GoldPaid runs one free online charity jewellery training session every month, with an occasional longer session. Below is how the schedule works, and the themes covered through the year. Pick the sessions most useful to your team, or attend them all.
How the monthly schedule works
There is one session a month. The date for each session is set a few weeks ahead and sent to everyone on the invite list, so the simplest way to know the next date is to register. Sessions are timed to suit charity retail teams, and the joining link arrives by message or email before the session.
To get the date of the next session, message WhatsApp 07944 014111 or email goldpaiduk@gmail.com. Register once and you stay on the list for every future session.
The rolling twelve-theme curriculum
Each month has its own theme. Over a year, the sessions work through everything a charity retail team needs to handle donated precious metal well. Each session stands on its own, so there is no need to attend them in order.
| Session | Theme |
|---|---|
| 1 | Spotting possible gold: stamps, weight, colour and wear. |
| 2 | UK gold hallmarks: 9ct to 22ct, and the four assay marks. |
| 3 | Silver and silver plate: sterling, EPNS, and the marks that matter. |
| 4 | Broken and scrap jewellery: why damage does not remove value. |
| 5 | Watches: pocket watches, vintage wristwatches and what to check first. |
| 6 | Coins and medals: sovereigns, pre-1947 silver and military medals. |
| 7 | Costume, designer and antique jewellery: when costume still has value. |
| 8 | Odd earrings, single cufflinks, mixed boxes and job lots. |
| 9 | The safe postal process: photos, labels, valuation, decline and return. |
| 10 | House clearance and probate donations: where the value tends to hide. |
| 11 | Setting up a back-room triage system: red, amber, green. |
| 12 | The year in review for area managers: reporting and reducing leakage. |
The order can shift around seasonal donation patterns, for example more house-clearance material after the summer. The themes repeat each year, so a new volunteer can always start with the next session.
The standard one-hour session
The monthly session lasts an hour. It moves through that month’s theme in plain English, using photographs of real marks: a rubbed 375 inside a ring shank, a lion passant on a spoon handle, the kind of EPNS stamp that gets mistaken for a hallmark. It finishes with time for questions. Full detail of how a session runs is on the free training page.
The two-hour session
A few times a year, a longer two-hour session covers the harder material in more depth: gold purity, silver standards, watches, designer and antique pieces, coins and medals, and the escalation process for area managers. The session is announced to the invite list alongside the monthly sessions.
Bring your whole team
Managers can invite assistant managers, volunteers, back-room teams, e-commerce staff, area colleagues and head-office teams. For multi-shop charities, a single charity can put forward people from every shop. There is no cap and no charge.
If a date does not suit, the session is recorded and sent round afterwards.
Register for the calendar
Rocco Clayfield, Director, GoldPaid.
Common questions
When is the next session?
Session dates are confirmed a few weeks ahead and sent to everyone on the invite list. Register by WhatsApp on 07944 014111 or email goldpaiduk@gmail.com and we will send you the next date.
How often do sessions run?
One session a month, plus an occasional two-hour session a few times a year.
Do I have to attend every month?
No. Each session stands on its own. Attend the themes most useful to your team, or attend them all. It is entirely up to you.
Can a multi-shop charity send people from every shop?
Yes. A single charity can put forward people from every shop in its chain. There is no cap on numbers and no charge.
Is it the same content each month?
No. The sessions follow a rolling twelve-theme curriculum, so each month covers something different. The themes repeat each year.
What if we miss a session?
The recording is shared with everyone on the invite list afterwards, so anyone who missed the live session can still use the training.
Request a free prepaid Royal Mail label
Tell us where to send it. The label arrives by email, usually within about 30 minutes during working hours. Requesting one commits you to nothing: you get a written offer after the XRF assay, and if you decline, your items come back to you free.
Would you rather ask a question first, or send a photo? Message us on WhatsApp . It is the fastest way to get a sense of what something is worth before you post anything.