Sell Indian gold jewellery by post across the UK

Most Indian wedding and family gold is struck at 22 carat purity, which is 91.7% pure gold by mass, written as "916" inside the piece, often alongside a Bureau of Indian Standards mark or a maker’s stamp. That 22ct standard is materially purer than the 9ct or 18ct jewellery commonly sold in UK high-street shops, and it carries directly through to the bullion calculation: every gram of 22ct jewellery contains about 0.917 grams of fine gold.

Your parcel is signed for on arrival and opened at our Bristol office, where each piece is weighed and XRF-tested. The XRF analyser reads the metal without damaging the piece, so it shows whether the 916 mark is right. Gold-plated brass made to look like 22ct does exist, and the reading tells it apart from solid gold without scratching the piece or removing any stones.

Indian jewellery is often heavily stone-set: kundan work (stones set with fine gold foil, sometimes uncut polki diamonds), meenakari enamel on the reverse, pearls, rubies, emeralds and coloured stones. A fair offer depends on how the stone and enamel weight is separated from the gold weight.

Nothing is unset unless you ask for that in writing, so the separation is done on the offer rather than at the bench. The gold weight is the gross weight less the stone and enamel weight, and the deduction is shown line by line on the written offer so you can see how the figure was reached. If you would rather keep the stones and sell the gold alone, say so before you post: the piece is unset at our own bench, the stones come back to you loose, and the offer is made on the metal only. The full method is set out in our diamonds and gemstones policy.

Polki diamonds and other stones can hold value of their own. The offer notes it where they do, and says so when a piece would do better with a specialist Indian-jewellery valuer.

Indian gold jewellery often carries family weight that does not show in the carat marking. Wedding sets, mangalsutra, a grandmother’s bangles, christening pieces: not all of it should go to the melt, and the no-obligation route exists so you can look at the figure without committing to anything.

If the written offer arrives and the figure is not what the piece is worth to you, the answer is "no, please return it" and the parcel comes back at our cost, fully tracked, by Royal Mail Special Delivery. There is no fee for the valuation, no fee for the return label and no pressure to accept. The written offer stays with you as a dated record of each piece’s gold weight, purity and figure.

A full bridal set of bangles, mangalsutra, jhumka earrings and matching neckpieces can weigh 200 grams or more of 22ct gold. 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, and a larger set can travel in more than one parcel, each with its own prepaid label and tracking number.

Before posting a set like that, message us a photograph and a rough weight so the parcels can be planned first.

Pack each piece in its original box where possible, or wrap each one in tissue inside a padded bag inside an outer cardboard carton. Do not write “gold” or “jewellery” on the outside of the parcel.

GoldPaid serves customers in Leicester, Birmingham and London by post using a prepaid Royal Mail label. You do not need to visit a shop. The service is the same everywhere in the UK, so the choice is whether a counter near you or a written offer by post suits your pieces better.

Leicester. Belgrave Road is known for its jewellers, sari shops and Indian restaurants (Belgrave Road), so there are counters to compare if you want to sell in person. Selling gold in Leicester by post.

London. Green Street in Newham is a regional centre for food, jewellery and fabric shops, and Southall has one of the largest South Asian shopping areas in the region (Green Street, Southall). Selling gold in London by post.

Birmingham. An anchor mark on a 22ct piece bought in India can be genuine. Birmingham Assay Office began striking its hallmark through a subsidiary in Mumbai in July 2016 (Birmingham Assay Office), and in 2018 the British Hallmarking Council decided in principle that hallmarks struck overseas by UK assay offices should carry a distinguishing mark (GOV.UK). The XRF test reads the gold itself either way. Selling gold in Birmingham by post, and the Birmingham anchor mark explained.

If you would rather not carry family pieces to a counter, or want an itemised written offer to share with relatives first, posting them is the alternative.