It’s great to be able to realize money from old jewelry that you don’t wear anymore, but the rash of commercials and other advertisements promising quick cash for gold has confused many people’s estimates of the value of their belongings. Therefore, before going to a jewelry buyer and selling your gold items, consider this guide to what gold karats are and what they mean:
The Karat System
“Karat” is a term that often comes up when discussing jewelry, as it refers to the pureness of gold. In other words, gold karats refer to the amount of real gold in any given piece of jewelry. The system works like so:
If My Jewelry Isn’t Pure Gold, Then What Is It?
Jewelry isn’t made from 24 karat gold very often, because while gold has a beautiful depth of color and a high shine, it’s also quite soft. If you wore it every day, then you would start to deform it quite quickly! In order to make pieces of jewelry more long-lasting, other harder metals are added to the gold. The jewelry keeps the color and the shine of gold, but not the malleability. Therefore, although 24 karat gold jewelry is the most valuable jewelry simply because of its high gold content, 10 karat gold is the strongest for the opposite reason.
Of course, your jewelry is still worth money even if it’s not pure gold, and to find out how much, you need to go to an experienced and trustworthy gold buyer.
If you’re interested in selling your gold or silver, then you should consult with Gold & Silver Buyers. Located in Houston, Gold & Silver Buyers is a jewelry buyer that will give you cash for your gold. To learn more about selling your gold, call (281) 940-7632 today.
Nowadays almost all countries rely on paper money, but who among us hasn’t dreamed of finding a lost pirate ship filled with gold coins? That childhood fantasy is based upon a long history of fact, as precious metals have been used as currency pretty much since currency came into existence:
In the Beginning, There Was Gold
We don’t know who came up with the idea of currency and we don’t know why they settled upon gold as the common denominator, but the fact of the matter is that we can trace the first wide-scale creation of gold currency back to 640 B.C., when King Croesus began releasing gold coinage. In fact, the phrase “As rich as Croesus” was popular in the English language as late as the 1800s for that very reason! It seems as though around the time we stopped doing nothing but bartering, we started using gold in place of chickens and other goods and services—and we just kept going. Greece and Rome used gold coins, Venice created the gold ducat and England the gold florin (both in 1284), and even the United States got in on the action in 1784.
And Then There Was Silver
Gold wasn’t the only precious metal that was used as money back in the early days of history, however. Silver also got quite the workout as a less-valuable, but still useful commodity. In fact, although we often speak of the gold standard, China’s currency was actually on a silver standard during the 1500s. Silver was a mixed blessing, however. When the Spanish conquered much of central and Latin America, they gained access to high-yield silver mines in both Mexico and Peru. Instead of being a boon, most historians now believe that the sudden influx of precious metal actually helped trigger a huge wave of inflation and the eventual collapse of the Spanish empire. It also encouraged wide-spread piracy, as Spanish ships routinely sailed with loads of precious silver cargo—providing targets that were simply too tempting to both desperate mutineers and noblemen who sailed under the auspices of their home countries.
What about the value of gold today? These days, you can get cash for gold by selling your gold and silver to Gold & Silver Buyers in Houston. At Gold & Silver Buyers, we’re jewelry buyers who provide you with the best prices for your items. For more information, call (281) 940-7632 today.
Because we are a gold refiner, our prices are based on the spot market price of gold and silver. This price changes by the minutes; you always get the most up to date price when you sell to us. In the case of jewelry or diamonds, it will vary based on the quality of the piece. Each piece sent to us is hand-inspected by one of our trained Specialists. You will always have the final say; if you aren't happy with our offer, we will always be happy to return your pieces to you immediately.
At Gold & Silver Buyers, we buy a variety of items. Here are a few things that you might have available that could earn you cash:
Listed below are some common items that we don't buy:
Listed below are some common items that we don't buy:
Listed below are some common items that we don't buy:
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August 26, 2011 A Guide to the Gold Karat SystemIt’s great to be able to realize money from old jewelry that you don’t wear anymore, but the rash of commercials and other advertisements ... |
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August 22, 2011 The History of Precious Metals Used as CurrencyNowadays almost all countries rely on paper money, but who among us hasn’t dreamed of finding a lost pirate ship filled with gold coins? ... |
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August 17, 2011 Selling Your Gold - Your Privacy Matters To UsAt Gold & Silver Buyers, maintaining your privacy is very important to us. You can rest easy when you trust us with your precious items. Your ... |
