Tips on Selling

📸 Take Great Photos!

Crisp photos will help attract shoppers! Here are our pro photo tips:

1. MAIN PHOTO

Display your item against a white background (printer paper is great). For best results, photograph your item during the day, using natural light with no flash. This will best show the true colors of your item.

💡 Pro Tip: our AI will take your main photo and re-edit and remove your original background and make it crisp and white.

2. STYLE IT

Take photos of the item being worn, to give shoppers an idea of scale and better visualize how it looks on.

3. BRANDING, CLASP, SPECIAL FEATURES, HALLMARKS

Take photos of the brand name or any branding (if applicable) and the hallmarks stamped on the piece to identify its precious metal purity. As well as photos of the clasp, earring backing, backside of jewelry, etc. - the more details means fewer questions from shoppers and faster sales.

4. FLAWS ARE GOOD

Show any scratches or damages - honesty is the best policy. Shoppers want to know all the little details (including the flaws) so they can buy with confidence.

5. INCLUDE DIMENSIONS

Take photos of your item against a ruler to help show the measurements and size of your item - to avoid any potential confusion with dimensions.

6. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS (if applicable)

Provide documents of authenticity - such as a receipt, a jewelry certificate that provides verification of the metal materials and/or carat weight and clarity for any diamonds or gems used in the piece.

💎 What can I sell?

We take pride in our careful curation of the best new and preloved jewels for our devoted community. Here are our pro tips on what's accepted:

1. FINE JEWELRY

We only accept fine jewelry in our marketplace, which means the jewelry is made of precious metals, natural or lab-grown diamonds and genuine gemstones. Precious metals must be solid 10k or higher gold, as well as platinum. Stones must be real diamonds and precious and semi-precious gemstones - we do not allow costume jewelry with imitation stones or gold filled or plated jewelry.

2. DESIGNER JEWELRY

We specialize in unbranded jewelry pieces, but also accept branded costume and fine jewelry from luxury heritage brands like Van Cleef, Cartier to Tiffany & Co, to fine jewelry from contemporary independent designers like Anito Ko, Jacquie Aiche to Jennifer Meyer and more.

3. TRENDING STYLES

Fine fashion jewelry with contemporary styles that are current and on-trend, as well as unique vintage jewelry pieces sell the best in our marketplace. Our curators review each piece before it goes live to ensure its a good fit for our community of jewelry lovers who seek the best on-trend and desirable styles.

✨ How to determine my item's metal type?

Here are our pro tips to determine your item's metal type.

LOOK FOR HALLMARKS: hallmarks are numbers that are stamped on gold and platinum items to identify the items precious metal purity. The number will tell you the actual precious metal content or the purity of the precious metal. You can find these hallmarks on the inside of a ring, on the earring post or backing, or by the clasp of a necklace or bracelet. You might need a magnifying glass to clearly see the hallmark. Below are common purity hallmarks:

Gold Purity Stamp

· A number followed by the letter “k” or the word “karat” will be stamped on gold itself, or a 3-digit fineness mark

· 10k = 417 (41.7%)

· 14k = 585 (58.5%) *most common in fine jewelry pieces

· 18k = 750 (75.0%) *most common in fine jewelry pieces

Platinum Purity Stamp

· The word “plat” or “platinum” will be marked on the metal

· The metal could be stamped with "950" which = 95% pure platinum

💍 How to determine my item's gemstone?

Once you have tested the metal, you’ll know whether the stone is possibly real or not. Jewelry that is not real gold or platinum will not have real gemstones. The stones could be cubic zirconia, crystals, rhinestones or simulated gems. But if your jewelry has precious metals, here's our pro tip guide to determining your gemstones.

There are only four stones in the world classified as precious gemstones:

1. Diamond
2. Sapphire
3. Ruby
4. Emerald

All other stones are considered semi-precious. Here are the most popular and common semi-precious gemstones used in fine jewelry.

Amethyst, Opal, Pearl, Citrine, Turquoise, Topaz, Peridot, Tourmaline, Garnet, Moonstone, Tanzanite, Aquamarine, Malachite, Black Onyx, Jade, Quartz

✅ How to determine if my jewelry is fake or real?

Here are some pro tips on how to test your jewelry to determine if it's fake or real. However, the safest course of action is to take your pieces to a jeweler to be tested.

1. The Magnet Test: gold is not magnetic. When a piece is gold-plated, there’s metal underneath. Hold a strong magnet on your piece of jewelry. If the magnet sticks, this is an immediate indication of a fake material being used.

Most simulated gold is made of brass, copper, or other base metals commonly known as “pot metal." These are not attracted to a magnet, so this test won’t work on them.

Many earring posts, chain clasps, etc., are steel and will be magnetic. If a piece attracts a magnet, make sure it's not just a clasp or post. The rest of the item could be gold.

2. The Skin Test: one of the best-known ways to spot fake jewelry is the skin test. Does wearing the jewelry turn your skin green, or cause any kind of irritation? Genuine gold will not react with the skin, so any problems will give away a fake piece.

3. The Vinegar Test: using a dropper filled with white vinegar, place a few drops onto your metal jewelry. If the drops change the color of the metal, then it is not pure gold. If the color stays the same, then it is pure gold.

4. Look for Green Specks: another obvious sign is the presence of green specks on the piece. This is corrosion of the copper or brass underlying base metal. There is no need to test anything with green specs, the item is not gold.

5. Fake or Costume Jewelry Won’t Have Real Stones: once you have tested the metal, you’ll know whether the stone is possibly real or not. Jewelry that is not real gold will not have real gemstones. The stones could be cubic zirconia, crystals, rhinestones or simulated gems.

6. How to Tell If A Diamond Is Real: the breath test is best used for determining whether a diamond is real or fake. Simply breath hot air onto the stone. A real diamond does not retain heat, so it will not fog up, while a fake diamond will. Try this same test on cubic zirconia (CZ). The surface of the CZ will continue to be foggy. This test will help you determine if you have a CZ instead of a diamond.

7. Other Jewelry Markings to Look For:

· A stamp of GP, GEP or HGP (meaning Gold Plate, Gold Electro Plate, Hard Gold Plate), means it is not pure gold

· The rings or links in the jewelry (also called the “jump rings”) will most likely be soldered together if the piece is valuable

🔍 Get A Second Opinion

There is no way of knowing FOR SURE without a real test made by an experienced technician. We recommend taking the piece to a jeweler or pawn shop to be tested. They will have professional tests that will determine whether your jewelry is real as well as the purity of the metal itself. A certified appraiser will be able to provide the value of the piece as well.

💲 How to determine my item's price?

If you have the sales receipt or original tag for your item, you can quickly, easily and better determine what price you'd be willing to sell your item for! Pro Tip: set a price where you can leave room for negotiation.

But if you've received the jewelry as a gift, inherited the jewelry, or misplaced your receipt - you can research the value of your item. Here are a couple pro tips on determining your item's price:

1. Certified Appraiser: you can take your item to a certified appraiser at a jewelry store, a pawn shop or a “We Buy Gold” dealer. In most cases all three will offer you “scrap value” - that is, the value of the raw materials (metal, diamonds and gems). Of the three, you'll usually get the most money from a jeweler. Once they provide you a number, you can determine the price you'd be most comfortable selling your item for.

2. Google Image Search: a quick way to find retail price comps on your item is to use Google Image Search. To do this, take a clear photo of your item on a white background (such as printer paper) in very good lighting, then go to the Google search bar, tap Google Lens and upload your photo to use for the search.

3. Ebay Sold Items: you can search Ebay's Sold Items to see secondhand price comps of what your item has previously sold for. Go to the Ebay search bar, to the right is the "Advanced Search" button. Scroll down to the "Search Including" section and click "Sold Items".

💡 How to determine authentic vs counterfeit luxury branded jewelry?

When it comes to luxury heritage brands like Cartier, Tiffany & Co, Gucci, Chanel, Dior etc. it's best to have a receipt, its official certificate of authenticity or original tag, and having the original box is a bonus. You can upload a copy of your receipt to your listing, as well as the original box and packaging, if applicable.

But if it was a gift, a vintage piece, or if you're unsure whether the item is real or counterfeit - you'll want to do your research. Regardless of whether it's fine or costume jewelry, luxury branded items have value since they were created by a specific designer. For instance, vintage Chanel earrings made from brass may not be worth much in terms of materials and construction, but the branding alone makes it very valuable.

Before you list your luxury designer jewelry for sale, you should determine if it is real by having it authenticated by experts, because if the item is found to be counterfeit and doesn't pass our verification process, REFIND has no obligation to return the item back to the Seller, or Seller will be charged the return shipping fee, if they’d like their item back.

Do your homework first, before you list! We recommend www.realauthentication.com to get your luxury designer jewelry authenticated prior to creating your listing.

😀 How to determine my item's sizing and clasp type?

Providing detailed measurements of your item will help shoppers pick the right piece! From earring length and diameter, bracelet and necklace length, to ring size - these are all important details to include in your listing to ensure the buyer has accuracy of how the item will fit.

Additional details, like clasp type for bracelet and necklaces will also help buyers better understand your item. If you need help with measurements or clasp types, check out our easy guide!