Am I Missing Something Here???

likelyfran

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/job-lot-costume-jewellery-/191092101307?pt=UK_JewelleryWatches_WomensJewellery_Rings_SR&hash=item2c7dfa10bb&nma=true&si=sQrVUBp%252FLToJr8AtY3ToWykLFWI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

RFW

Given who's selling it, my guess would be that it's been on view somewhere and that there is real gold in there.

mrcol1000

As above. Guessing the police are not experts on jewellery and people have realised that if you can spot the diamond in the rough, that there is money to be made.

likelyfran

Yeah, I noticed the seller and wondered if that had something to do with it.
The listing did keep emphasising 'costume' though and I can't see how the possible amount of gold - or silver - could make the price worth it.
Will have to keep an eye on the feed back!

likelyfran

Ah, noticed after posted ^ that it was in March.
F/back was "Excellent, as described, would buy from again. A+++++" - must've been worth it then, must have been a LOT of gold in there haha!
You'd think if someone was selling something they'd bother to find out what it was they were selling, eh ..

shaun_from_Africa

Unless the items were hallmarked then they couldn't be listed as being gold only gold coloured, and given that a few of the items could have been of Asian origin, "Nine Indian type bangles" there is a good possibility that these would have been a minimum of18 carat gold.

hollydays

I'm sure there are kits antique dealers use to test gold.

StumpyPumpy

IIRC most police forces have a policy to not describe items as anything other than "White Metal" or "Yellow Metal" in their auctions regardless of whether they are hallmarked or not.
Here is an example - labelled "Yellow Metal" and later described as being stamped 375 from the bumblebee site:
http://www.bumblebeeauctions.co.uk/XcAPViewItem.asp?ID=146546

I guess it stops them from being accused of selling fake goods if the "gold" turns out to have a dodgy hallmark.

As far as the final price goes, you'd need less than 50g of 9k gold to get your money back and there is going to more than that in the necklaces alone (if they are gold) And I reckon there are dealers on eBay that make a living spotting real gold jewellery and could do it at 50 paces!

SP

shaun_from_Africa

hollydays wrote: »

I'm sure there are kits antique dealers use to test gold.

There are but unless the item in question is hallmarked, it is illegal for a business seller to describe it as gold.
An antique dealer or gold buyer may well use a gold testing kit to determine the purity of something that they wish to purchase, but they can't use the results of the test in order to sell unhallmarked items as gold.

hollydays

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

There are but unless the item in question is hallmarked, it is illegal for a business seller to describe it as gold.
An antique dealer or gold buyer may well use a gold testing kit to determine the purity of something that they wish to purchase, but they can't use the results of the test in order to sell unhallmarked items as gold.

I realise that- i presume the buyers can view the items?

RFW

hollydays wrote: »

I realise that- i presume the buyers can view the items?

They used to just have registered buyers or send to auctions. I'd guess that those registered buyers get a heads up and can have a look, but it is just a guess.