Pawning Precious Jewels: 3 Cleaning Tips That Increase Value

A survey conducted by The Pew Foundation in 2010 found that 70% of Americans had a financial issue that year. If you are struggling to make ends meet, a loan could help get you through a difficult time. While there are many places you can turn for a loan, the short-term loans offered by pawn shops are a great option. Pawning jewelry is an easy way to get cash without qualifying for credit, and cleaning your jewelry before trying to pawn it could help you increase its value.

Here are three cleaning tips to keep in mind as you prepare your jewelry pieces for the pawn shop in the future.

1. Pay close attention to the stones.

In order to get the most money for your jewelry pieces, you want your precious and semi-precious stones to dazzle. Cleaning these stones prior to pawning can be a great way to increase the value of your jewelry item.

Since different gemstones require different cleaning products and techniques, be sure that you are following the correct protocol for your gemstone so that you don't cause any damage during the cleaning process.

2. Make sure any stamped karat marks are visible.

You may have noticed some stamped or engraved marks on your fine jewelry pieces. These are not decorative images, they are designed to tell a story about your item. As you clean your jewelry to prepare it for the pawn shop, make sure that you are taking care to ensure stamped karat images are visible.

Fine jewelry pieces will often be stamped with a number indicating the type of metal it's made from and the percentage of metal purity. Since metal prices vary, having a visible karat metal mark can help a pawn broker, like Chauncey's Pawn & Gun, find the correct value for your jewelry piece.

3. Check for loose prongs as you clean.

You should be using a toothbrush or cleaning cloth to remove gunk from the cracks and crevices of your jewelry item. As you clean, be sure that you are feeling for loose prongs. When a prong becomes loose it means that your gemstone is no longer firmly affixed to your jewelry item.

Before you have a pawn broker appraise the value of your jewelry piece, it can be helpful to have loose prongs repaired. This will ensure that you are able to get top dollar for your jewelry when you need a pawn loan in the future.

Pawning your jewelry is a simple way to get access to money fast. In order to ensure that you are getting what your jewelry is worth, take the time to clean the gemstones properly, expose any karat markings, and repair loose prongs.