Sell Gold Jewelry or Bullion: Which Gets You More at the Counter?

Mark Kurkdjian
Dec 24, 2025
3 min read

Deciding whether to sell gold jewelry or bullion comes down to what you own, how fast you need cash, and how much information you can bring to the counter. In Vancouver, offers usually move most on condition, completeness, and how easy it is to test. This guide gives a fast answer, the common mistakes people make, and what actually moves an offer up or down.

Quick checklist

Bring any receipts, certificates, or original packaging you have
Clean visible dirt gently; don't try to remove solder or fix damage
Know the karat or look for marks like 10K, 14K, 18K, or 999
Consider the speed you need versus the potential premium

Fast answer

If you want the straightforward, predictable route, bullion usually earns a cleaner price per gram because purity and weight are obvious and the market is liquid. Jewelry often sells for less per gram because the buyer subtracts workmanship, repair risk, and any stones that need separate bringing in. But jewelry can sometimes be worth more than melt value if it has designer marks, intact gemstones, or a collectible appeal.

Three common mistakes people make

People assume all gold is priced the same and that the karat stamp tells the whole story. That's not true: plating, alloys, and hidden damage change how a shop treats the piece. Another mistake is showing up without documentation or photos; a missing receipt can slow a sale and lower an offer because the buyer has to do more verification. Finally, many try to compare retail value to what a counter will pay — retail price includes retail margins and design costs that the counter won't pay for.

What changes the offer

Purity and weight are the baseline: higher karat and heavier items generally pull higher offers. Condition and whether stones are loose or need removal factor into labor deductions. Market demand and how quickly the shop needs to turn inventory also matter; if a buyer knows they can resell a common bullion coin quickly, that improves the offer. Certification and provenance—clear paperwork or an assay—reduce uncertainty and can add value, especially on high-end pieces.

You dig through a drawer and find a ring you wore last week. The box is missing and the receipt is nowhere to be found. That small absence can matter when someone has to verify what they're buying.

How the shop checks and pays

Expect a visual inspection and a few non-destructive tests: acid spot tests, electronic testers, or XRF if the shop has it. These are standard ways to confirm karat and spot plateing. Payment timing can vary; instant cash for bullion is common, while jewelry offers may include a brief hold or a slower payout if additional verification or gemstone testing is needed. If you need speed, state that up front — the shop will tell you whether they can move faster and what that costs in margin.

How to decide right now

If you have standard coins, bars, or sealed bullion with a known purity and you want the most direct payout, target buyers who trade bullion frequently. If you have marked designer pieces, intact precious stones, or sentimental items that might fetch a collector price, ask for an appraisal first and compare that estimate to the melt value. For a quick decision, weigh the convenience of immediate cash against the potential extra you might get by taking time to document or appraise jewelry.

Why offers feel lower than expected

Most people anchor to what they paid or what a new version costs. A shop anchors to what it can realistically sell it for used, how long that takes, and what can go wrong while it sits.

That gap is a buffer for testing time, returns, repairs, overhead, and the risk that demand is softer than you think.

Gold: what gets verified on the spot

For gold, the offer starts with what can be verified quickly: weight and purity. Hallmarks help, but they're not the final word — worn stamps, mixed alloys, and repairs can make stamps unreliable.

That's why shops test. If verification takes longer (mixed pieces, unclear marks, lots of stones), offers get more conservative because the buyer is pricing time and uncertainty.