How to sell 9ct gold in Ireland

What 9ct gold is

Carat is gold content in twenty-fourths. 9ct is 9 parts gold in 24, which is 375 parts per thousand, which is why the hallmark reads 375. The other 62.5 percent is an alloy, mostly copper and silver, that makes the metal hard enough for everyday wear. It is the standard most Irish and British jewellery was made in through the twentieth century, so most of what comes out of a drawer in Ireland is 9ct: chains, signet rings, bracelets, lockets, charm bracelets, cufflinks and wedding bands.

Because only 37.5 percent of the weight is gold, 9ct pays roughly half of what 18ct pays per gram (today 34.20 euro against 73.60 euro). That is the only reason the rate is lower. The gold in a 9ct chain is the same gold as in an 18ct one; there is simply less of it per gram.

Step 1: weigh it

A kitchen scale that reads to the gram is enough for an estimate. Weigh the gold on its own: take off anything that is not metal where you can, and weigh pieces of the same carat together. We weigh to a hundredth of a gram on a calibrated scale when the parcel is opened, with stones and non-gold parts excluded, so your figure at home will be a little high rather than low.

Typical 9ct weights, to sanity-check your scale: a fine neck chain 3 to 6 g, a curb chain 10 to 30 g, a wedding band 3 to 5 g, a signet ring 5 to 9 g, a charm bracelet with charms 20 to 40 g, a pair of hoop earrings 2 to 4 g.

Step 2: photograph the hallmark

Find the mark and take one clear photo of it. On a chain it is on the clasp or the tag beside the clasp; on a ring, inside the band; on a bracelet, the clasp or the end link; on earrings, the post or the back. You are looking for 375, or 9ct, 9K or 9kt on older and imported pieces, often beside an assay office mark and a date letter. Our hallmarks guide shows the Dublin and UK office marks with pictures.

No mark is not a problem. Resized rings lose their marks, worn pieces lose them, and a lot of older Irish jewellery was never marked. Every piece we buy is tested by XRF, which reads the metal itself, so an unmarked 9ct chain is paid as 9ct. A mark is evidence; it is not the price.

Step 3: get the quote

Multiply the weight by the published price per gram. At today's rate a 10 g 9ct chain is worth 342.00 euro, a 6 g signet ring 205.20 euro and a 25 g bracelet 855.00 euro. The calculator does the sum for any weight and carat.

These are net figures: the price per gram of the item as it sits on the scale, after every deduction. The only deduction we ever make is 12 euro return postage at cost on postal sales that complete, shown as its own line and waived when the parcel's melt value is over 500 euro. If a buyer gives you a different kind of number (a total for the lot, a price per pennyweight, a rate “before testing”), work it back to euro per gram and compare it with this table. How gold buyers price your jewellery shows where the gaps usually hide.

For an unmarked or mixed lot, send the photo and the weight on WhatsApp (+353 87 326 9923) and you get an indicative figure off today's prices before anything is posted.

Step 4: confirm and send

1. Request a free postal pack or prepaid label. It comes to any address in the Republic of Ireland; from Northern Ireland you post to our Dublin PO box after a WhatsApp quote.
2. Pack the gold, seal the bag, post it at any post office and keep the receipt. With our label it travels at our risk up to 2,000 euro per parcel.
3. We open it on camera, weigh and XRF test every piece, and send you an itemised offer at the published 9ct rate, open for 48 hours, with your video.
4. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer the same day. Decline and everything comes back free by tracked post. Nothing is committed until you accept.

Prefer to hand it over in person? Appointments in Dublin are available; the price and the testing are the same.

What to watch for when selling 9ct

• 9ct priced as “yellow gold”. Ask for the rate per gram for 9ct specifically. A lot rate hides the carat.
• Plate in the lot. A plated chain weighs as much as a solid one and is worth almost nothing. Check for GP, RGP, HGE or 1/20 marks before you count it.
• Stones counted as gold, then deducted. A fair offer weighs the metal with stones excluded and says so.
• A total with no weights. Every item should be listed with its weight, its carat and the rate applied, and the rate should match the buyer's published price that day.