Gold fluctuates in value, but the trend remains an upward one. With a precious metal like gold, there is always a market that is ripe for buying, trading or selling. When there are tough economic times, the price of gold continues to go higher and higher. Keep reading to discover how gold can fit into a smart financial plan.

Get an appraisal if you do not know the value of your gold jewelry. Although you’re spending some money up front, at least you’re getting fair market value for your items. Make sure you go to an accredited and reliable appraiser to get valid appraisal papers. Even if you still choose to sell, do know that you aren’t going to get the appraised value.

GoldMoney can be helpful when purchasing gold. It is almost like opening a bank account for gold. You put money into it like any other account, (e.g. a savings account) but it’s converted into gold bullion. It then is kept in a vault. The gold is yours to cash in if you wish. You may also redeem it for physical gold later.

Gold is a lot of fun to purchase, but refrain from announcing it to everyone. Anyone could be listening and you don’t know who can be trusted. Keep investments private and guard them in a quality safe or in a bank. These methods provide you with safety and security.

Have your pieces appraised before you sell them as scrap gold. This is an absolute must-do if you are selling unique, handcrafted pieces of jewelry. You may have to pay to have a piece appraised, but it’s worth it. An appraiser may know someone that’s interested in your jewelry.

Earring backings are often solid gold, even when the earrings are not. Clasps of necklaces and ring bands are often real gold as well. In these instances, it’s best to sell the gold parts in a lot. This is a bunch of different gold pieces in quantity and can help you to get more money for them.

Inquire with the area BBB prior to selling gold items to jewelry stores, dealers or any other sort of buyer. Here, you will find information regarding the business, as well complaints and reviews from people who’ve dealt with them before. Keep a close eye out for any complaints not fully resolved. If they have a ton of complaints or many that are unresolved, you should consider a different business.

You can actually sell your gold through the mail! A lot of sellers prefer this, as it is easy. You get a prepaid envelope, you put your jewelry in and you ship it off, only to get a check in return. These companies won’t pay the same amount for gold as others though. Be aware of the fact that you may receive approximately 30% less in some instances.

Read all the fine print when you are going through a gold dealer. This business deals with large amounts of money. It’s best to pay attention to what you’re signing your name to. If you don’t agree with their terms, find another dealer. You must protect your finances at all costs.

Don’t sell gold just to sell it. Just because the price is higher than ever doesn’t mean it won’t go even higher, since gold is something tends to continually increase in value. The longer you can hold your gold, the more profit you can make on it.

When you’re buying and selling gold, especially jewelry, knowing how to determine grade is very important. Gold is measured by karats. Purity will be indicated by higher karats and a higher price. Do not always trust the karat stamp. You can make sure you never pay too much for poor gold quality when you know exactly how to test gold purity.

Ask people you know for their broken jewelry. Get yourself an accurate scale that can weigh the jewelry so you know how much to offer your relatives and still make a profit from the deal.

If you’re someone who appreciates the beauty in gold and its investment potential, think about purchasing jewelry that is made almost entirely out of pure gold. This type of item can be an investment in addition to being something you can enjoy. A piece of gold jewelry that is high-value and crafted well offers additional value to the piece, which makes it very nice investment.

Understand that you will not receive full price on your gold. Dealers need to make money like other businesses. They are after profits, so they have margin to work with in their purchase price. Expect offers in the 50% to 70% range of your total value.

Make sure that your gold investments are in balance with your total investment portfolio. Gold investment doesn’t provide the regular dividends or income of bonds or stocks. Additionally, gold prices are really volatile. Gold rises in value as equities lose value. Never invest greater than five percent of your whole portfolio in gold.

I’m sure you already know the value our financial system places on gold. If you want to make money with gold, you must have a clear understanding of its value in the market. You must also establish clear financial goals to govern your dealings. Put this information to good use when you are considering gold investments.