Category: Precious metal guides

A kitchen scale and a trade scale can display different weights for the same piece of jewellery. Understand minimum load, display increments and tare, why decimal places do not guarantee accuracy, and how to compare measurements before questioning…

A heavy knife with a silver handle is not necessarily made entirely from silver alloy. This guide separates blade, hollow handle and possible internal components, explains a common calculation error, and helps you document a cutlery set for…

A repaired piece of jewellery can contain components with different compositions. Find out why a replacement clasp or solder joint deserves attention without automatically making the item inferior, and which details of its repair history help support a…

An appraisal amount may concern replacement for insurance, while a purchase offer concerns a particular sale. Learn how to distinguish an appraisal, a laboratory report and an offer, use older records constructively, and ask the right questions before…

Inherited jewellery or a piece bought abroad may carry several tiny marks. This guide separates fineness indications from maker and assay marks, explains why German and British examples follow different systems, and shows which photographs and records can…

A scale weighs the whole ring, including its stones. Assessing the metal requires those components to be considered separately. A simple worked example explains the difference between total weight and alloy weight, and which details make a purchase…

Yellow dental alloys do not all contain the same amount of gold, and a white colour does not rule gold out. Assessment depends on the actual alloy and the relevant metal weight. Manufacturer examples show why appearance alone…

A tarnished coin may look less appealing than a shiny one. Cleaning it before a valuation can nevertheless change the very features a collector wants to examine. Learn how to preserve coins for assessment and which details help…

Similar-looking ten-euro coins in a collection may contain different metals. For the German series issued between 2002 and 2015, the year and face value do not always identify the material on their own. The specific design and finish…