Exchanging old gold for new kundan

Many of our bridal sets are paid for partly with old family gold. Exchange is simple, but it helps to know what happens at the counter so nothing surprises you.

First we look at each piece with you and separate out anything with stones, enamel or lac filling. These cannot be valued as gold until they are removed, so we weigh them separately and note the estimated gold content. Plain gold pieces are tested on our karat meter, which reads purity in about a minute without damaging the piece. You see the reading on the screen.

Then we weigh on the shop scale in front of you. Gold of 22K purity is valued at the day’s 22K buying rate, and lower purities are valued in proportion. A 14-gram chain at 91.6% purity is worth exactly that, with no hidden deduction. Pieces we made ourselves are taken back at the full gold value, as part of our lifetime exchange.

The value is written on an exchange slip with the weight, purity and rate, and it comes off the bill for your new piece. If the old gold is worth more than the new jewellery, we pay the difference by bank transfer. Bring an identity card, since exchanges above a certain value need it on the bill. And if you are unsure whether to part with a piece, ask us to clean it first. Sometimes a grandmother’s necklace only needs new cords and a polish.