Silver rings are worth less than gold or platinum, and it is worth saying that plainly rather than pretending otherwise. But less is not nothing, and two kinds of silver ring are worth considerably more than their metal weight suggests.
Plain and scrap silver
Sterling silver is stamped 925, meaning it is 92.5 percent pure. Its value is calculated on weight against the silver market price. One plain band on its own is modest. A drawer or a boxful is a different proposition, and we buy in quantity, including tangled, broken, mismatched and unwearable rings.
Silver tarnishes, and tarnish puts people off far more than it should. A black, dull ring is worth exactly what a bright one is, so there is no need to clean anything first. On older pieces, polishing can actually cost you money by softening the marks we need to read.
Where a silver ring is worth more than its metal
Designer and signed pieces. Rings by recognized silversmiths and fashion houses regularly trade well above melt value. A maker’s mark is worth looking for.
Gemstone-set rings. Where a genuine stone is set in silver, the stone often carries most of the value and is assessed separately.
Antique and period silver. Older rings with maker’s marks, unusual construction or period detailing are valued as objects rather than as metal.
Older silver pieces often belong with our antique and vintage rings instead, where the marks and the period are valued rather than the weight.
What we buy
Sterling and fine silver rings, mixed silver-and-gold rings, gemstone-set silver, designer and signed pieces, damaged and mismatched rings, and bulk lots.
Silver-plated rings contain no meaningful precious metal. If that is what you have, we will tell you straight rather than make a token offer.
Not sure which one you have? Send it anyway. Telling sterling from plate takes two minutes with the right equipment and is close to guesswork without it. It costs you nothing either way.
How to sell yours
1. Start online. Tell us what you have and send it in. We pay the shipping.
2. We test and weigh it. Purity confirmed by testing, not assumed from the stamp, with any stones assessed separately.
3. You get an offer. No obligation. Decline and everything comes back at our cost.
4. You get paid as soon as you accept.