FAQs Selling Jewelry

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I sell a piece and want to get it back?

 
We understand that mistakes happen. If you wish to get one of your piece's back, there is an administration fee of 20% per item or $50, whichever is greater, on top of what we paid you for the piece(s). We are not a pawn shop, so once you sell something we have no legal obligation to return it to you.

For example, if we bought a ring from you for $500, and you decided you wanted it back, you would need to pay us $600 ( original price $500 + administration fee of 20% equaling $100 = $600) to get your ring back.

What does 14K verses 18K mean?

14K gold is 58.333% pure gold and the rest is other alloy metals. Often you will see a symbol on 14K gold that says 585, this means 58.5% gold which is considered plumb or slightly over 14K. 18K gold is 75% pure gold and the rest is other alloy metals. You can often find a symbol on 18K gold that says 750.

Do I need to make an appointment to sell my gold, diamond or watch?

No, you don't need an appointment to sell any item.

Do you buy dental gold?

Yes, we buy dental gold.

How much can I get for my diamond?

That depends on many factors. We get a lot of phone calls that start, "I have a 1 carat diamond, how much are you paying for them?", or "I have an appraisal for $5,000 on my diamond ring, how much will you pay?". The answer is we don't have enough information to make you an offer. Diamonds have many factors that go into the price such as carat weight, cut, color, clarity, shape and certificate. The only way to make you a real offer is to bring the diamond to us for evaluation. The only way we will make you an offer by phone or E-mail is if you have a GIA certificate with your diamond and that offer will be approximate and conditional upon seeing the diamond. Other certificates tend to be slightly to highly inaccurate and not allow us to even make an approximate offer by phone or E-mail. An appraisal from a jeweler is not a certificate of any kind. This is a document for insurance replacement if your diamond is lost. The value is often very inflated and has no bearing on the cash offer you will receive. Now the good news, Andre's wants to buy your diamonds and our goal is to be the highest offer you will receive for your diamonds. If you do have another offer that is higher than ours that we can verify, we will beat that offer or pay for your gas to find out.

My old rings have no markings on them, how do I know what they are made of?

We test every piece of jewelry before we buy it. We can tell if the gold is 10K, 14K, 18K, 22K or something in between. If your jewelry is gold filled, gold plated or not gold at all, we can tell as soon as we test it. If you're not sure what you have, please bring it in to us and we will be happy to tell you.

Do you buy silver or silver jewelry?

        Yes, we do buy silver jewelry, silverware, tea sets, etc..

Will I get as much for my Sterling silver flatware set if I sell by weight to Andre's?

We pay more than most antique dealers who buy them as a set.
Those specialized dealers have to stock the sets for a long time, and must  buy them for as little as possible, to allow for market fluctuations. Andre's pays according to daily market prices and offers the most for your sterling flatware.

What is DWT or Pennyweight?

DWT is the symbol for Pennyweights. Pennyweights is another measure of weight used in the jewelry business. Just like ounces and pounds are other measuring units of weight. There are 31.1 grams in an ounce but 20 DWT or pennyweights in an ounce. There are some competitors that quote their offers for buying gold in pennyweights. This makes the price sound higher when compared to a price based in grams. This is why we quote the amount we are buying gold for in grams and pennyweights so there is no confusion. This way, when you are comparing prices, you can easily see that Andre's is the highest payer in Michigan and most likely the entire country.

How often do your gold prices change?

Gold prices change every second of the day Monday - Friday. The gold market is closed on the weekends. You can see our live gold price chart towards the bottom of our Sell Gold page. Our price for gold does not change every second like the gold market but can change 1 or more times a day. If we give you a price on a Tuesday and you come in on Thursday, there is a good chance that the price could be higher or lower. We pay based on what our prices are at the exact moment you come in to sell.

Will you match or beat a verified offer from a competitor on gold?

Yes, our goal is to be the highest payer for gold in Michigan. We will beat any offer from a competitor as long as we can verify that the offer is valid.

Do you pay by cash or check?

We pay for all gold, diamond or watch purchases by check. Our bank is only a mile away from our store and will be happy to cash your check if you need to have cash immediately.

I live out of state, can we do the transaction by mail?

No, not at this time. Michigan state law restricts us to buying gold in person, as we have a brick and mortar location in the state.

Do you buy jewelry with GF stamped on it?

Yes, we started buying gold filled jewelry. Please note gold filled has a fraction of the amount  of gold found in 10Kt and 14Kt gold.

I have diamonds set in my jewelry, will I get extra money for them?

If the diamonds are 3.5m (0.15ct) or larger and are of good quality, we may pay extra for those diamonds. If the diamonds are too small or of a very low quality, the cost to safely remove the diamonds without chipping them would be more than they are worth.