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The Gold Sitting in American Jewelry Drawers Is an Untapped Asset

Technology is giving jewelry owners new ways to understand what they have, turning an overlooked form of household wealth into something that can be documented, protected and potentially put to work.

Gold prices are back in the headlines. On Sept. 3, gold jumped more than two percent to around $4,489 an ounce as markets reassessed the outlook for U.S. interest rates. But while the price of gold updates by the second, the value of gold sitting in American drawers is often a mystery. There may be a broken necklace or a class ring, and you have no idea what it’s worth. An expert would ask these questions: Is the metal stamp or hallmark genuine? What is the exact gold karat or platinum purity? Are the precious metals solid, plated or filled? For generations, getting answers to any of those questions meant going to a specialist who would make an offer and buy the piece. Owners often found out what they had only after negotiations had already started, putting them at a significant disadvantage.

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Today’s technology is changing when and how owners receive that information, flipping the script from “What’s your offer?” to “I know it’s worth this much, and I know why.” Once the value of that specific piece of jewelry is known and understood, it can move from a simple unpriced possession to an asset the........

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