With gold at record high prices recently, Girlawhirl and her Super Pals are getting reports from friends throughout the country about a trend in home entertaining: the gold party. And while the idea of turning lonely earrings and jewelry that she hasn't worn in years into cash sounds fabulous, after a little checking around, Girlawhirl found out that it might not be as straightforward as it sounds...
A friend who lives in the mid-west called with great news. She had attended a gold party and went home with $800 in cash. Before the party she had gone through her jewelry box and pulled out all of the single earrings – finally surrendering to the fact that she'll never find their mates – her old class ring, a broken chain that she knew she'd never have fixed and a few odd necklaces that she chalked up to having been too young when she purchased them in the first place. Off she went to the party, thinking that maybe she'd leave with enough for a nice dinner out, and then, wow! Because the price of gold is so high, she ended up with $800!
Girlawhirl was given the task of planning such a party for her pals. With plenty of on-line gold party “kits” and mail-in options, her head started to spin. One offered everything she needed – scale, supplies and a book with complete instructions – that cost more than she figured she'd make by selling her outcast jewelry. Another came with special envelopes to mail all items to their headquarters with the promise of checks being issued within 24 hours of receipt of the items. With Super Pals expecting the rush of cash in their hands, and Girlawhirl under pressure to find a trustworthy way of executing the get-together, she wasn't sure what to do.
And then it hit her. She stopped at her local jewelry store. That was all she had to do. Jewelry stores truly are the best place to sell old gold and other jewelry. They've got a vested interest in giving customers the best price – because they want them to remain customers – and while the price per gram for gold or any other precious metal they purchase (some will take silver and platinum as well) will vary, often daily, based on the actual price of the commodity, the process is very simple.
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First the pieces are examined and the jeweler determines the amount of gold in each by weighing them and then calculating the weight by concentration of gold in the actual alloy.
Girlawhirl arranged for her jeweler to handle the transactions for the gold party she's hosting for her Super Pals. He was happy to do it and even offered to host it at the store after hours – just in case there were some new baubles that might catch one of their eyes.