Sign In
How to Sell a Diamond Ring Safely, Securely, and for the Best Price Possible
Figuring out how to sell a diamond ring safely (and for the right price), can seem like a complex process. Diamonds are precious items, capable of holding their value for decades.
While many people keep their diamonds close for their entire lives, there are also various reasons why you might choose to sell your asset. Perhaps you’re trying to access some extra cash to pay for something important, or you want to move on after a tough break up.
Whatever the reason you want to sell your diamond jewelry, we’re here to help.
Whether you’re concerned about getting the right resale value for your ring, or you’re wondering how you can ensure you’re working with a reputable jewelry buyer, we’ve got you covered.
Here’s your step-by-step guide to selling your diamond ring.
Evaluating Your Diamond Ring: Defining Value
As one of the most precious resources we have, diamond has inherent value. Unless your diamond ring has suffered from extensive damage, you can rest assured you should be able to get some money back when you sell your jewelry. In fact, some companies will even allow you to sell loose diamonds directly after they’ve been removed from a ring setting or another accessory.
However, while all diamonds are valuable, their exact value can vary depending on a number of factors. Before you start selling your ring, you should determine exactly how much it’s worth, so you know what a reasonable price might be. Estimating the value of a diamond jewelry piece can be a little complicated if you don’t have any prior experience.
In most cases, you’ll find it’s much easier to get a clear insight into your ring’s worth by speaking to an expert. These professionals will often evaluate your diamond by looking at four core attributes, known as the “4 C’s”.
The four Cs refer to the color, cut, carat weight and clarity of your ring. The more carats, the better the clarity, and the finer the cut, the more your diamond will be worth. Color can also influence how precious or rare a diamond might be.
Alongside examining the 4 Cs, a jeweler can also look at other factors which might influence the selling price of your item, such as:
The brand: Some jewelry brands can be worth more than others for a number of reasons. There are even buyers out there who collect specific branded pieces. If your ring is from a luxury jeweler such as Cartier, or Tiffany, it can have additional value as buyers find them desireable.
The diamond shape: Diamond shapes have evolved drastically over the years, with various different styles going in and out of fashion. While a diamond shape that’s not currently “in fashion” still has value, a trending shape might fetch a higher price. Round diamonds are always popular with buyers.
Diamond age: The age of your diamond can also have an impact on its selling price. Some antique or vintage rings might be worth a lot more to the right collector. A diamond doesn’t necessarily have to be brand-new to be valuable.
Jewelry condition: The overall condition of your jewelry can also influence how much you can sell it for. The condition of the setting in fine jewelry pieces can make a difference to how much people are willing to pay for it. However, even if the precious metal around your diamond isn’t in great condition, you should still be able to sell it. Chips in the diamond will reduce the value of the ring but will not stop you selling it. The buyer will normally recut chipped diamonds before re-selling.
Finding a Buyer for your Diamond Ring
Once you know how much your diamond ring is potentially worth, you need to start looking for a place to sell your item. There are plenty of places you can sell diamonds to buyers from around the world, but not all options are as reliable as others.
Where you decide to sell your ring will usually have a huge impact on how much money you get for it, and how secure the transaction is.
If you sell your diamond ring to the wrong buyer, they could convince you to take a price that’s lower than what it’s actually worth. Because of this, it’s important to always be aware of the person you’re selling to.
Whenever you’re thinking of selling jewelry, it’s important to do your research into:
- The reputation of the buyer, or the company purchasing your ring
- The security and safety of the selling platform (online and offline)
- Strategies you can use to protect yourself (like choosing a buyer that opens packages on camera)
You check out White Pine's pre-owned diamond jewelry buying process here.
Local Jewelry Stores
If you’re looking for a quick and convenient way to get instant cash for your diamond ring, you could consider selling directly to a local jewelry store. Most vendors will be able to evaluate your ring for you and give you a reasonable price for it. However, it’s worth noting you won’t always get the best price from a local jeweler, as they can be limited in their budget and their ability to resell the ring.
Additionally, local jewelers tend to only have a view on local pricing levels and trends, which means you might miss out on a little extra cash. If possible, it’s worth shopping around with different jewelry companies to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
Online Marketplaces
Selling through online marketplaces like Etsy, eBay, Craigslist, and even Facebook Marketplace can be another option for people who want to sell diamond and fashion rings. They offer the seller a chance to sell directly to another consumer for, and they generally have reasonable selling fees. However, you will have to pay to ship your item to your buyer.
While online marketplaces are convenient, they do come with a lot of risks to be aware of. Many of these platforms don’t have the best seller protection policies in place. There’s also a risk you your sale could fall through multiple times.
Consignment Selling
If you’re struggling to find a buyer for your diamond ring on your own, you could consider consignment selling. With this strategy, you allow a retailer or online platform vendor to sell your diamond ring or jewelry for you. This means you can basically pass the headaches of the selling process over to someone else, and reduce the amount of work you actually need to do.
Unfortunately, there are some downsides to this method. The process of finding a buyer can often be quite slow. Additionally, when you do receive an offer for your ring, you’ll be expected to pay a hefty percentage of whatever you earn back to the consignor as a commission.
Auction Houses
Particularly useful for selling vintage rings and similar jewelry, auction houses can be a great way to sell diamond rings that are higher value or have interesting back stories. However, it’s worth noting that auction houses do leave quite a bit up to chance. While you can set a minimum limit on the sale, you might not get a buyer from every event. Indeed a lot of auction houses won’t take the majority of diamond rings that come onto the market.
With auction houses, you’ll also need to be aware of extra commission fees and costs which could end up eating into your available profits. It’s worth doing plenty of research into the market before you get started in this area.
Pawn Shops
A lot of people consider pawn shops when they’re selling a diamond ring or another form of jewelry and want to access funds quickly. The sales process in this environment can be quite straightforward, but there’s a good chance you’ll receive a much lower price for your item than you’d expect.
Pawn shops may offer you the option to “loan you money” against the ring, which you can pay back whenever you want to get your jewelry back. However, the terms and conditions of these agreements can be quite complex and costly
Specialized Online Buyers
Specialists in the diamond purchasing landscape are by far the safest, and most reputable option when it comes to selling your diamond rings and other fine jewelry. Companies like White Pine will provide you with a clear, transparent valuation of your jewelry piece, and allow you to choose for yourself whether you think the price is fair before you sell.
Not only do they offer fair and accurate valuations, but specialized jewelry buyers can also offer fast, simple transaction processes, and have their own policies in place to protect customers. Credible companies also have a large catalog of reviews and testimonials from other customers that you can read before you continue with your transaction, to put your mind at ease.
Why White Pine is the Best Place to Sell Your Diamond Ring
In terms of safety, security, value, and simplicity, White Pine Diamonds offers the best possible option for selling your diamond ring. We’re one of the most reputable buyers in the market today, and have been recognized as an industry leader in our field for more than a decade.
Since White Pine launched in 2010, we’ve been committed to transforming the jewelry industry, and getting the most out of diamonds. We utilize natural recycled diamonds to give old jewelry a new lease on life, and minimize the carbon footprint of the jewelry industry.
We’ve seen a rapid increase in the number of companies leveraging the value and benefits of recycled diamonds in the last couple of years. Additionally, consumers in today’s eco-conscious landscape are also becoming more aware of the advantages of recycling.
Alongside our diamond jewelry selling and buying services, we also provide services connected to diamond recutting, sorting, custom work and CAD, jewelry setting, and diamond testing. We can even create special orders for the unique needs of our customers.
How Selling to White Pine Works
Part of what makes working with White Pine Diamonds so attractive for anyone looking to sell diamond jewelry, is how simple and fast we make the process. We strive to make it easier for anyone to sell their diamonds and fine jewelry in no time.
Our process involves the following steps:
Request a quote:
First, you’ll provide us with all the information you have about your ring, from the diamond size and quality, to the brand, and even the metal type for the setting. You can also upload any appraisals and certifications you might have, alongside photographs to help us evaluate the quality of your ring as accurately as possible.
Receive a quote:
Once we’ve evaluated your ring carefully, we’ll email you a direct quote based on all of the information you provide.
Ship your ring:
If you’re happy with the quote, you can send your ring to us for an official valuation, so we can take a closer look at your diamond jewelry. We’ll analyze all of the characteristics of your ring, before giving you an official offer. Don’t worry, shipping is secure, and insured with us.
Accept your offer:
If you’re comfortable with the offer you receive, you can accept it, and we’ll either send you a check or process a bank transfer in exchange for a small fee. It’s as simple as that. If you don’t like the offer we will send your ring back to you, at no charge.
What to expect from working with White Pine
We might not be the only jewelry company willing to buy diamonds from customers around the world, but we strive to be the best. There are two factors we think set us apart from other competitors in our field. The first is our overall process.
Compared to other buyers, we can provide a more streamlined, convenient, and quick service. Combine that with our competitive prices, and our ability to accept the widest range of loose diamonds and jewelry types, and it’s easy to see why we stand out from the crowd. We do our best to accelerate the sales process on your behalf, so you can get the cash you need quickly.
Our other secret sauce is our level of specialization. While there are definitely other online buyers out there who will be willing to purchase a great ring, they don’t always have an in-depth knowledge of the industry and access to the very latest market prices. Here at White Pine, diamonds are our core focus. Everything we do revolves around diamond management, sorting, special orders, and testing.
Our specialist knowledge and skills means we can give you the most fair, accurate offer possible, based on our in-depth knowledge of the industry.
If you need more evidence White Pine is the best solution for your diamond selling needs, just check out these reviews from our happy customers.
Preparing Your Diamond Ring for Sale
After you’ve chosen your buyer, and you’re ready to go, the next step is preparing your diamond ring for sale. If you’re selling to White Pine, there’s no work to do here. You don’t have to clean and polish the ring to make sure the buyer on the other end of the deal is happy. We’ll handle all of that for you, so you can simply focus on packaging and shipping your item to us.
However, some jewelry buyers will expect you to ensure the ring is in good condition before you sell it. Preparing your ring properly can affect the diamond price you receive.
You’ll need to start by cleaning the ring, using either a professional jewelry cleaner (you can find solutions for sale from a jeweler in most cases), or a combination of warm water and mild soap. Make sure you clean everything carefully, including the diamond, setting, and band. As you’re cleaning, inspect the ring for any flaws like chips or scratches.
You may also need to polish your ring, making sure the precious metal shines properly, and getting rid of any tarnish or dirt. There are special polishing cloths available to help you do this.
With White Pine you can skip all of that and simply prepare your ring for shipping. We will send you a free shipping label with full instruction. Make sure you package the ring tightly, and carefully, and double box the ring to ensure it doesn’t get knocked or scratched.
Make sure you follow the instructions and drop off the item at an official store. We offer insured, secure shipping here at White Pine to help minimize your risk.
Keep in mind, you may also be asked to send certificates of authenticity or appraisal with your jewelry to the buyer if you have one. You may want to keep a copy of this documentation with you, for tax purposes, and general protection.
How Long Does it Take to Sell a Diamond Ring?
If you’re thinking of selling your diamond jewelry, you’ve probably wondered how long the overall process is going to take. Unfortunately, it’s difficult to determine the length of the sales process for certain. Depending on the selling strategy you choose, it can take a while to find a buyer, get a valuation, and actually receive your money.
The length of time it will take to sell your diamond ring will also vary depending on the condition of your ring, the conditions of the market, and the price you set. If you’re selling to a reputable buyer or store, the process can take anywhere between a day and a week, once you’ve chosen your buyer.
We make an offer at White Pine within 24 hours of receiving the ring, and we can process your payment immediately, so you can get your cash fast. We can even schedule a virtual appointment with you to discuss your ring’s value.
On the other hand, if you’re selling your ring through a consignment seller, an auction, or marketplace, then it can take a lot longer to complete the process. Many people will have to wait weeks or months for their jewelry to be sold. Ultimately, working with a reputable company will generally speed up the process and ensure you can access your cash faster.
Ready to Sell Your Diamond Ring?
Whether you’re selling a loose diamond, an engagement ring, or anything else, it’s important to know exactly what you can expect from the process. The good news is there are companies and customers out there who will be willing to buy diamonds from you. A good diamond really never loses all of its value, so you should be able to see some returns.
However, the exact stages involved in the process, and how complicated it might be can vary depending on your strategy. We’d always recommend choosing a reputable diamond buyer to simplify the process, protect yourself, and get the best price.
Click here to sell your diamond ring with White Pine today.