Learn

Know what you have
before you sell it.

Everything I get asked in the store, written down. No sales pitch, no prices quoted, just what the marks mean and how to tell the real thing from the rest. Written by Maxwell Keller at San Diego Jewelry Buyers.

Silver

Is your silver actually silver?

Most of what people bring me as silver is plated, and most of what they think is worthless turns out to be sterling. The difference is stamped on the piece, usually somewhere you have not looked.

4 min readRead the guide →

Gold

What your gold is really stamped.

Karat marks tell you how much gold is actually in a piece, and a handful of very similar looking stamps tell you there is almost none. Here is the whole system in one page.

3 min readRead the guide →

Diamonds

Is it a diamond, or is it not?

Four stones that look nearly identical in a ring and are worth wildly different amounts. Some of the differences you can see at the kitchen table, and one of them you genuinely cannot.

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Watches

Real Rolex, or a very good copy?

The obvious fakes stopped being obvious years ago. Modern counterfeits get the weight, the date magnification and even the movement close. Here is what still separates them.

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Estate

You inherited a box of jewelry.

Almost nobody plans for this, and the first few decisions are the ones that cost money. Here is the order I would go in, written for someone who is not in a hurry and should not be.

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Handbags

Real bag, or a very good copy?

The tells that worked five years ago mostly do not any more, and the two biggest houses both changed how they mark bags in 2021. Here is what still holds.

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Estate

What the stamp on your Tiffany tells you.

The hallmark says more than whether it is real. It tells you the metal, often the designer, and roughly when the piece was made. Here is how to read it.

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Watches

Box and papers, and what they really add.

Everyone says a full set is worth more. Almost nobody explains why, or how much, or which parts of the set actually matter. Here is the honest version.

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Diamonds

Lab grown or natural, and what happens when you sell.

They are the same material and a gemologist needs equipment to tell them apart. What separates them is what happens the day you try to sell one.

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Estate

Your appraisal says one number. Every offer says another.

This is the most common frustration in the shop, and it is almost never anybody behaving badly. The two numbers answer completely different questions.

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Estate

Keep it, or let it go?

If you need money and you own something valuable, you have more than one option. Which one is right depends almost entirely on whether you want the piece back.

3 min readRead the guide →

Sell or borrow

Get a free evaluation

Tested in front of you in a private office. Most people are out in about fifteen minutes.

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Buy

Shop the collection

Authenticated watches, estate jewelry and designer pieces, priced below the marketplaces.

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Fastest answer

Call (619) 236-9603

Ask for Maxwell. Or text a photo of the piece and I will tell you what it is.

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Why people trust us

4.9 on Google, 634 reviews.

Read them all →

  • ★★★★★

    “I had been holding onto old silverware and silver items for a couple decades and finally decided to move out what I was not going to use. I did some research then I called them at the end of the day yesterday. They were helpful on the phone and even texted me where they offer free parking. I came…”

    Jim Lehrman · Google

  • ★★★★★

    “I had been holding onto old silverware and silver items for a couple decades and finally decided to move out what I was not going to use. I did some research then I called them at the end of the day yesterday. They were helpful on the phone and even texted me where they offer free parking. I came…”

    Jim L. · Google

  • ★★★★★

    “It was a very pleasant experience. And my first time bringing family jewels of up to 100 years vintage to obtain evaluation which might result in a purchase. I was impressed with the ease and comfortableness. Each piece was examined and measured carefully Notations were made. I added some…”

    andrea travers · Google