The stock exchanges are in the “gold rush”: the price for the troy ounce climbs new maximum values. Why is that? And is now a good time to sell family jewelry?
The inherited gold chain of the patentant, grandfather wedding ring or golden earrings that have long been out of fashion – many people have something like this at home somewhere in the drawer. Is it currently worth it because the gold price is constantly reaching new highs to sell the jewelry?
“I think the most jewelry has been in possession for a little longer, so you can certainly say: The price is above the purchase price,” says Henrik Marx, head of the global precious metal trade at Heraeus.
Course is already scratching the $ 2900 mark
On the other hand, the gold trade expert advises: “If you are not urgently dependent on the money, it is certainly not wrong to leave the piece of jewelry left.” Because the experts from Heraeus assume that the gold price will continue to rise this year – over $ 2950 per troy ounce.
The latest record high of gold from this week has already scratched the $ 2900 mark, so it is not far from this forecast. Experts cite uncertainty due to the US-inch policy as reasons for the increasing gold price. Investors were looking for a safe harbor.
No ideal form of investment
Does this also apply to gold chains, brooches and rings? Is gold jewelry at all a suitable investment? Antique dealer David Suppes, also known from the television program “Bares for Rares”, advises more. “I do not consider jewelry to be the ideal form of investment because it is not so easy to liquidate in an emergency, so it can be made of money. With jewelry you always have the problem: is it real? How high is the gold value? Does it have the right alloy that is on it? “
This is more difficult to check, so Suppes compared to the ARD finance editor. Nevertheless, many customers are currently offering their gold jewelry for sale in their antiquarian bookshop, according to the dealer.
Central banks as important buyers
Most recently, central banks were one of the largest buyers of gold worldwide – this led to continuous price increase last year. According to numbers from the World Gold Council, central banks bought more than 1000 tons of gold in 2024. Above all, the central banks in Poland, Turkey, India and China. According to experts, the latter want to make themselves so more independent of the dollar.
Precious recycles like Precious Metals melt gold and then resell it to the industry or investors in the form of bars. Therefore, when buying a piece of jewelry, only the pure precious metal weight and the pure gold content, according to gold expert Henrik Marx.
“We pay the price for the melting fabric. So it makes no difference for us whether we have a nice chain or an old Heraeus bar. We pay the fine gold, and so the stand is also in industry.” That means: only the material value is remunerated. The art of craftsmanship and the emotional value of a piece of jewelry are completely outside.
