Rough estimates where possible; your final offer follows inspection.
No obligation. Free tracked return if you decline. We aim to pay within one working hour of acceptance.
GoldPaid buys Art Deco gold and platinum jewellery, made roughly between 1920 and 1935, by post from anywhere in the UK. Each piece is dated from its hallmark where there is one and XRF-tested for its metal. Deco pieces often have collector appeal, so the written offer flags any that are likely to be worth more than their metal, and nothing is unset or melted before you accept.
Send a photo on WhatsApp for a rough estimate where possible, or arrange to post your items for assessment. We confirm our purchase offer after inspection, and you decide whether to accept. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
Free Special Delivery label, usually within 30 minutesPurity tested in-house by X-ray (XRF)
How do I tell a genuine 1920s Art Deco piece from a 1960s revival?The hallmark date letter is the definitive test where present. Style cues, construction techniques and stone-cutting methods all help but only the date letter is conclusive.
Please send us photos on WhatsApp, and we will help you.
Send photos of your items and any hallmarks. We give a rough estimate where possible; your final offer follows inspection. You do not need to arrange postage to ask us a question.
We arrange postage with you after our conversation.
Before you post
The questions people ask before they send anything, answered here rather than at the end of the page.
Can I ask first?
Yes. WhatsApp a photo to 07944 014111, 8am to 9pm, every day, and we reply with an idea of what it is worth. Nothing is posted until you decide.
Is it safe to post?
Your parcel travels by Royal Mail Special Delivery, tracked and signed for. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post.
How is it tested?
Your parcel is signed for on arrival and opened at our Bristol office, where each item is weighed and tested with an XRF analyser, an X-ray test that reads the metal without marking it. Your written offer lists each piece with its weight, purity and figure.
What if I say no?
We return everything by Royal Mail Special Delivery at our cost. Saying no costs you nothing.
When am I paid?
Only if you accept the written offer. We aim for the money to reach your bank within 24 hours of posting. We use Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, test your items promptly on receipt, and aim to pay by Faster Payments within one working hour of your acceptance. The 24-hour target is an aim, not a guarantee: it depends on posting before the local cut-off, the applicable working-day delivery service, prompt acceptance, completed identity checks and bank processing.
How long does an offer last?
Each written offer is dated and holds for a limited time, because metal prices move. If it lapses, we re-run it at that day’s rate.
Who am I dealing with?
GOLDPAID LTD, registered in England and Wales, run by founder Rocco Clayfield. Our office is at Unit 217, Bristol Business Centre, 179 Whiteladies Road, Clifton, Bristol BS8 2AG. We are postal only, so there is no counter to visit. Before we pay, we ask every seller for a photo of their passport or driving licence.
Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
Short answer
Art Deco jewellery, broadly from 1920 to 1935, spans both gold and platinum and often has collector appeal. We date each piece from its hallmark where one is present, XRF-test it for metal content, and flag on the written offer anything the designed-piece market is likely to value above scrap. A free prepaid Royal Mail label brings it to us, payment is by bank transfer on acceptance, and a decline is returned free.
What defines an Art Deco piece
Art Deco is a stylistic period rather than a strict hallmarked era, running roughly from 1920 to the mid-1930s with the British style sitting between the French peak (mid-1920s) and the gradual transition to mid-century modernism in the late 1930s. Style cues: geometric forms, bold colour combinations (often blue, green and white via sapphire, emerald and diamond), step-cut stones, milgrain and channel settings, platinum-and-diamond as the headline combination.
The hallmark date letter (where present) identifies the year definitively. Pieces dated 1920-1935 with the characteristic style cues are Art Deco. Style without the date is suggestive but not definitive.
Platinum dominance and the gold question
The most valuable Art Deco pieces are predominantly platinum, often with gold backing or gold reinforcement. The headline piece is the platinum-set diamond bracelet or geometric pendant; the gold content on those pieces may be limited to a small backing plate or hinge components.
The XRF reading distinguishes the platinum from the gold and from any white-gold or silver-alloy elements. The written offer lists each metal on its own line. For Art Deco pieces, the platinum content is often the dominant metal weight and the diamonds are often the dominant overall value.
Step-cut diamonds and named cuts
Art Deco diamond cutting introduced the calibrated step cut (baguette, emerald cut) as a frequent diamond style alongside the older Old European brilliant. Step-cut diamonds are flat-faced rectangles or trapezoids, with parallel facets cut in stair-step pattern. They are valued differently from round brilliants and the per-carat rate is typically lower for the same colour and clarity.
Where an Art Deco piece carries calibrated step-cut diamonds in a clean platinum setting, the designed-piece value can substantially exceed scrap. We flag such pieces on the written offer and explain how to sell the stones or the whole piece through a specialist route if you prefer.
Watch the date carefully on Art Deco pieces
The Art Deco market is well-documented and antique dealers can date and authenticate pieces with high confidence. A piece styled to look Art Deco but produced in the 1950s or later is worth materially less to the specialist market than a genuine 1920s or 1930s piece. We are honest about the date assessment on every Art Deco piece that arrives; the hallmark date letter is the deciding factor where it exists.
Mid-twentieth-century revival pieces (1950s-70s reproductions of Art Deco style) are valued at metal scrap on the written offer. We say so explicitly rather than treating them as period pieces.
How it works
Ask first and send photos. Message us on WhatsApp with photos of your Art Deco jewellery for a rough estimate. Ask anything; there is no charge and no obligation.
Request a prepaid Royal Mail label. We send a free Royal Mail Special Delivery label, tracked and signed for, usually within 30 minutes between 8am and 9pm. No printer? We send a QR code for the Post Office counter.
Post it when you are ready. Use any padded envelope. There is no deadline and no pressure.
Receive a no-obligation valuation. Every item is weighed and tested by XRF spectrometry at our Bristol office. You get a written, itemised offer, usually on the working day your parcel arrives, showing purity, weight and the figure.
Accept or decline. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer via Faster Payments. Decline and everything is returned free of charge by tracked, signed-for post.
Your parcel is signed for on arrival and opened at our Bristol office, where each item is weighed and XRF-tested before the written offer is prepared.
What decides your offer
Every parcel is opened at our Bristol office and each piece is handled on its own. Nothing is averaged across the parcel.
Weight. Each item is weighed on scales. Stones, steel springs, non-gold clasps and cores are not paid as gold. The written breakdown explains the payable metal weight for each item, rather than treating everything on the scales as precious metal.
Purity. Each item is tested with an XRF analyser, which reads the metals at the points tested without marking the item. A surface reading alone cannot establish the composition of a plated or filled piece. Hallmarks, construction and different components all need to be considered alongside the test.
The market on the day. Gold and silver are priced against the live precious-metal market at the time your parcel is assessed, not at the time you posted.
Condition and intact value. Broken is fine and does not reduce a metal offer. Where a piece is worth more intact (a named maker, a collectable coin, a locket with provenance) we tell you before testing, so you can choose.
Anything that is not gold or silver. Plated, rolled-gold and base-metal items are listed on the offer at nothing and returned to you free. We never quietly keep them.
Why we do not publish a per-gram price list. A single printed rate hides the things that change the figure: hollow versus solid, stones, mixed carats in one bag, a mark that does not match the metal. We would rather show you the weight, the tested purity and the figure for each item, in writing, and let you decide. Final offers depend on inspection, item weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, non-gold components, condition and the live precious-metal market.
What you see before you decide. A written, itemised offer by WhatsApp or email: every item, its weight, its tested purity, and its figure. Accept and we aim to pay by bank transfer within one working hour. Decline and the whole parcel comes back by Royal Mail Special Delivery at our cost. No fee, no deduction, no questions.
Every parcel uses Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, tracked from the counter to our door and signed for on arrival. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. GoldPaid can confirm the appropriate postal option before you post. For anything you think is worth more, contact us first and we split it across more than one prepaid label rather than send it in one parcel. The detail sits on postage and cover and is it safe to post gold?. If a parcel is lost on its way to us, the compensation claim goes to Royal Mail from you, the sender, using your Post Office receipt, and we give you our tracking records and help you make it. Lost parcels, step by step.
If you decide not to sell
There is never any obligation to accept. If the offer is not for you, simply decline, and we return everything free of charge by tracked, signed-for post, with no fee and no follow-up pressure. The full return process is on what happens if I decline the offer.
The written offer is dated and holds for a limited time, because metal prices move. If it lapses before you decide, we re-run it against the live precious-metal market on the day, at no charge. You can also accept part of a parcel and decline the rest, with no minimum and no penalty for splitting it.
Getting paid
Once you accept your written offer, we aim to pay by Faster Payments bank transfer within one working hour of your acceptance, directly to your account. No cheques to wait on, no conditions attached.
What backs the offer up
XRF spectrometry on every item, not a counter estimate
A written, itemised breakdown before you decide anything
Free tracked postage in, free tracked return out
No countdowns, no pressure, no fabricated reviews
An owner-run business whose founder, Rocco Clayfield, answers questions himself
Common questions
Are Art Deco platinum pieces worth more than they look?
Often yes, particularly platinum-and-diamond bracelets and pendants from the 1925-1935 peak. Where a piece belongs on the antique market rather than in the melt, the written offer says so.
Do you buy unsigned Art Deco pieces?
Yes. Most genuine Art Deco pieces are not signed by a named designer; they carry only a maker’s mark or an assay office hallmark. Unsigned does not mean it is not valuable.
What is a calibrated step-cut diamond?
A diamond cut with flat parallel facets in stair-step pattern, typically rectangular or trapezoidal. Common in Art Deco settings. We assess them by total weight and quality on the written offer.
Will you separate diamonds from an Art Deco setting?
Only on your instruction. If you want the stones returned loose while we buy the metal, mention it on WhatsApp before posting; otherwise the piece is valued whole.
Are Art Deco watch pieces in scope?
Yes if the case is precious metal. Art Deco wristwatches in 18ct gold or platinum are bought as watches, with the movement assessed alongside the case.
Not the question you had? The full GoldPaid FAQ covers the rest, from postal cover and ID checks to what happens if you decline the offer.
Speak to us before you post
Please send us photos on WhatsApp, and we will help you. We give a rough estimate where possible and arrange postage with you after our conversation. Your final offer follows inspection.
Message us with a clear photo of your items on WhatsApp, or call. There is no obligation at any stage and the only commitment is your decision to accept a written offer once you have seen it.
