When people think about selling jewellery, they often picture a simple exchange: an old ring, a broken chain or an inherited bracelet is weighed, a price is given and the item disappears. In practice, a responsible specialist buyer starts with a more careful question: what is this piece, what materials does it contain and what can be confirmed through inspection?
At Diamond & Gold Buyers, we assess items in a private, appointment-based setting in Green Point. You can send us photographs, certificates and a description for an estimated offer. If that estimate suits you, we arrange an inspection at our office. After examining the item, we confirm a final offer if appropriate; if you accept, we process the paperwork for payment.
This guide explains the buyer stage clearly. It does not claim that every item follows one downstream route. The answer depends on the piece, its materials, its condition, our purchasing criteria and the route that is appropriate after a sale has been completed.
What “scrap jewellery” means – and what it does not
A scrap jewellery buyer may deal with items that are broken, unwanted, damaged or no longer wearable. That does not mean the material is automatically worthless, nor does it mean every item should be treated only as scrap. A fine piece can contain more than one source of value: precious-metal content, gemstones, a recognisable maker, an intact setting, historic character or resale potential.
That distinction matters when selling jewellery. A chain with a broken clasp may be assessed differently from a signed piece, a diamond ring or a well-preserved estate item. We do not need a piece to be perfect before we inspect it. What matters is that we can identify what is present and apply our criteria to the item as it stands.
For diamond-set jewellery, we assess the piece as a whole, considering both the diamond and the precious-metal setting. For gold, our service describes assessment of carat composition and weight with X-ray fluorescence (XRF) testing. Those are buyer-stage steps that help us understand the materials before an offer is confirmed.
The process starts with information, not an assumption
Before an in-office inspection, we invite you to send photographs, certificates and a description of the items you wish to sell. That lets us consider the information available and make an estimated offer.
An estimate is not the same as a final offer. Photographs can show a general shape, a hallmark or the condition of a setting, but they cannot replace handling, testing and a close inspection. The appointment gives us the opportunity to confirm the details that matter to the assessment.
If you are selling jewellery from an estate, a collection or a personal jewellery box, it helps to keep pieces separate and to bring any certificates, earlier appraisal reports, purchase information or repair notes you still have. Before selling jewellery, keep that documentation together with the items rather than relying on memory at the appointment. It does not set an automatic price, but it may assist identification and give useful context to the inspection.
Inspection: seeing the complete item
An in-person inspection allows a buyer to move beyond a single number on a scale. We look at the item as a complete piece before deciding whether we can make an offer. That can include its visible condition, construction, hallmarks, stones, setting and the materials it contains.
This approach is important because “scrap” is a description of a possible route, not a shortcut around assessment. An intact designer item, a vintage piece with clear provenance or a diamond-set ring may call for a different conversation from a plain, broken gold chain. We do not assume that a piece’s weight tells its whole story.
Our diamond service has specific criteria, and we may not make an offer on every item. For example, our listed diamond requirements focus on cut and polished stones and set out other criteria for consideration. Being clear about that at the inspection is better than treating every material as interchangeable.
Identifying precious-metal content
When selling jewellery with a precious-metal component, material identification is part of a careful assessment. Hallmarks can be helpful clues, but they are not the entire answer. An item may have been altered, repaired, plated, worn or made from more than one metal.
At Diamond & Gold Buyers, we use XRF technology to determine the carat composition and weight of gold during the assessment. That supports an evidence-led view of a piece’s precious-metal content. It is particularly useful when the visible hallmark and the physical item need to be considered together.
A buyer may also need to distinguish the precious metal from non-precious components, stones, clasps or other fittings. That is one reason a physical inspection matters. The final offer follows inspection; it is not a promise based only on an initial photograph or a seller’s description.
What happens after a buyer accepts an item
The important point is that the buyer stage comes before any later material route. First, we establish whether we can consider the item. Then we inspect it, explain the assessment and confirm a final offer if appropriate. You choose whether to accept that offer. Only after acceptance do we complete the paperwork for payment.
From there, the appropriate handling path can differ. Diamond & Gold Buyers says that every diamond we purchase is filtered back into the fine jewellery industry for reuse. That is a specific reuse statement for diamonds we purchase; it should not be read as a claim that every material, every setting or every item follows the same route.
For gold and other fine metals, the wider industry includes recycling and refining. The World Gold Council notes that most recycled gold comes from jewellery and that recycled gold needs processing and refining to achieve a guaranteed quality. This is a high-level industry context, not a description of a particular refinery’s proprietary method or a guarantee about the route of an individual item.
What refining means at a high level
Refining is the specialist stage used to recover and prepare precious metal to an appropriate standard. It is separate from the customer-facing buyer assessment. At the buyer stage, the question is whether the item can be assessed and purchased. At the refining stage, the question is how a confirmed material stream is processed to meet the requirements of its next use.
A client does not need to know the chemistry or machinery to understand the principle. The value of a specialist buyer is in identifying material accurately, being clear about the inspection process and avoiding unsupported assumptions about what an item is made from. The value of a refinery is in managing the controlled processes required for material recovery and quality.
Diamond & Gold Buyers maintains direct refining channels for gold, according to our gold service information. We will confirm the details that relate to your items at the time of assessment. We do not represent every downstream partner as accredited to a particular standard unless that status has been independently confirmed.
Why responsible supply-chain language needs care
Responsible sourcing is a real part of the global precious-metals conversation, but it should be described precisely. The LBMA Responsible Sourcing Programme applies to LBMA Good Delivery refiners and includes an assurance process and due-diligence framework.
That framework is useful context for understanding why traceability, documentation and due diligence matter downstream. It does not mean every buyer, refiner or transaction is automatically LBMA-accredited. When responsible sourcing is important to you, ask specific questions about the route relevant to your item rather than relying on broad labels.
At Diamond & Gold Buyers, our role is to provide a private, documented starting point for the pieces we can consider. We explain the assessment, confirm the final offer after inspection and proceed only if you choose to accept it. That gives you clarity at the point where selling jewellery becomes a completed transaction.
Questions worth asking a scrap jewellery buyer
A well-prepared seller does not need to be an expert in refining. When selling jewellery, you do, however, deserve clear answers about the buyer stage. Useful questions include:
- How will you assess the item in person?
- Will you consider the whole piece, including gemstones and identifying marks?
- Which documents or certificates would be useful to bring?
- Is the initial indication an estimate or a final offer?
- What happens after the inspection if I decide not to accept the offer?
- Are there purchase criteria that might mean you cannot make an offer?
These questions keep the conversation focused on the information you can verify. They are more useful than assuming every unwanted item is processed in the same way.
A clearer way to approach selling jewellery
Whether you have a damaged gold bracelet, inherited diamond jewellery or a collection of pieces you no longer wear, the first step is a professional assessment – not an assumption about scrap value or a guess about what happens in a refinery.
At Diamond & Gold Buyers, we make selling jewellery more straightforward: send us the item information, receive an estimated offer, then arrange a private inspection at our Green Point office if you would like to proceed. We will assess the items we can consider, explain the final offer after inspection and complete the paperwork only if you decide to sell.