FAQS

The Facts

What we buy: We buy any unwanted jewelry, gold, silver, platinum and coins. We will also purchase most coin collections. Go to What We Buy for more information.

How we calculate gold/silver jewelry: Several factors determine the cash value of your items.

1. What the price of gold/silver is listed at that particular day
2. The weight of the metal
3. The karat (if gold), be it 10kt, 14kt, 18kt, or 24kt

How we pay out: We will either pay you by cash or check on the spot, based on the value of the items we purchase.

Our process: You are present for the entire process while we determine the value of your gold and/or silver. We weigh, evaluate, and do all calculations in front of you, explaining the procedure as we go.

About diamonds and gemstones: We will buy some diamonds, ½ karat or larger. We are more than willing to assess the size, cut, and clarity of any diamonds you bring in to us. Wine Country Coin does not purchase gemstones. However, we are happy to remove gemstones from any jewelry we purchase from you, so you can keep them. We do not remove chips, baguettes, channeled set stones, or bezel stones.

We take dental crowns: This is case by case. Please feel free to bring in your dental crowns and we'll be happy to assess the value.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

*What is a "Karat"? Karat describes the purity of gold. Pure gold is 24K, the softest metal in the world. Therefore, it isn't the most ideal for making jewelry. To make gold jewelry stronger, the gold is combined with other metals, such as zinc, copper, and silver. Most of our jewelry in the United States is 10K, which means 10 parts gold to 14 parts alloy, or 41.7% pure. Jewelry that is 14K gold means 14 parts gold and 10 parts alloy, so 58.3% pure. See the difference? The 14K jewelry has more pure gold than the 10K, and so on.

*Are the stamps accurate? Laws vary from country to country and not all countries pursue those that mislead with inaccurate stamping. Just because a piece of jewelry is stamped 18K, does not make it so. That is why it is always important to have the jewelry appraised and tested by a third party. Otherwise, some retailers and manufactures can easily mislead the consumer.

*Do Cash4Gold payments reflect retail value? No. Jewelry retailers mark up their prices, sometimes as high as twenty times the actual value of the gold. Even a piece of jewelry bought on sale does not compare to its real value. Keep in mind, retailers are in the business to make money.

*What is my insurance appraisal for? An insurance appraisal is the "retail replacement value". Your insurance appraisal is used to determine the value in the event the item is lost or stolen. It is not an offer to buy and does not reflect the real value of the item.

*How do Jewelers use appraisals? The appraisal is a handy marketing tool, used by the jeweler when bargaining for a trade-in. They might make it look like you're getting "more" for your jewelry but the offer only comes with the exchange of another marked up item.