The direct answer
Old gold jewellery should be sorted before it is sold. Some pieces are mainly metal value; others deserve antique, gemstone, designer or family-context checks. Gold prices change daily. Fair Vintage uses current market references when preparing a written offer rather than hard-coding a fixed gold price into evergreen content.
Sort, but do not over-clean
Keep rings, chains, pendants and odd items separated, but do not polish or remove stones before valuation.
Inherited groups
When the jewellery came from a family estate, written item-by-item notes can help beneficiaries make a calmer decision.
Accept some, return some
You should not have to sell the whole group just because one piece is straightforward.
How Fair Vintage assesses this page topic
We separate the metal floor from the jewellery value. That means checking gold fineness and tested metal content, weight and construction, hallmarks, sponsor marks, assay office marks and maker signatures, age, period style and originality, gemstones, pearls, enamel and condition, designer, antique or collector demand beyond melt value, boxes, receipts, certificates and family notes. If a piece is mainly scrap, we say so; if it deserves antique, designer, gemstone or collector review, the written offer explains why.
Photographs to send
- group photo
- each stronger piece separately
- marks and signatures
- boxes or paperwork
- items you are unsure about
What jewellery owners ask on Reddit
Reddit is not used as valuation evidence. It is useful because public conversations reveal recurring seller worries: missing marks, changed fittings, whether to clean pieces, how to compare scrap and antique value, and whether a postal buyer can be trusted.
Official references used
These sources support hallmarking, gold-fineness and market-reference statements. They do not set the final Fair Vintage offer for an individual item.