Testing Jewelry Value Before Selling.

ToddB64

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Hi :tiphat:

Perhaps you are already performing tests on your Jewelry before selling to have an idea of what constitutes a fair return from pawn shops, metal recyclers, etc..

Or maybe you are thinking about getting started with the ubiquitous acid test kit.

Maybe later on, if you're interested in Science and Math, graduating to other types of tests, such as water testing for Density and comparing the results to a "Periodic Table" Density column, or using a Graduated Cylinder to determine Volume, or an Electronic pocket scale to get the weight of an item.

A couple of the things I have discovered are listed below and if you are interested in science and math like myself, might be of help if you didn't know.

There is a correlation between Mass and Weight.

Gravity does contribute to weight and the affect of gravity on weight varies with your particular location on the earth.

To all you Physics Profs. out there, my knowledge in Science and Math are limited; no College degree. I am self-taught and my interest over the past 75 years has caused me to do a lot of research and reading on various technical subjects and I have always had a strong desire to "lift up every stone" in an attempt to find answers.

Much of my research has been done on the Internet and due to my average intelligence and memory, I make hard copies of anything important and useful and keep those in file folders tab-marked by subject. I may not remember something, but usually know where to find it. :ewink:

To wrap up this post I'll just say, if you would like to discuss or comment on this subject, feel free to reply or drop me a PM.

Thanks,
ToddB64
 
Yep! seriously...As detectorists...We really gotta know what our finds intrinsic, numismatic, or weight values are!...Its a whole nother dynamic assessing such vagarities and maximizing our skill and effort afield!.....and it may not be static either! Constantly changing with the whims of the populace! For Instance, I sold a tungsten ring to a guy last Fall...He gave me $60 for it!...It aint worth no more than a 10c tungsten drill bit to me.!..Sunglasses are big money, if they are brand names and in fashion...Abandoned beach towels are huge money! HotWheel cars are an easy 25c each! See?

Just try to get $60 selling a gold ring to the general populace! Yet, for a really nice looking Tungsten, All Day Long!:laughing: Forget even pitching a Silver David Yurman!...a bastard metal ear lobe plug is an easy $20 now a days...a friggin vape stick is $50!

Most People have no idea about PM values...try to buy a candy bar with a 1921 Peace dollar down at the local store! The damn kid will not know what to do! So dont cast your pearls before swine...keep the good stuff, off load all the rest for what the market will bear..We cant save or educate them all..its just too much work for the payback.....
 
There is a correlation between Mass and Weight.

Gravity does contribute to weight and the affect of gravity on weight varies with your particular location on the earth.

Absolutely. Mass is an inertial property of matter, whilst its weight is a measure of the force exerted on it by gravity, or the force you'd need to hold the item steady, in the presence of gravity. If there is no gravity, there'd be no weight, but there would still be mass. :yes:

Gravity does differ at different point on earth. An object placed on top of Mount Everest would weight measurably less than it would at sea level.
 
Rudy,

Thanks for sharing your knowledge !

Regarding your comment "Mass is an inertial property of matter", I'll just add that Mass is also an inherent property of matter. ;)

ToddB64
 
Mud-puppy,

Thanks for sharing your sage knowledge and advice with us !

ToddB64 :grin:

Thank you for recognizing! We are long hunters..subsistence Humans... 'values' of items are not static..depending on societal trends, weather, etc...

So a guy goes out and hunts...here, theres a 10c deposit value on empty cans..a guy can make pay at that, just pulling pots and making the grind...

Now....Imagine what a standard sized Bic Lighter would be worth back in the 1800's?

Imagine what it would be worth today to a rich guy who somehow got caught outside for the night on a Alaskan salmon river and is about freezing to death?

The weather came in, and the damn float plane couldnt make it back in for the pick up? Yeah...a Bic Lighter...very valuable item when the Sun is going down and your life is on the line...


Yeah...values of our finds are not static and are situational..What good is a massive Swiss bank account when you need to make a fire on a river bank someplace?? Bic Lighters...you always gotta have one..or a Mag block...No matter what..
 
Thank you for recognizing! We are long hunters..subsistence Humans... 'values' of items are not static..depending on societal trends, weather, etc...

So a guy goes out and hunts...here, theres a 10c deposit value on empty cans..a guy can make pay at that, just pulling pots and making the grind...

Now....Imagine what a standard sized Bic Lighter would be worth back in the 1800's?

Imagine what it would be worth today to a rich guy who somehow got caught outside for the night on a Alaskan salmon river and is about freezing to death?

The weather came in, and the damn float plane couldnt make it back in for the pick up? Yeah...a Bic Lighter...very valuable item when the Sun is going down and your life is on the line...


Yeah...values of our finds are not static and are situational..What good is a massive Swiss bank account when you need to make a fire on a river bank someplace?? Bic Lighters...you always gotta have one..or a Mag block...No matter what..

Mud-puppy,

Again, you hit several nails on the head regarding material value versus societal trends (or needs at the moment...the guy on a river bank).

I appreciate your philosophical approach to the subject, but would like to get back on track with the nuts and bolts of "Testing Jewelry", or to flip that around "Jewelry Tests". ;)

ToddB64
 
You don't even have to throw a peace dollar at them to get them confused. They don't even know what a half dollar is !

diggin4clad,

Ain't that the truth; but getting back to the subject of this thread "Testing Jewelry, etc.", do you test your jewelry finds before selling and if so, (a) what tests do you perform and (b) what works best for you ??

Thanks,
ToddB64 :grin:
 
diggin4clad,

Ain't that the truth; but getting back to the subject of this thread "Testing Jewelry, etc.", do you test your jewelry finds before selling and if so, (a) what tests do you perform and (b) what works best for you ??

Thanks,
ToddB64 :grin:
With the exception of this vintage silver and amber Jensen ring I dug a few years ago and sold for $175.00, I've kept all my jewelry finds whether they were gold or silver.
I guess most guys test their jewelry with acid. Most jewelry is hallmarked as to fineness. I do have a scale that weighs small items and reads in grams or pennyweights which gives me an idea as to how much the melt value of each item is.
 

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diggin4clad,

Ain't that the truth; but getting back to the subject of this thread "Testing Jewelry, etc.", do you test your jewelry finds before selling and if so, (a) what tests do you perform and (b) what works best for you ??

Thanks,
ToddB64 :grin:

One thing...On a suspected Gold item that might be Tungsten, since they weight about the same.. ...If a guy gently presses the edge of a knife blade onto the item, with a jewelers loupe, you can see if it left a dent or not...Gold Will dent, Tungsten wont....White Gold will dent as well...Stainless Steel will not...

Also, on a suspected Plat that might be Stainless, you can take a propane torch and gently heat it up...SS will discolor from the heat, Plat Wont..tip: hold item with pliers!

These two things work very fast and can help confirm unmarked items...Acid sometimes will leave a guy guessing when it comes to Tungsten or Stainless..

Theres fake gold marked, usually acid blows it right up. I just squirt the acid straight on the suspected item instead of doing a scratch test...stay near the sink to quick rinse and halt the reaction......

Its an Important subject that we need to master...you cannot rely on a jeweler to give you an accurate evaluation...you need to know exactly what you have, what its worth, pedigree if any..even some certain Hotwheel cars are worth collector money....Great Subject ToddB64!.
 
These are my stand by tests for silver colored rings that are not tarnished or oxidized in any way, and unmarked that will be inclusive to acid testing.. These three tests will save you the time and gas tracking down an expert...

Start with a magnet test...

Stainless- is medium heavy, slightly lighter than gold. Even "non magnetic" stainless is slightly magnetic, so slightly that the bare hand may not feel it's attraction to the magnet. Sit it on a level smooth table so it can roll and hold the magnet near, even better, hang it from a string.. If it moves, it's stainless steel...

Tungsten carbide- the hardest metal a ring will be made of, in hand feels way, way, heavier than it looks (it's heavier than gold and lead). A file, drill bit, knife blade, piece of sharp glass, cement, etc, will not scratch it, can only be scratched with a diamond.. Not magnetic

Titanium- Really hard, but nothing like tungsten, also in hand feels way, way, lighter than it looks, almost like plastic.. Non magnetic...

In the end of it all, if it isn't even slightly magnetic, soft enough to scratch with a sand paper or a testing stone, but still heavy like gold, might have to get it tested at a jewelry store for platinum, palladium, white gold content...

<°)))>{
 
One thing...On a suspected Gold item that might be Tungsten, since they weight about the same.. ...If a guy gently presses the edge of a knife blade onto the item, with a jewelers loupe, you can see if it left a dent or not...Gold Will dent, Tungsten wont....White Gold will dent as well...Stainless Steel will not...

Also, on a suspected Plat that might be Stainless, you can take a propane torch and gently heat it up...SS will discolor from the heat, Plat Wont..tip: hold item with pliers!

These two things work very fast and can help confirm unmarked items...Acid sometimes will leave a guy guessing when it comes to Tungsten or Stainless..

Theres fake gold marked, usually acid blows it right up. I just squirt the acid straight on the suspected item instead of doing a scratch test...stay near the sink to quick rinse and halt the reaction......

Its an Important subject that we need to master...you cannot rely on a jeweler to give you an accurate evaluation...you need to know exactly what you have, what its worth, pedigree if any..even some certain Hotwheel cars are worth collector money....Great Subject ToddB64!.

Mud-puppy,
Thanks a lot. That was a great reply and a copy went into my Jewelry Testing Information folder for reference ! :thumbsup:
ToddB64
 
These are my stand by tests for silver colored rings that are not tarnished or oxidized in any way, and unmarked that will be inclusive to acid testing.. These three tests will save you the time and gas tracking down an expert...

Start with a magnet test...

Stainless- is medium heavy, slightly lighter than gold. Even "non magnetic" stainless is slightly magnetic, so slightly that the bare hand may not feel it's attraction to the magnet. Sit it on a level smooth table so it can roll and hold the magnet near, even better, hang it from a string.. If it moves, it's stainless steel...

Tungsten carbide- the hardest metal a ring will be made of, in hand feels way, way, heavier than it looks (it's heavier than gold and lead). A file, drill bit, knife blade, piece of sharp glass, cement, etc, will not scratch it, can only be scratched with a diamond.. Not magnetic

Titanium- Really hard, but nothing like tungsten, also in hand feels way, way, lighter than it looks, almost like plastic.. Non magnetic...

In the end of it all, if it isn't even slightly magnetic, soft enough to scratch with a sand paper or a testing stone, but still heavy like gold, might have to get it tested at a jewelry store for platinum, palladium, white gold content...

<°)))>{

Ice Scratcher,
Good Info. ! Saving in my Jewelry Testing Information folder for reference. :research:
Thanks much...ToddB64
 
Crackerjack,

I like your avatar. One of my hobbies is reading books about the old square-rigged sailing ships from the 1700's, etc., the war battles and pirate stories. I have a sizeable collection of these books.

Thanks for dropping in on this thread !

ToddB64
 
Crackerjack,

I like your avatar. One of my hobbies is reading books about the old square-rigged sailing ships from the 1700's, etc., the war battles and pirate stories. I have a sizeable collection of these books.

Thanks for dropping in on this thread !

ToddB64

Thank you, and you're welcome. :grin:
 
Rudy, you said " An object placed on top of Mount Everest would weight measurably less than it would at sea level. "
I guess if one were a gold buyer than you would want to buy high (elevation) and sell low...:lol::lol::lol:
 
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