By Rocco Clayfield, trading as GoldPaid; the business incorporated as GOLDPAID LTD (company 17382540) on 5 August 2026 · Published · updated
Why broken jewellery still pays
A snapped clasp does not change the gold inside a chain. A bent ring shank holds the same purity it did when it was round. For scrap valuation, the metal content is the only thing being weighed. That means a tangled, kinked, half-melted parcel pays the same as the same gold in a polished display tray. If you have already decided to send it, the service page to sell broken jewellery covers the label, the timings and the paperwork.
The only times damage matters are: a piece with antique or designer value that would have paid more intact, and a piece with stones that need careful removal rather than crushing.
Not sure how any of this applies to your own items? Send a photo on WhatsApp and ask, call 07944 014111 (8am to 9pm, 7 days a week), or ask for a free prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label. Whichever you pick: nothing is posted until you decide, your parcel is tracked and signed for, the written offer follows the XRF assay, the return is free if you decline, and we aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance.
Solder, alloy and the "broken" trap
When you snap a 9ct chain, the break exposes the alloy underneath. That alloy is still 9ct gold, not a different metal. People sometimes worry that a "broken inside" means the chain was hollow or fake. The metal that tested at 375 is still 375 at the snap point.
Solder joints (where two parts of a chain were originally fixed) are usually a slightly lower carat than the main piece, because solder melts at a lower temperature. We XRF the body of the piece, not the solder, and pay on the body purity.
Stones in broken jewellery
We remove and return stones unless you tell us to dispose of them. Diamonds above roughly 0.3ct, sapphires, rubies and emeralds with reasonable colour and clarity are flagged with a separate quote on the same written offer. Paste, glass, cubic zirconia and surface-set chips have no separate value and are removed with your permission.
Untestable vs broken
There is a difference between "broken" (snapped, dented, missing parts) and "untestable" (so thinly plated or so fragile that XRF cannot read a confident surface). Untestable pieces are almost always gold-plated, rolled gold or vermeil rather than solid. We say so before applying any deduction, and we return the piece if you would rather keep it.
How to package broken jewellery
- Put each broken piece in its own small zip-bag or fold of tissue to stop further tangling.
- Photograph the whole lot on a plain background and any hallmarks you can see.
- WhatsApp 07944 014111 with the photos and a one-line description ("approx. eight broken chains, two single earrings, one bent ring").
- We email a prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label.
- Drop the parcel at the Post Office counter and keep your receipt.
- On arrival we untangle, XRF-test each piece and send a written per-piece offer.
There is no need to untangle a "rats nest" of broken chains before sending. We do that as part of the valuation under the postal valuation service.
Melt weight rules
Each piece is weighed individually before testing. We then deduct: steel earring posts, base-metal clasps, watch cases on solid chains, stones, plastic spacers and any non-gold soldering. The remaining weight is the verified gold weight. That weight is valued on the purity measured against the live precious-metal market, with our margin already accounted for.
You see the per-piece weights and deductions on the written offer, so the maths is visible rather than hidden.