Short answer
A gold necklace is more than a length of chain, so it needs a valuation that looks at each part. We weigh and XRF-test the chain, the pendant, the clasp and any stones, then itemise them on a written offer. You post the piece under a free prepaid Royal Mail label, see the breakdown the same working day, and decide in your own time. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer; decline and the necklace is returned free.
What separates a necklace from a chain at scrap
A gold chain by itself is a fixed-purity piece of metal you can value with two numbers (weight and carat). A necklace is usually a chain with a pendant, a setting, a clasp and frequently a stone or several stones; each of those elements is its own valuation. The XRF reading is taken on the chain and on every separable component of the necklace, and the written offer breaks the components out.
The pendant on a necklace is the part most likely to differ in metal from the chain. Inherited Victorian and Edwardian necklaces often have a higher-carat pendant on a lower-carat chain, because the chain was replaced at some point during the piece's life. Modern necklaces typically have matched pendant and chain. Either way, the assay sees both metals individually.
Stones, settings and what they do to the figure
Stones in a necklace pendant fall into three rough categories at valuation: stones with separate market value (diamonds, fine sapphires, fine rubies, fine emeralds, certain pearls), decorative stones with little independent market value (most cubic zirconias, glass, paste, low-grade colour stones), and stones whose value depends heavily on the documentation (older stones with provenance, named cuts, certified diamonds).
The written offer treats every stone above a baseline threshold as a separate valuation line. Stones below the threshold are noted but not separately priced; the metal-and-setting weight is the basis. Where a stone is worth materially more than the metal it sits in, we say so on the offer and explain how to sell it separately if you prefer.
Necklace cases, chains and the unworn-but-kept stock
A meaningful share of UK households have one or two necklaces that have not been worn for a decade or more, sitting in a presentation case in a drawer. Those necklaces age neutrally in storage; gold does not tarnish, and the metal weight is what it was the day the necklace was first sold. The case adds no value but is often kept anyway.
If you are clearing inherited necklaces and you are not certain which is gold and which is gold-plated, post the whole lot. The XRF reading separates real gold from plated base metal definitively; plated pieces are returned at no cost alongside the offer for the precious-metal pieces.
Necklaces with maker marks and antique provenance
The four UK assay offices each strike pieces that turn up on necklaces of various ages: the leopard's head (London), the anchor (Birmingham), the rose or pre-1975 crown (Sheffield), the three-towered castle (Edinburgh). Closed offices (Chester until 1962, Glasgow until 1964) appear on older pieces and are sometimes worth flagging for the antique market rather than scrap.
Pieces with maker marks of recognised British designers from the twentieth century — Mappin & Webb, Asprey, Garrard, Theo Fennell, and similar — are flagged separately on the written offer because the designed-piece market sometimes pays above scrap. We will tell you on the offer when that is likely to be the case.
The full process, start to finish
- Ask, then send photos. Message us on WhatsApp with a few clear photos of your gold necklaces. Lay items flat, in daylight if you can, and include any hallmarks or carat stamps in shot. We reply with a quick indicative figure and answer anything you want to ask. There is no charge and no obligation.
- Request the prepaid label. When you are ready, we email a free Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed label, tracked and signed for. No printer is needed: ask for a QR code and the Post Office counter prints it for you.
- Pack and post, tracked. Wrap items in any padded envelope or a small box, attach the label, and hand the parcel in over the Post Office counter so you get a receipt with the tracking number. Keep that receipt. There is no deadline.
- We weigh, test and value. On arrival each item is weighed on calibrated scales and tested by XRF spectrometry to confirm purity. You receive a written, itemised offer showing the weight, the purity, the rate used and the figure for each item.
- Accept or decline. Accept and you are paid by bank transfer on Faster Payments. Decline and everything is returned to you free of charge by tracked, insured post. The choice is entirely yours, and you do not need to give a reason.
New to posting valuables? Read the flagship guide on selling gold by post in the UK for a fuller walk-through of every step.
How your parcel is protected
Your parcel is insured up to £2,500 via Royal Mail Special Delivery. Your items travel on Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed: fully tracked, needs a signature on delivery, arranged with that compensation cover per parcel. Worth more than that? Tell us before you post, and we will either arrange extra cover or suggest splitting the items across separate parcels. See postage and insurance for the full picture.
If the offer is not for you
Then nothing happens except a free return. We send your items back by tracked, insured post at our cost, with no fee for declining and no follow-up. A valuation is only worth having if you can turn it down freely, so you can. See what happens if I decline the offer.
Being paid
If you accept, payment follows by Faster Payments, transferred directly to your bank account. It is the last step, and a simple one.
Why sellers choose GoldPaid
GoldPaid is a small, owner-run UK business built on one promise: show the working. Every item is XRF-assayed and weighed on calibrated scales, every offer is itemised in writing, postage is free and insured both ways, and there is never a countdown or a hard sell. If something is worth more to a specialist than to us, we say so.
Common questions
What if I am unsure whether my necklace is real gold or plated?
Send it. The XRF reading takes seconds and definitively tells us solid from plated. Plated necklaces are returned to you at no cost, alongside our offer for any pieces that are solid.
Do you buy necklaces with broken or missing clasps?
Yes. The clasp condition does not change the metal value. We pay for the gold by measured weight and purity, regardless of whether the necklace fastens.
Can I post several necklaces in one parcel?
Yes. Each piece is logged on arrival, weighed and XRF-assayed individually, and itemised on the written offer. Posting one parcel of several pieces costs the same as posting one piece.
How quickly do you pay after I accept?
Payment goes out by Faster Payments the moment you reply to accept the written offer. Faster Payments normally clear within minutes during banking hours.
Can I include a pendant separately from a chain in the same parcel?
Yes. We weigh and assay each piece separately, so a loose pendant and a separate chain are valued independently on the written offer.