Jewelry depreciates over time—just like a car. What you paid at a jeweler includes markups for design, brand, and labor. Alloy’s offer is based on the real gold content, not the original retail price.
1. Jewelry retail prices include labor, design, and brand markups
When you buy gold jewelry at retail, you're paying for much more than the gold itself. Jewelers factor in:
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Craftsmanship and design
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Retail markups
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Brand name value
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Labor and showroom costs
🧾 Once worn, jewelry loses that retail value—but the gold itself still holds real worth. That’s what Alloy pays for.
2. Your payout is based on gold content—not the whole piece
Alloy evaluates your item based on the gold inside it—not gemstones, not how it looks, and not how much it once cost.
We use professional tools to measure:
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Purity – how much of your item is real gold
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Weight – how much gold content is present
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Market price – the current spot value of pure gold
🎯 For example: A 14K gold bracelet is only 58.3% gold. So if it weighs 10g, it contains just 5.83g of pure gold.
3. We don’t pay for stones, clasps, or non-metal parts
Your item’s total weight often includes things like:
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Gemstones or diamonds
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Non-gold accents or settings
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Clasps and chains of a different material, or mixed-metal parts
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Hollow or filled designs
These elements don’t have melt value and aren’t included in your payout.
📦 We remove them from the equation and base our offer only on the measurable gold content.
4. Spot price ≠ what you get paid
The spot price reflects the raw trading value of pure gold (24K). But that’s not what most jewelry contains—and it doesn’t include costs like:
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Secure shipping and insurance
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Professional lab testing
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Handling and payout processing
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Alloy’s operating margin (clearly disclosed)
📉 Spot prices also change constantly—your offer is based on the live rate at the time your items are appraised.
5. Example: A retail necklace vs. melt value
Let’s say you bought a 14K gold necklace for $2,000 ten years ago. Today, it weighs 10 grams.
Here’s how Alloy evaluates it:
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14K = 58.3% gold
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10g × 0.583 = 5.83g of pure gold
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Multiply by live spot price
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Subtract a small margin to cover testing, insurance, and payout
🎯 The result is a fair market offer based on gold content—not what you originally paid.
6. Still unsure? You’re free to decline
We know this can be surprising—especially if you’re expecting a retail-level return. But rest assured, you’re never obligated to accept. If you don’t like your Final Offer, you have two full days to decline, and your items will be returned at no cost.
💬 Your Alloy Advisor is always here to walk you through the math, the method, and your options—no pressure, ever.
Final thoughts
It’s normal to feel caught off guard when your offer doesn’t match your memory of what an item “should” be worth. But Alloy doesn’t guess—we calculate. Every offer is based on the real, meltable gold content of your item and the current market rate.
📩 Still have questions? Request your free appraisal kit or talk to your Alloy Advisor at (888) 672-1471. We’re here to make things clear, fair, and pressure-free.