Yesterday, a lady came into Jewelry Doctor with a list of jewelry items that had been stolen from her. Sadly, this is not uncommon. Due to the fact that we buy gold, silver, etc., people will come to us when they are missing items, asking if we have seen their jewelry or if we'll keep an eye out for it.
The obstacle for us is that, almost invariably, their list is something that they've put together by memory and nothing else. No pictures, measurements, weights or appraisals.
The problems with this are numerous and, for the most part, obvious. For example, that 20 inch gold chain you purchased 10 years ago is probably now longer. Gold is soft and maleable, so when it's pulled, it stretches. Consequently, if I'm looking for a 20 inch chain, I'm probably not going to find it.
When it comes to rings and pendants, can you accurately describe the shades of color, dimensions, weight or, even, number of gems? It's been our experience that the answer is "no".
The photo above was taken with my cell phone. I put a dime there for a reference to size and it took only a few moments. Certainly, it's not perfect, but we are only looking for some basic information and help, and this picture would make our task of finding this ring much, much easier.
Please take a few moments and take some pictures. Thank you.