Guide · 7-minute read
A box of jewellery you cannot identify: where to start
The short answer
You do not need to know what anything is, or to sort anything, before you ask. If you would like to, a quick sort into six piles, four checks that need only a magnet and daylight, and clear photographs of the marks are enough to describe the box. From those photographs Assaypost will tell you what the pieces appear to be, and whether any should go to a specialist, before you post anything.
Sort it before you try to value it
Nobody can read a heap. In a tangle of mixed metal the few interesting pieces sit under the ordinary ones, and there are usually far more ordinary ones.
Tip the box out on a pale towel on a table, near a window if you can. If you have half an hour, sorting is the slow part, and everything after it goes quicker. If not, photograph the box as it is.
At this stage you are not deciding what anything is worth, only which pile it belongs in. The piles are there so that the awkward pieces end up somewhere they will be looked at properly, rather than swept along with everything else.
Six piles, and what goes in each
Sorting a mixed box into six groups
| Pile | What goes in it | Why it is separate |
|---|---|---|
| Marked | Anything with a hallmark or a stamp you can see: 375, 585, 750, 916, 925, a lion, an anchor, a leopard's head | The mark can be read, so these are the easiest pieces to describe |
| Unmarked but heavy for its size | Chains, bangles and rings with no mark that feel dense in the hand | Small items can lawfully be unmarked; these need testing rather than reading |
| Stone-set | Anything with a stone, a pearl, enamel or glass in it | What to do about a stone is a separate question from the metal around it, as the stones guide explains |
| Watches, coins, and anything signed or old-looking | Anything that tells the time, has a monarch's head on it, carries a name rather than a number, or looks Victorian or earlier | Any of these can be worth far more than its metal, so ask about them before deciding anything |
| Definitely costume | Anything clearly plated, very light, base metal or made as costume jewellery | You can leave it at home, but look for a maker's name before you decide it is worth nothing |
| Cannot tell | Everything else | This is the pile to photograph and ask about |
The last pile is often the biggest of the six, and that is normal. It is where the useful questions come from, and it is what the photographs are for.
Do not force a knot of chains apart
Work at it slowly, or leave the knot alone and photograph it as it is. Fine chain is thin and pulling breaks links. A broken chain can still be sold, but a piece someone might have wanted to wear can no longer be worn, and that should be a decision, not an accident.
Four checks you can do at your own table
None of these needs anything you do not already own, and none of them marks the piece. Between them they sort a good part of the last pile.
- The magnetA fridge magnet will do, though a stronger one is better. Gold and silver alloys are not attracted to a magnet. If a whole chain or bangle pulls towards it, it is almost certainly not solid precious metal. If only the clasp pulls, that is the steel spring inside, and the rest of the chain may be fine. Stop there: some home tests go on to scratch or mark a piece, and testing gold at home explains which ones to leave alone.
- Weight against sizeHold two pieces, one in each hand. High-carat gold feels noticeably heavy for its size, and even 9ct is heavier than brass, though it feels much like silver. A chain that feels lighter than it looks is often hollow or plated. This is a comparison between two pieces, not a measurement of one.
- The wear pointsLook at the tips of the links, the underside of a clasp, the edge of a ring shank and any raised decoration. Plating wears through there first. A different colour showing at a worn edge usually means a different metal underneath.
- Marks left on skinWorn costume jewellery often leaves green or grey marks on skin. So can 9ct gold, which is less than two-fifths gold, and sterling silver can leave a dark smudge. Higher-carat gold rarely does. It is a rough sign and proves nothing either way.
These checks leave two questions open. Whether a heavy unmarked piece is gold needs a proper test. Whether something is worth more than its metal depends on who made it and when, which no table-top check can tell you.
Where the marks hide, and how to photograph them
Makers put marks where they will not spoil the look of a piece, so they are rarely where you first look. A few minutes with a phone camera finds most of them.
- Rings. Inside the shank, usually at the bottom. A mark can be hidden under a repair or worn nearly flat.
- Chains and bracelets. On the clasp, on the small flat tag beside it, or on the ring at either end.
- Pendants and lockets. On the bail (the small loop the chain passes through) or on the back edge.
- Earrings. On the post, on the butterfly back, or inside a hoop. Both earrings of a pair should match.
- Cutlery. On the back of the stem: near the bowl on older spoons, near the end on later ones.
- Hollowware and candlesticks. Underneath, on a rim, or on a removable lid, which should carry marks of its own.
- Watches. Inside the case back, which only a watchmaker or jeweller should open. Leave it closed and photograph the outside.
To photograph a mark, rest the piece on something plain and pale and let the light come from the side. Move the phone as close as it will still focus, often about ten centimetres. Take three or four pictures and keep the sharpest. You do not need a special lens or a magnifier, only light falling across the mark.
The hallmarks guide explains what the marks mean, and the glossary covers the words that come up. Under the Hallmarking Act, gold items under 1 g and silver items under 7.78 g do not have to be hallmarked, so a stud earring or a fine chain with no mark at all is quite ordinary.
What a photograph settles, and what has to wait
Sending pictures before you post is free and commits you to nothing. It helps to know in advance which questions a photograph can answer, so that a careful reply does not disappoint.
What can be told from photographs of a mixed box
| Question | From photographs? |
|---|---|
| Is this hallmarked, and what does the mark say? | Yes, if the mark is sharp in the picture |
| Is this obviously plated or costume? | Usually, from the wear points and how it is made |
| Is this a sovereign, and what date? | The type and date, usually, from clear pictures of both sides. Whether it is genuine needs the coin in hand |
| Might this be worth more to a specialist? | Often, yes. If it looks that way, we say so before any offer, so you can take it elsewhere |
| Is this unmarked heavy piece gold? | No. That needs a test |
| How much silver is in these candlesticks? | No. We would need to have them here to check |
| What will you offer me? | Not from photographs. You get a rough idea, which is not a valuation or a promise. The written offer comes after everything you send has been weighed and checked |
The fourth row is the one most worth sending pictures for. Learning that the brooch in the corner carries a maker's name, or that one coin is an unusual date, is far more use before the box is posted than after.
Seller risks and exceptions
- Throwing out the costume pile unseen. Some costume jewellery is signed, and a few makers' names are collected seriously. If a piece carries a name rather than a number, photograph it before you decide.
- Assuming an unmarked piece is worthless. Small items need not be marked, foreign pieces often carry a bare number instead of a hallmark, and on an old piece the mark may have worn away.
- Cleaning everything first. Polishing removes metal, and on anything old or collectable it removes value too. A dry dust is fine; keep silver dip and polishing cloths away, as the cleaning guide explains.
- Splitting a set. A canteen of cutlery, a pair of candlesticks, a tea set or a matching suite of jewellery is usually worth more together. Decide about the set as a whole.
- Opening a watch to look for marks. Case backs fit tightly and scratch easily. A watchmaker opens one in seconds; a screwdriver leaves a scar for good.
- Posting before you have asked. Photographs cost nothing, and a parcel that turns out not to be worth sending means two journeys for nothing. Ask first, especially if the box belonged to someone who has died.
When not to send the box at all
Three situations where the answer is not this route
If the box belongs to an estate and you cannot yet show you are entitled to sell it, stop and read the executor guide. If you are selling for somebody else, or for a club, a business or any other organisation, ask before you post and you will be told what authority is needed. If it holds a signed piece, a watch by a known maker (running or not), an unusual coin or antique silver, ask about those first; any that may be worth more to a specialist, an auction house or a dealer are flagged before an offer so you can take them there. And if anyone is hurrying you, including yourself, wait. None of this goes off.
The guide to what is worth having looked at first goes through the kinds of piece that can be worth more than their metal, and what to look for on each. If nothing in your box is one of them, one parcel, an itemised list and one written offer is a simple way to sell the rest, and selling gold by post shows how the gold in it is checked. The inherited jewellery page and the house clearance page explain the same route from a family's side.
Questions sellers ask
I have no idea what any of it is. Is that a problem?
No. Most people who ask are in the same position. Photograph what you have, with close pictures of any marks you can find, and send them. Sorting is optional; working out what things are is our job, not yours.
Should I weigh everything before I send it?
If you like. Weighing the main pieces on kitchen scales and writing the figures down is a useful record of what left the house. Kitchen scales are rarely precise with small items, so expect some difference from our weights. The written offer lists our recorded weight for every piece, so you can compare the two.
How do I tell gold from gold plate at home?
Look for a mark, try a magnet, compare the weight with something you know, and check the worn edges for a different colour showing through. Together those usually point one way or the other. None of them is proof, and a heavy unmarked piece needs a proper test.
What do I do with the single earrings?
Include them. Odd earrings turn up in almost every drawer, and they belong in a mixed lot like anything else. Check the backs as well as the fronts, because a butterfly back is sometimes a different metal from the earring.
There is a watch in the box. Does it go in the parcel?
Photograph it first and ask. Send pictures of the dial and the case back, but do not open or wind it. If the reply says it is worth only its case, it can go in the parcel. If it may be worth more as a watch, we tell you before any offer so you can take it to a specialist.
A box of odds and ends?
Tip it out on a table and photograph the lot in one or two pictures. A person writes back with what looks worth posting. You do not need to sort anything first.
Nothing is sold until you say yes. Say no and everything comes back by tracked, signed-for post at our cost.
No WhatsApp? Call or text 07369 296063, 6am to 10pm, seven days a week.
What is not paid for
Stones, clasp springs and base-metal fittings are not paid for as metal. A stone that cannot be lifted out goes with the piece, and nothing is taken apart. If a piece may be worth more as a jewel, we tell you before any offer, so you can take it elsewhere.