Sell a mixed jewellery box by post: UK-wide

A surprising share of the gold value sitting in UK homes is in mixed jewellery boxes rather than identifiable single pieces. A drawer cleared after a house move; a jewellery box inherited from a parent and never sorted (there is a separate guide to clearing a parent’s house if that is where you are); a collection of single earrings whose pairs have been lost over decades. The contents typically include a mix of real 9ct gold, real 18ct gold, real silver, costume jewellery, plated brass, single gemstones and the occasional surprise (a sovereign in a cufflink, a 22ct bangle at the bottom).

It is hard to tell real gold from plated by eye. The carat markings, where they exist, are tiny and worn; many pieces have no marking at all. The mixed-box postal service exists precisely for this: post the whole box, we sort it on arrival, identify which pieces are real precious metal and which are not, and value the real-metal items line by line.

Step one: the parcel is signed for on arrival and opened at our Bristol office. Step two: each item is passed under the XRF analyser to identify metal type, gold (and its carat), silver, platinum, palladium, or non-precious base metal. Step three: gold and silver items are sorted into carat groups (9ct, 14ct, 18ct, 22ct gold; sterling silver) and weighed by group, with any platinum or palladium kept on its own line. Step four: the written offer is built showing each gold and silver group separately with the figure and the total.

Costume pieces, gold-plated items, silver-plated items and any base-metal jewellery are identified by name on the offer and described, so you can see what was returned versus what was paid for. Stones found inside settings (loose diamonds, sapphires, garnets) are identified and noted; if any are clearly worth more than the gold value they sit in, we say so openly so you can decide whether to remove and sell separately.

Two things are worth knowing before you decide what to leave out. First, small pieces are easy to underestimate by eye: a dozen single earrings can weigh more than one heavy chain, and every one of them goes on the scale. Second, we do not sort by appearance, because "costume" pieces are sometimes real and "real" pieces are sometimes costume; the XRF settles that either way.

Items worth putting in the parcel rather than leaving behind: 9ct gold charm bracelets with a dozen charms attached, 18ct signet rings inherited from a grandfather, 22ct chains tucked at the bottom under cotton wadding, gold sovereign or half-sovereign coin mounts, gold watch chains. None of these need to be identified by you before posting; the sorting happens on our side.

Pack the contents in their original box where possible, or transfer to a sturdy small cardboard carton with crumpled paper or bubble wrap to prevent movement. Each individual high-value piece (any large chain, bangle or watch) is worth wrapping individually in tissue inside the larger packing.

A mixed box can be worth anything from very little to a great deal, depending on what is in it. 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: send a photograph of the whole box laid out and a rough total weight, and a larger box can travel in more than one parcel, each with its own prepaid label.