive one unexplained purity factor if it includes visibly different standards. Keep a note of the reference-price time when comparing quotes because a changing market can otherwise obscure the difference.

Use the gold-content calculator to understand the units. It is an educational calculation, not a quotation from a Hatton Garden dealer. A high advertised per-gram figure may have conditions; request the actual final amount for your actual piece instead of calculating a promised payout from a headline alone.

Whole-piece jewellery can require a different question

A signed jewel, an intact period setting or an unusual construction may have a resale route beyond metal. Ask whether the buyer is assessing it as wearable jewellery, as an antique or for recovery of materials. A metal baseline is useful, but melting a complete piece is an irreversible decision and should not be the default simply because it is easy to calculate.

Photograph maker's marks, clasps, settings and repairs. Do not polish away patina, remove stones or attempt acid testing at home. A hallmark relates to precious-metal standards; it does not prove gemstone quality or dictate a commercial offer. GOV.UK's hallmarking guidance also explains that exemptions exist, so absence of a mark is not a complete assessment.

For diamonds, distinguish an existing laboratory report from an insurance replacement figure. Match available paperwork to the object rather than assuming a loose report describes any similar-looking stone. Ask what further examination is necessary. Do not publish a complete dossier of identifiers online merely to obtain informal estimates from strangers.

Costs, payment and custody questions

Before accepting, ask whether there are assessment, testing, commission, payment or other deductions. This guide does not claim those charges apply everywhere; it asks you to establish the terms of the actual deal. If the quoted amount is already net, record that. If it is conditional, identify what can still change.

For property left behind, retain an itemised receipt and agreed next step. Confirm how to decline, retrieve the item and resolve a disagreement. Do not infer insurance coverage from a prestigious address. Ask about the business's custody arrangements and any applicable terms without expecting an area directory to provide them on every dealer's behalf.

When the final decision is a sale, confirm the recipient and payment method in the written record. An estimate, an instruction to test, and an instruction to sell are different permissions. Make your intention clear, especially if an executor or family representative is coordinating several owners or beneficiaries.

Strengths and limitations of a district visit

Having separate relevant businesses nearby can make comparison practical. You may be able to discuss marks and construction in person and ask why two assessments differ. That does not mean every dealer has the same expertise, all offers are directly comparable or a visit guarantees a higher price than a postal or local alternative.

Travel, time and the risk of carrying valuables are costs too. A modest scrap item may not justify a long journey solely on the hope of a better headline rate. A distinctive piece may justify specialist enquiry, but confirm expertise in that object rather than equating proximity to jewellery shops with a single standard of assessment.

The BID's diamond-jeweller guidance suggests trade-body membership as one check. Membership is not a promise that a particular buying price is optimal, nor a reason to skip reading the transaction record. Judge the actual explanation and terms alongside business identity.

Alternatives and community context

For a gold-selling enquiry, compare H&T's published route. For a watch, the Watchfinder guide examines net offers after inspection. If keeping the item is your real priority, read pawn versus sale before asking any business about borrowing. The gold and jewellery hub explains when these routes answer different questions.

The public r/UKFrugal thread Best place to sell gold?, dated 2 September 2025, discusses price-checking and different selling routes. Its useful theme is comparing weight, purity and quotes rather than relying on location alone. It is anecdotal discussion, not a verified current rate table or an endorsement of a particular Hatton Garden dealer.

Questions about Hatton Garden and The Arcade

Does The Arcade set one buying price for gold?

We have not verified a common consumer-buying policy or shared rate. Hatton Garden contains separate businesses, and a named location should not be treated as one contracting buyer. Identify the actual dealer, confirm it buys your category and ask for its own written offer and terms before arranging a visit or leaving property.

Should I compare several counters?

Where practical, two or three relevant assessments can help, provided they cover the same items and transaction type. Record weight, purity, whole-piece or scrap basis and net payment. Repeated provisional numbers without those details can create confusion rather than a meaningful comparison. Include travel and any agreed assessment costs in your decision.

Can I insist on the insurance valuation amount?

An insurance figure answers a replacement-cost question, not what a dealer will pay for a second-hand item. Take the report if it helps identify the piece, but compare actual buying offers separately. Ask how maker, condition, stones and resale route were considered rather than treating the report as a compulsory minimum purchase price.

Does every jeweller buy from the public?

No. Some businesses retail, repair, manufacture or serve trade customers without offering the buying service you need. Confirm the exact service, accepted category and any appointment requirement directly. A directory listing or a page inviting businesses to sell through a platform is not necessarily an invitation to sell your personal jewellery.

Should I clean or dismantle jewellery first?

Usually the safer preparation is documentation rather than alteration. Keep settings, pairs and associated paperwork together and ask before using cleaners or removing components. A maker's mark, finish or complete setting may matter to assessment. Do not damage an item in an attempt to prove the metal or obtain a more attractive photograph.

What if a dealer needs to keep the item?

Agree the purpose, custody, any testing permission, cost and expected next step before leaving it. Obtain a detailed receipt identifying the actual business and your item. Confirm how to decline an offer and retrieve the property. This guide does not assume a district-wide insurance arrangement or universal free assessment or return policy.

Sources & how we checked

Official UK provider information and public guidance checked on 2026-10-17. We did not mystery-shop, obtain a loan or test a provider's buying prices. Examples labelled illustrative are arithmetic, not market data. Public discussions are anecdotal and are not customer ratings.

• The Arcade, Hatton Garden: location — checked 2026-10-17.
• Hatton Garden BID: official district directory — checked 2026-10-17.
• Hatton Garden BID: choosing a diamond jeweller — checked 2026-10-17.
• GOV.UK: hallmarking and consumer protection — checked 2026-10-17.

Published by Fair Vintage. Fair Vintage buys valuables and has a commercial interest in enquiries. This guide is general information, not a personal financial recommendation. Read our editorial policy and about page. For corrections or privacy questions, email support@fairvintage.co.uk.