Almost nothing goes wrong in transit. What goes wrong is packing: two rings loose in one bag, a fine chain that ties itself in a knot, a padded envelope that gets bent in a sorting machine. Fifteen minutes of care and your pieces arrive looking exactly as they did when they left your table.
Before you wrap anything
Two things are worth doing first, and both take minutes.
Photograph everything. Lay the pieces out in good light and photograph them — the whole piece, front and back, and any stamps or signatures you can see. It is your own record of what left your hands, and the photos are useful later if you want a ballpark before the parcel even arrives.
Tell us what is in the box. When you request your kit, say what you are sending. That is how the insurance cover gets matched to what is actually inside — not to a guess.
Do not clean it. Do not polish it. Do not repair it.
This is the single most expensive mistake people make before shipping. A heavy polish rounds off the hallmark and softens engraving — the very marks that prove who made a piece. Over-cleaning strips the patina that shows an antique’s age. Silver flatware loses value when it is buffed, and a cleaned coin is obvious to any grader and can never be uncleaned. Send everything exactly as you found it. Dirt costs nothing; a polished-away signature costs real money.
The packing method
- 1Photograph the piecesGood light, front and back, plus any marks. Two minutes, and you have a record of exactly what you sent.
- 2Wrap each piece on its ownSoft tissue, a small pouch, or its own zip bag — one piece per wrap. Diamonds and hard stones scratch soft gold, and two rings rattling together will mark each other before they reach us.
- 3Separate the chainsFasten every clasp and lay each chain flat in its own bag. An old trick for fine chains: thread one end through a drinking straw before you fasten it. A knot in a fine chain can take an hour to open safely.
- 4Use a rigid box, not an envelopeA small cardboard box, not a padded mailer. Envelopes bend, and a bend is how prongs get pushed out of line and thin bands get flattened.
- 5Fill the space until nothing movesAdd padding, close it, and shake it next to your ear. If you hear anything at all, add more. Movement in transit is what loosens stones and scuffs a finish.
- 6Seal it plainTape every seam. Keep the outside plain — no wording that says what is inside. Attach the prepaid label flat and fully readable.
- 7Hand it to a personDrop it at a staffed FedEx counter rather than an unattended box, and keep the receipt and the tracking number until your piece is back with you or paid for.
By what you are sending
The method above covers everything. A few types need one extra thought:
Rings & gem-set pieces
One per wrap, always. If a stone already feels loose, do not push or test it — wrap it as it is and mention it, so nothing gets lost in the padding.
Chains & necklaces
Clasp fastened, laid flat, one per bag. Never coiled in with anything else.
Watches
Wrap the case and bracelet together so the bracelet cannot swing against the crystal. Boxes, papers and spare links are welcome but never required — and do not have it serviced or polished first.
Silver & flatware
Heavy and easy to underestimate: pack it snug so it cannot slide, and do not polish it. Shipping weight is our cost, not yours.
Coins & bullion
Leave graded coins sealed in their slabs. Loose coins go in individual flips or sleeves so they never touch each other. Never clean a coin.
A whole collection
Send it all in one parcel and do not sort it first. What people leave behind is often the signed piece. Broken and odd single earrings still carry their full metal and stone value.
What to leave at home
- Anything you are not ready to sell. Send only what you want valued — there is no benefit to including a piece you know you will keep.
- Sentimental packaging you want back. Original watch boxes and papers can raise an offer and are worth including, but a family case that matters to you is safer at home.
- Loose stones you cannot account for. If a stone has already fallen out, bag it separately and label it so it is not mistaken for padding.
Not sure how to pack something unusual? Send us a photo of it before you seal the box.
Ask on WhatsAppHow the shipping itself works
Your kit arrives by email — there is no box to wait for. It carries a prepaid FedEx label on our account, in both directions, so you pay nothing to send your pieces and nothing to get them back. Every shipment is covered by dedicated jewelry insurance through IFS (In4Sure) for the full value of your pieces, on the way to us and on the way home — not a carrier’s flat default that stops at a token amount.
The parcel is tracked door to door with a signature required at every handoff, so it is never left on a doorstep. When it reaches the bench, a trained gemologist examines each piece and emails you a written offer with the metal value and any premium shown separately. Nothing is melted, altered, dismantled or sold until you accept in writing. Decline, and the exact pieces you sent come back to you — free and fully insured.
One line worth repeating: the offer is confirmed against the actual piece, not against your photographs. Pack it well, and what we value is the piece you meant to send.
Frequently asked questions
How should I pack jewelry so it does not get damaged in the mail?
Wrap each piece separately in soft tissue or its own small pouch, fasten every clasp so chains cannot tangle, and place everything in a small rigid box rather than a padded envelope. Fill the remaining space so nothing shifts, tape all the seams, and keep the outside plain. Shake the box before you seal it — if you can hear movement, add more padding.
Do I need a special box to ship jewelry to you?
No. Our shipping kit arrives by email, not as a physical box, so you use a small rigid box you already have. Print the prepaid FedEx label, pack your pieces, and drop the parcel at any FedEx location. There is no box to wait for and nothing to pay, in either direction.
Should I clean or polish my jewelry before shipping it?
No. Polishing rounds off hallmarks and softens engraving, and over-cleaning strips the patina that shows an antique’s age — all of which can lower what a piece is worth. Silver should not be polished and coins should never be cleaned. Send everything exactly as it is and let a gemologist see it untouched.
Should I write “jewelry” on the outside of the package?
No. Keep the outer packaging plain, with nothing on it that describes the contents. The parcel is tracked door to door and a signature is required at every handoff, so it is never left on a doorstep — but there is no reason to advertise what is inside.
What should I tell you before I ship?
Tell us what you are sending when you request your kit, so the insurance cover matches what is actually in the box. Every shipment travels on our prepaid FedEx label with dedicated jewelry cover through IFS (In4Sure) for the full value of your pieces, on the way in and on the way back.
What happens to my pieces after they arrive?
A trained gemologist examines each piece and emails you a written offer with the metal value and any premium shown separately. Nothing is melted, altered, dismantled or sold until you accept in writing. If you decline, the exact pieces you sent come back to you free and fully insured.