How to sell your silver jewellery

• Cleaning your silver jewellery
• How to take photos of jewellery to sell online
•  Selling silver jewellery

So, you’ve decided to sell your silver jewellery. The first step you’ll need to take once you decide to sell jewellery is to think about its condition. Fortunately, you can clean silver and gold jewellery at home quite easily if you need to, and the process of sending your jewellery either to be sold of valued doesn’t have to be too difficult. Sending jewellery by Royal Mail or courier isn’t too taxing, for example. In this article, we’ll guide you through preparing jewellery for selling, from the best format for jewellery photos to shipping!

Cleaning your silver jewellery

Over time, silver can become ‘tarnished’. Tarnish is a dark, almost black layer that covers silver jewellery. It happens when silver comes into contact with naturally occurring Sulphur compounds in the air. Sometimes it’s also called oxidization. It’s easy to assume that cleaning silver jewellery before you sell it is necessary - but this isn’t always the case. In fact, cleaning your silver jewellery could actually damage it, ultimately reducing its value. Specialists can identify the key information they need no matter the condition of the piece. It’s highly probable that a dealer will want to clean the jewellery themselves to avoid potential damage. Selling your silver jewellery privately, things are a bit different. In this case, you should clean it beforehand as this allows the potential buyer to see any imperfections. If you are selling your silver jewellery online, make sure you take detailed pictures of the hallmarks. A potential buyer will want to know it’s real silver before they part with their cash. However, take care while cleaning.If your silver jewellery is lightly tarnished use simple hot soapy water and a very soft cloth to clean it. If there are embellishments on the jewellery be careful not to catch them with the cloth.There are polishes you can buy on the high street, like Goddard’s Silver Dip, however these are specialist substances so should be used with caution. Be very careful with professional polishes if your silver jewellery features gemstones as this can damage them. Some semi-precious stones like opals, coral and amber will also be damaged by silver dip. At Vintage Cash Cow, we prefer you to send your silver jewellery to us uncleaned. Similarly, if you have tangled silver jewellery don’t spend ages untangling it. Our experts have plenty of tricks to untangle your jewellery and can spot hallmarks, distinguishing features and other details on even the grimiest of pieces. 

How to take photos of jewellery to sell online

The following tips on how to take photos of jewellery at home can help you do your beautiful jewellery justice when displaying it for sale online.

• Photograph silver jewellery against a white or black background - a tablecloth or plain tea towel is a good option.  
• Try to take jewellery pictures in natural light as artificial lights may distort the colour of your jewellery in the picture.
• Make sure you take plenty of close-ups of any markings, anything unusual or anything damaged. This way the seller knows what they are buying and it will reduce any action needed on your part later on.
• Take a picture of your silver jewellery on a weighing scales - preferably digital and with a readout sensitivity of 0.1g if possible. This shows your potential buyers the weight of the piece.
• Take a picture of your silver jewellery next to a ruler or tape measure. This shows your potential buyers how big the item is.

Check this article out for some more great photography tips showing how to take photos of silver at home. A lightbox is a great way to professionally photograph jewellery at home. If you don’t have one, try taking photos against plain backgrounds in natural light to make sure you really show off the piece.If all that sounds like a lot of hassle, why not give our service a try?  Sell your jewelry online through our service is super simple, and you don’t need to spend ages taking photos of your items - in fact, you don’t need to take any! If you have any other vintage items around your home, you can pack them all into a box and include these with your silver jewellery. We buy all sorts of old, vintage and antique items - see our full list of  Sending them to us is simple and free as we include Freepost labels in our welcome pack. Alternatively, you can arrange a doorstep collection. Once we receive your items, our team of experts will value your items and make you an offer. If you’re happy with your offer you’ll get paid immediately, if not, we’ll send your things back for free. Easy! 

 Selling silver jewellery

If you sell silver privately then there are a few things you might need to do post-sale. If you’ve sold on an auction site for example you’ll need to package up and send your silver jewellery to its new home. The person buying it from you may have questions or special instructions, so make sure you keep an eye out for any communications from them. If you plan to sell more than a few items online or privately, you’ll need to make sure you stick to the posting timescales that you’ve advertised. Negative feedback from your buyers can influence how much you’ll be able to sell in the future. Be wary of scam buyers on auction sites. Don’t send any jewellery item unless the buyer has paid for it. If you don’t opt for a courier delivery, make sure the item is sent by recorded or signed for delivery. Check that your parcel is insured for the value you sold it for. If it goes missing in the post it means you shouldn’t lose out on the money. You can check with your local Post Office if you have any concerns. Our Freepost labels are fully insured up to £300, so you can rest easy when you send your items to us. Sending jewellery by courier, ask their policy on protecting and insuring valuables. Many will protect you up to a certain value. If not, there'll be options to insure the package yourself. Make sure to message your buyer to let them know you’ve posted the jewellery and when they can expect it to arrive. Of course, if you are selling to Vintage Cash Cow, there’s nothing to do after you’ve sold your jewellery. Well, except to decide what you’ll spend your money on. You put your feet up, we do the rest! If you are selling your jewellery to raise some funds, Vintage Cash Cow can make it easier for you. We can arrange collection and even do the cleaning for you. Not many people know the details of cleaning silver or the processes of sending silver in the mail. It’s possible to do this on your own, but our experts can certainly simplify the process of preparing your silver jewellery for sale.