Diamond Due Diligence

Diamonds are on our mind today. Here is some info, resources, and a crazy story (and lesson) ) for you to explore. 

If you are looking to sell valuable diamond jewelry, such as heirloom pieces, estate diamonds or even a diamond ring, make sure to do your research first.  At Atlanta Gold & Silver, we have many clients who bring us very expensive pieces they want to sell.  In order to make sure we can give them the price they want from their diamond jewelry, we take our time and work with all of our resources to make this possible.  That does not mean, however,  that we can guarantee you will get the amount of money you think your diamond is worth, but we will get you an amount that will make you happy. Most importantly, we do not pressure our clients to settle. 

If you do have some jewelry that has been in the vault for years and the value is over $8 thousand, or maybe an old engagement ring that you don't want, make sure to get the jewelry certified.  Whether it is a diamond ring, an antique diamond pin or a diamond necklace, it is essential to get it certified and graded by the GIA (Gem Institute of America) every 10 years.   There is a small cost involved, but it will net you a lot more money when you sell. The website is very informational and provides all the information you need to submit your gem for grading.  They even have a page updated weekly that tells you the turnaround time for your diamond.

Note:  An appraisal, from a jewelry store or insurance company, is not the same as GIA certification. In fact, you may notice a large difference between the appraised price and the actual amount you are offered. That is because, appraisals are based on replacement value and the retail price of a similar piece. 

Even if you don't send your stone to the GIA, the site still provides a wealth of information about diamonds and other gem stones, including all the factors and varieties that can increase or decrease the value. Remember, the bigger the size does not always mean the bigger the value. Value is based on the quality of the stone.

If you are in the market to buy a diamond ring, or invest in a diamond, make sure to do your research on the GIA website. With the knowledge about all factors including slight differences in color and cut, you will be a much more informed and smarter buyer. Also, when making a large investment in a stone or diamond jewelry, always insist on the certification of the piece to ensure that you are getting exactly what you pay for.


Now for the lesson:  Always check your pockets.  One Huntington Beach woman made this terrible mistake when she sold a jean jacket in a garage sale for $20.  Later, she realized that her diamond earrings, worth $18,000 were still in the pockets. Read the full story here.

Old Coins Can Be Worth More Than You Think

 For years, people have been saving up there up their coins for a rainy day. Whether or not you ever cash them in, it feels good to know that they are there if you ever need them.  

But what you may not realize, especially if you have inherited a family members old coins, or you yourself have a jar stashed somewhere that you started collecting many years ago, is that there may be a lot more value in that old jar of coins than meets the eye. 

In fact, at Atlanta Gold and Silver, we have been seeing a lot of people coming in with old coin collections and walking out the door with a large check in hand. Of course, not every old jar of coins is valuable (in terms of silver, you want to look for dimes and quarters pre 1965), but there is no harm in looking. 

So, how do you know if your bag of dimes is worth more than, well, a bag of dimes? Here are some things to look for and some tips that may help you find some substantial money laying around the house.

Note: these values are not absolute and they are based on the price of silver in May 2013.  These are based the melt value, and do not consider condition or possible collector's value. 

• 1916-1945 Mercury dimes.  These are 90% silver (10 percent copper) and each dime can fetch a price of around $1.50 
  
• 1946-1964 Roosevelt Dime: Despite the year, these dimes are the same weight (2.5 grams) as the Mercury dimes and are worth the exact same as the earlier dimes. 

• The rest of your dimes (beginning in 1965), are simply dimes worth 10 cents each. 
• 1916-1930 Standing Lady Liberty Quarter.  If you happen to have these in your old stash, you are in luck. At 6.25 grams, you have a little over $4 in silver value. 

• 1932-`1964 Quarter.  Any quarters during this period (before 1965) are worth the same as the Lady Liberty Quarters and weigh the same 6.25 grams.
• While you are less likely to have half dollars just collecting dust in the house, it's still worth looking.  Any half dollar minted in 1964 or earlier can be worth about 12 dollars. 
• Even the ones that are made between 1965-1970 still have a little value in them (they are composed of 40% silver, compared to the pre-1964 90% silver ones)

Here are a few more coins that may bring you some extra cash..

• Morgan Dollar (1878-1921).  Based on the price of silver, you could have about 17 dollars in just one of those. 
  
• Peace Dollar (1921-1935) Same as above

To find out more about the different types of coins and mintage of the coins, visit http://www.usmint.gov/

That's What We Call a Rock

During a recent Christie's New York  Spring  auction sale, a diamond, called the Princie Diamond was sold for more than $39.3 million dollars this past week. The diamond is a 34.65 carat fancy intense pink cushion-cut diamond.

This price is a new record for Christies for any price of a jewel every sold. To read more about the origin and the history of this diamond, click here.

But that wasn't the only diamond that seemed to draw big buyers in at the auction. Here is a roundup of some of the other impressive jewelry sales. 

 

• A diamond ring by Harry Winston sold for $3.3 million. The ring was set with a marquise-cut diamond, weighing approximately 23.30 carats, flanked on either side by a tapered baguette-cut diamond and mounted in platinum (source: Christie's)

•  A three strand natural pearl necklace sold for $1.1 million 
  
• An 11.39 D Color internally flawless Emerald Cut Diamond fetched  $1.3 million

• A Harry Winston Diamond and Emerald Necklace was sold for $1.2 million
  

The auction took place in New York on April 16th.  Apparently, diamonds were the star of the show.  For more about the auction, visit www.christies.com

How much is your silver and gold worth?

`We often get calls from people, who want us to quote them a price over the phone for their various pieces of jewelry. Unfortunately, we are not able to do this because there are many factors that determine the actual value of your gold and silver. These factors include the purity (10kt, 14kt, 18kt, 22kt), the weight, the weight of stones in the jewelry as well as the spot price of gold and silver. We always recommend people just bring in what we have so that we can give them an accurate offer. But, if you are trying to decide a ballpark figure of the value of your unwanted jewelry, we have a tool that may help you get a better idea of what you have.

Gold Calculator:

These are not accurate by any means but if you do know the carat purity of your gold or it is marked sterling silver, and you have an exact weight, there are metal calculators that will bring up an estimate for you.

**Beware, however: These prices fluctuate by the hour and there is no guarantee that the actual items will generate you the money in the calculator. 

REMEMBER: THESE CALCULATORS ARE NOT CONCRETE AND DO NOT REFLECT THE PRICE THAT ATLANTA GOLD AND SILVER OFFERS.

**Here are a few sites where you can check out theses tools:
http://www.goldintomoney.com/calculator
http://coinapps.com/silver/coin/calculator/ - This is a great option if you have a lot of silver coins in your coin collection.  Basically, it gives you an estimate, based on the type and number of coins you have.

Not sure of the weight?  Try searching the Internet for a similar item. Generally if it is listed for sale somewhere, they will include the total weight of the item. Then you can insert that weight into the calculator for a better picture of what you have.

For some sample prices, and to get a general idea, click here.

Top 3 Reasons Why You Should Still Sell Your Gold and Silver

Even though gold prices have dropped, that does not mean you should not sell your unwanted jewelry and gold.  Here are 3 top reasons why it's still okay to cash in your silver gold and platinum when the prices are low.

1. SPRING CLEANING. If you have items that are gold or silver or old diamonds just sitting and collecting dust, why not sell? 
2. YOU STILL MAKE MONEY. Just because the prices of the metals are not sky high, does not mean you can't make money. In fact, there is still a lot of money to be made from your unwanted scrap metals.




3. BUY NEW and trade old. Buy that new piece of jewelry you deserve.  Out with the old and in with the new.


To find out more about how to sell your silver and gold, click here.

Got Gold Coins?

Gold and Silver coins can be very valuable. Whether you are a collector or happen to find a gold coin in an old box that belonged to your grandfather, these rare finds are worth a lot of money.


If you are not an avid coin collector, determining what you have and if it has value can be difficult.  Below is a quick guide to the most valuable coins and more specifically, the gold coins.   To find out what we will pay for yours, call us or come into Atlanta Gold and Silver.

American Eagle Coin-


Canadian Gold Maple Leaf:


South Africa Gold Krugerrand


If you are not sure what kind of coin you have and if it is of any valuable, go to www.coinflation.com. There you will find the price and value for specific coins.

For example a Liberty Quarter Eagle from 1840 to 1907 is valued at $190.40!





If you still cannot find the coin you are looking for, try to put the year and type of coin in google. You never know how much value a simple coin can hold.

How to Sell Your Gold

At Atlanta Gold & Silver, we get calls or customers that have never sold gold before. This is not uncommon. For some, the process may even seem intimidating or confusing.  It is actually very simple.  Here is what you can expect when you sell your gold silver or diamonds to Atlanta Gold & Silver.

• Go through your jewelry box and find unwanted gold or silver that you don't want.
• Bring your jewelry into our safe location in the heart of Midtown Atlanta.
• One of our employees will then go through and test your items with you. There are a few ways we do this to determine the purity of the metal.

1. Scratch test: For gold, we may scratch the item on a touchstone. Then based on the mark on your jewelry, we will begin the acid test. To learn more about the acid test, click here to get a better understanding on how the scratch test work.  In fact, you can even buy your own kit to test your metals at home.

This is an example of an assay machine. Ours is a different model. 

2. Assay Machine:  Generally we will use our assay machine to determine the makeup and purity of metal in your jewelry. Basically, this is an x-ray machine that tells us what components make up the jewelry.  We are one of the few locations that use this high tech machine because of its high cost.

• Once we know what you have (for example, 14k gold), we weigh the items.
• Using the price of gold, which can change by the hour, we input the weight and purity into our computer and Voilia...the value of your jewelry and unwanted metals is determined.
• To show you the breakdown, we will hand give you the printout, showing the price of individual items.
• Next, we ask to make a copy of your ID (sorry, its the law), assuming you decide to sell.
• Finally, we hand you a check.

To find out more, visit our website at www.atlantagoldsilver.com