The short answer
Yes, GoldPaid pays for diamonds and gemstones, and they are valued separately from the metal. Your written offer shows the metal figure and the stone figure on separate lines, so you can see how each part was reached rather than taking one number on trust.
The three things that can happen to a stone
There are only three possible outcomes for a stone you send us, and you choose which one before anything is touched.
- The stone is priced into the offer. The usual route. We buy the piece complete. Diamonds are assessed in-house on carat weight, cut, colour and clarity; coloured stones on species, size, colour and condition. The stone appears as its own line alongside the XRF-confirmed metal.
- The stone is removed and returned to you. If you would rather keep the stone and sell only the metal, say so. We unset it at our own bench, return it loose by tracked post, and offer on the metal alone. You see the metal-only figure in writing before anyone touches the setting.
- Nothing happens and the whole piece comes back. If you decline, the piece is returned intact and complete, free of charge, by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail post.
Who removes stones, and what it does to the setting
Unsetting is done in-house at our own bench. It is not sent out to a third party and it is not done by whoever opens the parcel. The piece is photographed before and after, and those photographs go to you with the figure.
You should also know the honest downside. Opening claws weakens them, and on a rub-over or channel setting the metal has to be worked back and frequently will not sit true again. A ring that has had its stone removed is no longer a saleable ring, it is scrap metal with a hole in it. That is fine once you have decided to sell the metal, and a poor idea if there is any chance you want the piece back as jewellery. We will not unset anything speculatively, and we will say so plainly if we think you are about to spoil something worth keeping.
Stones too small to return, said plainly
Not every stone can be got out of a setting in one piece. Melee, the small accent diamonds set around a centre stone or down the shoulders of a band, is typically under 0.02 carat and held in tight grain or pavé work. Removing it intact is often not possible, and stones that size have little resale value loose in any case.
What a stone is actually worth, honestly
- The four factors. Diamonds are valued on carat weight, cut, colour and clarity. A laboratory certificate from GIA, IGI or HRD firms the figure up. Stones without paperwork are still assessed and still bought.
- Size beats total weight. Half a carat spread across twenty accent stones is not worth what a half-carat solitaire is worth, and no honest buyer will pretend otherwise.
- Damage counts. Chipped girdles, abraded facet junctions and stones knocked about in a past workshop repair value below expectation.
- Lab-grown stones are bought. They are worth materially less than natural diamonds of the same size. The metal is read by XRF; the stone is assessed for type and priced for what it is.
- Coloured stones vary enormously. A good sapphire or emerald can carry real value. A synthetic ruby or a garnet in a Victorian mount usually will not, whatever it looks like across a room.
- Stones are not metal weight. Nothing that is not gold is paid as gold, which is exactly why the stone gets its own line rather than being quietly absorbed into a weight.
What we cannot do
- We cannot give a firm figure for a stone from a photograph. A photo tells us whether posting is worthwhile. The offer follows inspection and depends on weight, purity, hallmarks, stones, condition and the market rate on the day.
- We cannot issue laboratory certificates or independent valuations for insurance or probate. We are a buyer, not a laboratory. If you need a certificate, obtain it before selling.
- We cannot re-set a stone once it has been removed, or restore a setting to its original condition.
- We cannot buy anything where ownership is not clear. We ask about provenance on stone-set, estate and inherited pieces as a matter of routine.
Sending a stone-set piece, step by step
- Ask first. Send a photograph on WhatsApp, top-down and from the side, with any certificate or receipt you have. Tell us at this stage if you want the stones back.
- Free label. We send a prepaid Royal Mail Special Delivery label, usually within 30 minutes during working hours. Cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used.
- Assessment. Your instruction about the stones is recorded against the parcel on arrival. The metal is weighed and XRF-assayed; the stones are assessed at the bench.
- Written offer. Metal and stones itemised on separate lines, with the assumptions behind each stone set out. No countdown and no pressure.
- Your decision. Accept and payment is sent by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance. Decline and the piece is returned complete, free of charge, by tracked post.
Why this page exists
This is the question people are most reluctant to ask out loud, and it is a fair one. Ask us anything about it before your parcel goes anywhere, and if the answer does not satisfy you, do not send it. See also how we handle your parcel and security and safety.
Common questions
Will they steal my diamonds if I send a ring off to sell the gold?
It is the most common worry about postal gold buyers and it is worth putting to any of them directly. At GoldPaid your parcel is logged against the description you gave when you requested the label, your items stay identifiable as yours throughout assessment, and nothing is removed from a setting without your written instruction. Decline and the piece comes back complete by tracked post at our cost. The full chain of custody is set out on how we handle your parcel.
Do you remove stones from jewellery?
Only when you have asked us to in writing. If you want to keep the stones and sell just the metal, we unset the piece at our own bench, return the stones to you loose and offer on the metal alone. Otherwise the piece is assessed and offered on complete, with the stones still in place.
Can I have my gemstones returned?
Yes. Tell us before you post. If a stone cannot be removed intact, and small melee often cannot, we will not remove it. We tell you, and you choose between selling the piece complete or having the whole thing back. Returns go by tracked, signed-for Royal Mail post at our cost.
Are diamonds worth anything in scrap jewellery?
It depends on the stones. A single decent centre stone is usually worth something and is priced as its own line. Tiny accent melee in a worn cluster ring often adds very little, and we would rather say so than imply otherwise. Either way the stones are looked at rather than ignored, and the metal is XRF-assayed separately. See sell diamond jewellery for how a full piece is handled.
I am selling a gold ring with a diamond in it. Do I need to take the diamond out first?
No, and please do not try. Send it as it is. Removing a stone at home damages the setting and risks losing the stone down a sink. The metal and the stone are assessed separately here without you having to unmount anything.
What if you tell me the stone is worth very little and it is not?
Get a second opinion before you accept, which is what a no-obligation written offer is for. Our breakdown states what we think each stone is and the assumptions behind the figure, so you have something specific to check against. If a stone looks likely to do better with a specialist or at auction than we would pay, we say so rather than buy it under its worth.