Showing posts with label buying gold. Show all posts
Showing posts with label buying gold. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Why you should care that gold is at $1605 an ounce.


I'm sure that there are economic reasons you should care about the price of gold, but I'm referring to your bottom line today.  Many women and men have full jewelry boxes.  Jewelry you have received as gifts, the jewelry you inherited that you don't wear.  The "stuff" that blocks the view and the access to the jewelry that you do adore.  I love jewelry.  I love how jewelry makes me feel, look, and "remember".  The jewelry I received when my kids were born.  The special pieces I remember my mother in law wearing.  The gifts from friends and family, and the pieces I splurged on for myself.

But many of us have over-run jewelry boxes with broken pieces, single earrings and some pieces that hold bad memories.  This is where Cowgirl Cash can help.  For no charge, I will go through the box with you.  Pull out the real gold, evaluate the valuable from the clutter and offer you a fair price based on the current price of gold, and silver and resale value.  My background includes six months at the Gemological Institute of America, studying and evaluating diamonds and colored stones eight hours a day. That's why my business card says Graduate Gemologist.

Bringing in the jewelry you don't wear, and don't feel a strongly about prior to an upcoming vacation is like found money. Try it, I guarantee you'll like it.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

I buy GOLD! What does this mean?

Cowgirl Cash buys Gold.  What does that mean exactly? 

Many people...(I've found it's women over 60) have a little baggy or box of old gold.  It usually, but not always contains the following:
a kinked herringbone chain
1-2 broken rope chains
an old ring mounting with the stones popped out
a gold wedding band
a charm or two ie: a dolphin, #1 mom, phi delta
an old tooth with a gold filling
one or two earrings with no match
a small bracelet
black hills gold ring from a boyfriend 25 years ago

These items are no longer worn, but can't be sold or gifted or thrown away.  There is value there because the items are GOLD.

When I buy gold I go through each piece with a "loupe".  A loupe is a small 10x magnifying lens used by jewelers.  I look for makers marks and gold carat stamps.  If there is no carat weight stamp, I test the the piece using acids.  It's quite scientific and fun. I pay more for gold with a higher gold content.  For example, 10kt gold is only 41% gold.  The rest is other alloy.  14kt gold is 56% gold and 18kt gold is 75% gold.  I divide the pieces into piles of the different carat weight, weigh each pile, and pay according to what gold is trading at that day.

I accumulate the gold I buy for a month or so and then I take it to a refinery I've built a relationship with in Portland.  Buying gold is not a huge profit center for Cowgirl Cash, but it's a nice service to offer.  Some people have inherited entire jewelry boxes of "stuff", and it's nice to have a trusted person to go through it with you piece by piece.  Some peoples "gold jewelry" is actually gold plate and purely fun fashion jewelry with little or no cash value.

Sometimes, I can't bear the thought of "scraping" these old, vintage, sentimental pieces.  That's why Cowgirl Cash often has fine vintage jewelry for sale. My background in jewelry and gemology has combined nicely with my new business of buying and selling Western Vintage.  Who would' have thought?