Throughout the years, this particular item has been one of the most popular types of jewelry to wear, especially among women. The price for this kind of jewelry typically varies due to different factors such as weight, price of gold, age, design, quality, and material construction.
Understanding this is the key to getting the best price for your 14K gold tiffany bracelet or bangle bracelet.
Let’s explore these and other factors in detail.
How Much Is a 14k Gold Bracelet Worth at a Pawn Shop?
Whether it’s for some quick cash or to get rid of a piece of jewelry that now holds bad memories, wondering how much is a 14K gold bracelet worth at a pawn shop is a perfectly reasonable question to ask. The current price of 14K gold is roughly $33 to $36 per gram and you can expect 50% to 75% of this amount from a pawn shop.
But this is the short answer.
The Market Value of Gold
There’s no doubt that gold is a precious metal that’s worth money. However, it is a notoriously volatile commodity.
The price of gold depends on the forces of demand and supply. If you remember your economics, the laws of supply and demand state that price increases as demand exceeds supply and vice versa.
Take what happened when scientists discovered that gold could aid in the manufacturing process of computers and other electronic devices for example. That discovery caused demand, and hence, the price of gold to skyrocket.
Another driving factor is the value of the dollar. Generally, the price of gold is inversely related to the value of the dollar. So, because more gold can be bought when the dollar is weaker, a stronger dollar keeps the price of gold low.
Also, gold is more challenging to mine nowadays because of increased hazards, environmental impact/awareness, and the need to dig deeper. In short, gold prices may increase because it costs more to get less gold.
Last but not least is the jewelry industry. During the wedding season, for instance, the price of gold will increase.
This is one of the first things the pawn shop will take into consideration for the final price offer.
The Fineness of Your Bracelet
Gold jewelry is almost never 100% pure gold, and for good reason. Ironically, pure gold is soft. This makes it easy to scratch or break.
So, jewelers need to add other metals to increase the durability of gold jewelry.
The purer your bracelet, the more you’ll get for it. The purity of gold is measured in karats. This refers to total pure gold per 24 parts of metal.
Therefore, 24 karat gold consists of 24 of all 24 units of gold and is 99% pure. Likewise, 14 karat gold jewelry has 14 units of pure gold out of 24 units. That’s 58.3% pure gold.
10K, 9K, and 8K gold jewelry all contain less than 50% of pure gold and are the least expensive.
The Weight of Your Bracelet
This is a major determinant of how much your gold bracelet is worth. The heavier your bracelet, the more it’s worth.
You can weigh your bracelet accurately with a jewelry scale or one of the many scrap gold calculators online.
The State of Your Bracelet
If your bracelet is scratched or broken it’ll fetch a lower price. Pawn owners factor in the cost of cleaning or repairing your bracelet and deduct it from what they’re willing to pay you.
Make sure to polish your bracelet and consider repairing major cracks before selling it.
Ornaments
If your gold 14K bracelet is a tennis bracelet with diamonds or other gems, you’ll get more money from the pawn shop.
Pawn shops always consider how easy it’ll be to resell jewelry before buying it. A bracelet that has pretty gems will attract more offers than one that doesn’t.
Now that you can estimate the value of your gold tennis bracelet or gold bangle bracelet, let’s look at the situation in pawn shops.
Is It Better to Sell Gold or Pawn It?
Don’t be fooled by those flashing lights and flashy signs on your way into a pawn shop. You will never get 100% of the determined value of your gold bracelet. However, selling to a pawn shop is not without its advantages:
- Pawning is more advantageous than selling if you need immediate access to cash and do not want to wait around for a potential buyer.
- Another advantage of pawning is that you will avoid the costs associated with selling, such as commission, insurance, and shipping.
As for the disadvantages:
- The main disadvantage of pawning your gold is that your resale value at the end of the loan period will be significantly lower than if you had just sold outright.
- Expect at best 75% of the value of your bracelet. At worst, some shops may offer you only 50% of the overall price of your bracelet.
- In some cases, you will be required to leave your item in the shop’s possession for several months or even a year before being allowed to redeem it.
Always check the terms and conditions of whatever contract you sign at the time of pawning it.
How Much Is an Ounce of 14k Gold Worth?
Pure gold is sold by the ounce, but karat jewelry is sold by the gram. See the problem? You’ll have to convert ounces to grams to find out the cost of any particular piece of jewelry.
One troy ounce equals 31.1 grams.
Here’s a table to help you out.
| Quality of Gold | Price of 1 Gram of Gold | Price of 1 Ounce of Gold |
|---|---|---|
| 10K | $24.574 | $790.17 |
| 14K | $34.465 | $1,108.2 |
| 24K | $58.918 | $1,894.5 |
How Do I Sell My Gold Bracelet?
So, you know the value of your tennis bracelet or bangle bracelet and you’re ready to go to the pawn shop. How do you sell it and get the best price?
First, find the right pawn shop. Don’t just go to the first one you see. Read ratings of different pawn shops online. You can also ask friends and family to recommend a fair pawn shop.
Here’s a tip for you: you can get the best deals at the pawn shops close to official gold buyers. As they know the buyers’ value of gold, they are more likely to offer more money to give themselves a competitive advantage.
Next, you have to haggle. Pawn shops don’t have fixed prices so you don’t have to accept the first offer they make you. Instead, talk your way a few extra dollars up.
Is It a Good Time to Sell Gold?
Now is a good time to sell gold jewelry. Historically, gold has always been a good investment that has the potential to bring in the big bucks.
Current gold prices are high and are predicted to continue increasing. Prices are surging as US inflation sees its steepest rise in four decades and negative news about the Russia Ukraine standoff further fuels inflation.
Several factors determine the price of a gold bracelet. The pawn shop will offer you cash or store credit based on how much money they make in comparison to your purchase price, demand in the market, and the quality of your bracelet. Keep in mind that it’s best to explore different pawn shops and put your negotiation skills to use before finalizing any deals.
You have all the information you need to make a quick buck in this article, which I hope you enjoyed reading. Please share and leave comments if you did!
