You don’t have to be a bullion investor or a commodities trader to be concerned about where precious metal prices are going in the year ahead. The average seller of gold or silver usually doesn’t invest in precious metals at all. They’re much more likely to be trading in gold or silver jewellery, watches, tea sets, holloware, or flatware.
When Should You Sell Jewellery?
Sellers are motivated at different times and for diverse reasons. Some will not be motivated to sell jewellery unless they need the money. Given the long-term outlook that most gold investors take when they make a purchase, there is a case to be made for waiting it out.
However, every investment is cyclical, and bullion is no exception. Gold and silver prices are just as capable of going down as any investment. In fact, before its meteoric rise in the late aughts, gold spent decades stuck in a plateau following a bull market that peaked and collapsed in the 1980s.
Anyone who is already thinking about selling their jewellery should strike when the iron is hot. Waiting too long can mean missing out on historic prices. Bullion cycles tend to be long, and if you miss the boat, you can wind up waiting years to see prices that high again.
Where Should You Sell Jewellery?
Where you go to sell your jewellery has a major impact on how much you can earn. There are several options, not all of them made equally, including:
- Online marketplaces
- Pawnshops
- Gold and silver buyers
Your best option is usually going to be a gold and silver buyer, especially one that has the capacity to evaluate collectors’ items, antiques, and designer jewellery, like Muzeum.
Gold and silver buyers will base their prices on the spot prices of these metals, meaning the prices at which they’re traded on global commodities markets. There are other factors that they have to consider, including their own costs and the precious metal content of the piece, but it always starts by looking at the markets.
Will 2025 Be a Good Year to Sell Your Jewellery?
For the past few years, gold has been on a bull run since 2019, with prices rising from around $1,300 USD per ounce in July 2019 to around $2,700 USD in November 2024.
According to Reuters, major banks are predicting that the rise in gold prices will continue into 2025, with central bank purchases on the London OTC driving about two-thirds of the expected price increase to $2,900 per ounce. Central banks purchase large quantities of gold bullion in order to offset risks to their currencies.
The rest of the price increase can likely be attributed to Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) following falling Federal Reserve rates. Dropping interest rates makes the bond market less attractive to risk-averse investors and increases the attractiveness of gold.
As for silver, analysts are likewise bullish, though recent revised analysis did trim price expectations from $40 USD per ounce to $38 per ounce.
All in all, 2025 is shaping up to be a good time to sell your jewellery.