Gold and Silver Buyers

For more information about our recent blog topics, including how gold deposits form and how to clean your jewelry for sale, check out these resources. If you’d like more information, call Gold & Silver Buyers at (281) 940-7632.

• The American Museum of Natural History gives a brief overview of howgold deposits are formed.
  
  
• This article contains a number of tips about how to remove the tarnish from silver.
  
  
• This website explains how silver deposits form.
  
  
• RealSimple.com discusses how to clean gold jewelry at home in preparation for selling it to a gold buyer.

We tend to think of precious metals in terms of jewelry alone, but gold, silver, and platinum can come in many different forms. To learn more about the different forms precious metals can take, read below:

• Bars and Ingots

You aren’t very likely to own bars or ingots of gold, silver, or platinum. Metal in these raw forms is really only useful to people who use it for industrial applications or jewelry, making the average consumer an unlikely owner of bars or ingots. Because it’s much harder for an individual seller to successfully market a bar or ingot of gold, selling directly to a gold buyer is likely your best option.

• Coins

Many countries issue gold and silver bullion coins. These coins have become an excellent way to invest in precious metals. Although coins from the United States remain at the top of the coin collecting market, gold and silver bullion coins from other countries are worth collecting as well.  Many of these coins develop a loyal following that keeps their value high.  The design changes help keep collector interest high, meaning that the coins are always worth more than just their weight in gold or silver.

• Jewelry

Jewelry is the most common form of precious metals for the average consumer. However, it also tends to be metal in its least pure form.  While platinum is strong enough to be made into jewelry on its own, gold and silver are both too soft for that treatment.  Most jewelry is made from gold or silver alloys and then marked to show how much of the precious metal each piece contains.  Gold, for instance, is marked between 10- and 24-karats.  Ten-karat gold is less than 50% gold, while 24-karat gold is pure.  Jewelry that is left unmarked is usually only gold- or silver-plated.

If you’re interested in selling your silver, gold, or platinum in any form, consult with Gold & Silver Buyers.  Located in Houston, we are a great jewelry buyer that offers cash for gold.  For more information about us, call (281) 940-7632 today.

The College of Liberal Arts is sponsoring a fundraiser with Gold and Silver Buyers. Students can sell their gold and silver items for get cash on the spot.

Linda LaCross, 2011 SECC Area Coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts, said the fundraiser is the first time in the University's history a company will be allowed on-campus to conduct their business. Students can sell any kind of gold and silver, including jewelry, charms and coins for market price.

During the months of Sept. and Oct., the company will be at different locations on-campus and donate 20 percent of their profit to the State Employee Charitable Campaign.

"Gold and Silver Buyers is a very reputable firm and only takes 20 percent profit from sellers, whereas other companies take 30-40 percent. Of that 20 percent, they will be giving 20 percent directly to the State Employee Charitable Campaign" LaCross said.

Amelia Culwell, vice president of Gold and Silver Buyers, said the company is glad to be joining with the University to benefit charities stretching across the state.

"Gold & Silver Buyers is so pleased to be involved with SECC fundraising event at Texas A&M," Culwell said. "We are an official sponsor of the University's athletic program and always welcome a chance to give back to the communities we serve."

The SECC began in 1993 when the Texas legislature passed a law that allowed employees to donate to qualifying charities through payroll deduction. The campaign occurs each year and gives the employees of the state the opportunity to give back to charities for different causes. While most funds come from payroll deduction, they are also generated through direct donations, events and fundraisers.

Don Dickenson is senior relationship manager for United Way of Brazos Valley United, the participating charity that serves as the Local Campaign Manager for the Brazos Valley SECC.

"Most importantly, we record and track all donations, maintain a strict accounting of all funds, and distribute those funds according to the donors' wishes." Dickenson said.

He said all donations to the SECC are designated to a specific charity. The charities apply each year and are reviewed by the SECC Local Employee Committee to determine whether they meet all the criteria for participation.

"Each year, hundreds of organizations apply to be included in a directory of charities that is distributed to all state employees," Dickenson said. "Locally, about 30 organizations apply for participation each year.  This year, 24 applications were approved for inclusion in the Brazos Valley directory of charities, while only two were denied."

Dickenson said in the past they've had many successful fundraisers ranging from cupcake wars to concerts, as almost every department at Texas A&M holds a fundraiser to benefit the SECC.

"Texas A&M employees, together with employees from other state agencies such as the Texas Department of Public Policy Safety and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, raised over $700,000 last year," Dickenson said.

Thousands of A&M employees donate portions of their paychecks to several hundred charitable organizations in Texas, which in turn give aid to hundreds of thousands of people in need, Dickenson also said.

"About 65 percent of those donations go to 24 charities in the Brazos Valley alone," Dickenson said. "Times are tough, but everyone who has a job at Texas A&M in these tough times has a unique opportunity to help someone less fortunate, an opportunity to be a champion of service in a place that has a reputation for building champions."

Gold and Silver Buyers dates and locations:

Friday, Oct. 7 and Monday, Oct. 10 in the Anthropology Building

Friday, Oct. 14 and Monday, Oct. 17 in Glasscock

Friday, Oct. 21 and Monday, Oct. 24 in Allen

Friday, Oct. 28 in Coke

Correction: Linda LaCross, 2011 SECC Area Coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts, was misidentified as Liberal Arts Dean in the Sept. 6 publication.

If you’re like a lot of people, then your house is filled with a lot of items you don’t actually use. Many of these belongings you can’t bring yourself to give away because they have some sort of sentimental value but appear worthless to the naked eye. However, here are three unused items you may be surprised to learn can actually be refined:

1.     Broken jewelry

Jewelry is meant to be worn, but just because it breaks does not necessarily mean it’s worthless. Even if your rings, necklaces, or pendants have been broken beyond repair, they’re still made of precious stones and metals and those are valuable no matter what shape they’re in. Take these items in to a precious metal refinery and they’ll gladly pay you a decent price.

2.     Silver flatware

Do you have a set of silver flatware and other dishes you’re simply not using anymore? Polishing silver only to use it once a year can get very tiresome. Scratched or broken, a refinery will gladly take them off your hands.

3.     Old gold/silver watches

If you have an old gold or silver watch from years ago, then sell that to a refinery as well. Maybe you’ve since gotten a new watch, but didn’t see the sense in throwing out the old one because it’s made of a precious metal. Whether or not the watch actually works is irrelevant—much of the time, refineries buy precious metals so they can heat them up and break them down into purer forms.

If you’ve got a drawer full of precious metal that you’re not using any more, then bring it down to Gold & Silver Buyers. Our dealers are reputable, discreet, and honest and with 75 locations around Houston and the rest of Texas, we’re not hard to find. If you’ve got gold, silver, or platinum, then give us a call at (281) 940-7632 to learn what your items are worth.  

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:

• 10 karat gold refers to an object that is 41.7% gold.
• 12 karat gold is actually 50% gold.
• 14 karat gold is 58.3% gold.
• 18 karat gold is 75% gold.
• And 24 karat gold is 100% gold.

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:

• Gold coins and medals
• Gold necklaces, charms, lockets
• 10k, 14k, 16k, 18k, 22k, 24k
• Gold watches
• Gold bracelets
• Gold Pins/Brooches
• Class Rings, cocktail rings, wedding bands, cluster rings
• Bent, scrap or broken jewelry
• Items missing stones
• Unmatched gold earrings
• Scrap dental gold
• Sterling silver
• Platinum

Listed below are some common items that we don't buy:

• Stolen items
• Ancient Artifacts
• Non precious metals
• Plastic
• Pearls
• Gold Plate
• Costume jewelry
• Non precious stones

Listed below are some common items that we don't buy:

• Stolen items
• Ancient Artifacts
• Non precious metals
• Plastic
• Pearls
• Gold Plate
• Costume jewelry
• Non precious stones

Listed below are some common items that we don't buy:

• Stolen items
• Ancient Artifacts
• Non precious metals
• Plastic
• Pearls
• Gold Plate
• Costume jewelry
• Non precious stones

Be sure to review a company’s policies on returns as well as right of refusal when selling your items. It is important to check to see if the company will return your item if you decline the price that is quoted. Remember:

• A trustworthy company won’t force you into selling an item if you don’t want to sell.
• The best companies will evaluate your items, and then quote you a price that you can either accept or turn down. If you turn it down, it shouldn’t cost you anything to have your item returned to you.

Know the company’s policy regarding precious stones

If you’re selling jewelry that has precious stones mounted in it, look for a company that will also reimburse you for your gemstones. It sounds strange, but some companies only want the metal and will simply dispose of precious stones or sell them, with you receiving no compensation. Any reputable company’s website will state clearly whether they purchase diamonds, gems and other metals such as sterling silver or platinum, and if or how they will compensate you for these items.