How to Know If You're Getting a Fair Price for Your Jewellery

The Three Marks of a Fair Offer

1. The Buyer Can Explain How They Arrived at the Figure

A fair offer is not a number pulled from the air. It is the result of a methodical assessment — of the metal, the stones, the current market, and the condition of the piece — and a buyer who has done that work properly should be able to walk you through it clearly.

Ask: "Can you explain how you arrived at this figure?"

A buyer who knows what they're doing will answer readily. They'll tell you the current spot price for the metal, the weight and purity of your piece, what they assessed the diamond or stone to be and why, and what the current market is doing. You don't need to understand every technical detail. You need to see that there is a logical, transparent process behind the number — not an intuition, not a policy, and not a formula designed to obscure.

If a buyer responds to this question with vagueness, deflection, or impatience, you have learned something important.

2. You Receive the Offer in Writing

An offer made verbally is not an offer you can evaluate, compare, or verify. It is a number that exists only in the room, only at that moment, with no record and no accountability.

A written offer — or better, a written buy appraisal that documents every component of the assessment — gives you something real. You can take it away. You can show it to someone you trust. You can compare it with another offer. You can come back to it in a week when you've had time to think.

The willingness to put an assessment in writing is one of the clearest signals of a buyer who stands behind their work. It costs them nothing if the offer is fair. It costs them credibility if it isn't.

3. There Is No Pressure to Decide

Urgency is the enemy of good decisions. And in the context of selling jewellery — which is often emotionally significant, financially meaningful, and sometimes irreversible — a buyer who applies time pressure is a buyer who benefits from you deciding before you're ready.

"I can only hold this price until the end of the day."

"The market moves quickly — I'd lock this in now if I were you."

"I have another buyer interested in this type of piece."

These phrases are not information. They are pressure. And pressure, in this context, should be treated as a warning sign rather than a reason to act.

A fair buyer gives you the offer, explains it clearly, puts it in writing, and then lets you decide — today, tomorrow, next week, or not at all.

Red Flags Worth Knowing

Beyond the three marks above, there are specific behaviours that should prompt you to pause, regardless of how attractive the initial offer sounds.

No written documentation. If a buyer cannot or will not provide a written breakdown of their assessment, there is no basis for trusting that the figure is accurate or fair.

Pressure to leave your items. A professional buyer assesses your pieces in front of you and returns them to you at the end of the appointment if you don't sell. Any request to leave items "for further assessment" before an offer is made should be declined.

Vague or unverifiable credentials. If you ask about qualifications and receive a non-answer, or credentials that can't be independently verified, proceed with caution.

An offer that changes unexpectedly. A buyer who opens with one figure and then revises it downward mid-appointment — citing "closer inspection" or "market conditions" — is using a tactic, not responding to new information.

Payment that isn't immediate. If you agree to sell, your money should arrive the same day by bank transfer. A promise of payment later is not a completed transaction.

How a Buy Appraisal Solves the Uncertainty

The reason the uncertainty exists in the first place is structural: most buyers don't show their work. They make an offer, and you're left trying to evaluate a number with no context.

A buy appraisal is the structural solution to that problem. It is not simply an offer — it is a documented, expert assessment of what your piece is worth in today's market, broken down into its component parts and explained in plain language. You know the spot price used. You know how the stone was assessed. You know what market factors were considered. You know why the figure is what it is.

That transparency doesn't just make the offer easier to trust. It makes it possible to verify. And an offer you can verify is an offer you can accept — or decline — with genuine confidence.

What to Do If You've Already Received an Offer

If you've received an offer from another buyer and you're not sure whether it's fair, a buy appraisal from Miller Hirsch gives you a second, independent opinion at no cost and no obligation.

Bring the written offer if you have one. We'll review it alongside our own assessment and give you an honest view of how they compare. If the other offer is fair, we'll tell you. If it isn't, we'll show you why — and you can decide what to do with that information.

Our goal is not simply to be the buyer you choose. It is to be the buyer you trust — and that means giving you the information you need to make the right decision for your situation, whatever that turns out to be.

Book your free buy appraisal with Miller Hirsch today — no obligation, no pressure, and a written assessment that's yours to keep.