All That’s Gold

A recent blog post criticized a particular home gold party outfit by stating that its party appraiser “doesn’t care” about the jewelry presented but merely offers sellers a price and payment. It could be that the appraiser robotically accessed, weighed, and quoted the jewelry with no show of interest in the products or the party guest. It could also be that a guest felt rejected when a fancy gemstone ring – an expensive gift from mother – had been quoted only for its meltdown value; a legitimate gold buying standard not universally understood by the general public.

While All That’s Gold cannot confirm or deny the evidence behind the blogger’s comment, we are concerned that gold party consumers, when reading such a remark, may go on to imagine that all gold party companies fit such a description. We want to set the record straight today.

Fact is, some gold party companies DO care – and they care a great deal. For instance, the staff at Gold Party US takes great care to treat every host and guest like a queen (or king!) and to give the highest level of thoughtful appraisal to each piece of gold, silver, and platinum presented to them.

Unlike some other associations, Gold Party US is comprised exclusively of jewelers and jewelry professionals. Also importantly — GOLD PARTY US LOVES JEWELRY! At any given gold gathering, your Gold Party US crew will ooh and ahh over pretty pieces, ask your friend if she’s sure about letting go of her baby’s first bracelet, for example, and advise you to take that 1920s watch to an antique dealer for a way better deal. Do they care? Absolutely.

Every customer, whether grasping a big baggy or just a handful of single, broken earrings, is valuable and treated like an individual. The same is true of his or her merchandise. Sure, the business dictates that the majority of gold, silver, and platinum bought at parties will be recycled and not purchased for retail or resale. However, if something stands out – an heirloom, a rare piece, a one-of-a-kind, something tragically valuable – Gold Party US is going to speak-up before weighing that prized item in with common unwanted, broken, and outdated jewelry. That is just what they do. They care.  

Additionally, the blogger writes that the appraiser “just gives” the participant a price and then a payment – the purchase of gold right then and there.

This is a bad thing?

When practiced professionally and considerately, immediate price and payment is what a gold party is all about.  Imagine a party where your guests were asked to wait for a week while their items were taken off-site and processed in an undisclosed location? Would your guests attend a party where their merchandise was not appraised in plain sight or where they would have to hand over their belongings to a stranger and wait for a check? It is standard procedure – and quite popular at that – for consultants to offer same day price and payment.

Finally, the blog suggests an alternative – the sale of merchandise directly to a refiner using a mail-in kit. We scratch our heads and wonder where the personalized care, originally introduced by the blogger, fits in to this method.  You ship off your gold and then you wait. Not for a few minutes while home gold party guests munch popcorn, talk one-on-one with consultants, watch the scales, and make in-house decisions. No, no. You wait for someone out of sight, maybe even out of state, to thumb through your jewelry and to give you a quotation. This method can work for some and there are legitimate companies out there that have a good system. To their credit, they, too, will send your jewelry back to you if you’re unhappy with the price. That is good business. But going back to the first remark the blogger made about CARE – where is the personalized consultation in the cold envelope process? Are refineries really interested in the sentimental value of your grandmother’s wedding ring? How could they possibly know the sentimental value of any of your jewelry when it arrives packed in an envelope?

In business, bad guys are everywhere and the gold selling business is no exception. But don’t be discouraged by gold-pack outfits spinning the home gold party as a “scam” in order to turn you in the direction of their own refineries.

Home gold parties directed by professional, bonded, and insured jewelers work because they put you and your guests in touch with jewelers, appraisers, scales, equipment, and immediate payment. No postage, no insurance, no waiting, no wondering.

And most importantly, companies like  Gold Party US truly do care.

As we bid goodbye to the first decade of the twenty-first century and look forward to 2010, many of us will pause to consider our goals and resolutions. If your goals include clearing out clutter and making more money – a powerful pair in deed – you may benefit nicely by hosting a series of gold parties throughout the New Year.

OK, so we already know that a home gold party will not banish the boxes of old toys, clothes, and sports equipment stuffed into attics, basements, and spare rooms across the nation. But a home gold party will help you transform that unwanted jewelry shoved into drawers, closets, and dusty jewelry boxes into usable currency. Clean up your jewelry box; clean up with an impressive party payout.

Encourage your friends, family, and coworkers to launch a mini-closet, drawer, and jewelry box spring cleaning of their own, determine a gold party date, and get together to celebrate your positive purges. That celebration, led by a professional gold party team such as Gold Party US, will reward you and your guests with payments for old, broken, outdated, and unwanted gold, silver, and platinum jewelry.  Gold Party US will write nice checks to your guests, give you a generous cut of the purchase total (including your gold!), and haul away the clutter — a pretty “neat” deal.

One party can make a real difference in helping you meet your New Year’s goals. But remember, with a company like Gold Party US, there is no limit to the amount of parties you may host. Have one in January with your family to kick off a prosperous New Year (and to pay off those holiday credit card purchases!) Invite your friends from work to a Valentine-themed gold party with plenty of chocolate kisses and chances to profit from the unwanted, romantic jewelry of past relationships. How about a St. Patty’s gold party with your best friends, some green beer, and a whole new way of making that traditional “pot ‘o gold” work for you?

There is nothing in the rule book that says you can only have one gold party, so go for it — get creative, get rid of clutter, and take advantage of this golden opportunity throughout 2010 with Gold Party US! They will help you “clean up” in the New Year!

Experts and amateurs alike are of two differing opinions of the current gold trends and amazingly high gold prices.

Some are certain that gold is going to keep climbing, and many would-be sellers that want to cash in on the gold party trend are holding out for gold to even hit as high as $2,000 an ounce!

What do you think? Can gold keep holding on and climb even higher, or is the gold rush about to come to an end? If gold does crash, how low will it go?

It’s a very big topic right now, so we’re interested to know what people think. Gold up or gold down?

Shoot us an email or a comment and let us know what you think!

My gold party in Charlotte took a lot longer than anticipated and luckily Shonda drove like a crazed woman on steroids to get me my flight on time. The flight was to leave at 4:34pm bound to Little Rock and I walked into the airport @4:10! Running through the airport like the old OJ commercials it was the first time I ever hit the security gate with no passengers. I blew my shoes off, whipped off my belt like a seasoned stripper and shoved all my equipment through. I thought for sure my luck would run out and I would be taken aside for a body cavity search since I was huffing and panting like I had escaped from a local mental institution. Couldn’t believe it, no one stopped or even slowed me down. Racing to the Gate, I noticed on the Blackberry, the gate was absolutely the last one the airport had to offer. Great, a large overweight, middle aged man now had to sprint through those maze of corridors. Good thing they have defibrillators on the plane.
I arrived at the gate @ 4:30… expecting to see the door closed and having a gate attendant smugly say I missed the flight. Yea, for the first time ever I was so happy that there was a mechanical problem with the plane and they had to get another. You learn when traveling on planes is to expect the worst and hope it doesn’t get delayed or cancelled. This delay I could live with.
As I went to board the new plane, the ticket agent scanned my winkled tattered and torn slip and a large red screen appeared DO NOT BOARD, seat does not match… and whole bunch of other error messages. She looked up at me and “Go ahead, Good Luck”. Good Luck? What does she mean by that? Is this plane in distress, have the pilots just returned from the bar? She was not reassuring at all.
Nervously, I entered the plane and proceeded down to find my seat 16D. There was some confusion at the back of the plane, I heard a g woman barking orders, find a seat, sit-down, stow your gear and let’s go. I assumed it was the flight attendant. As I made my way back, the last row was 13. Great, lucky 13 and I was in row 16, now I know why the gate attendant said “Good Luck”.
A young woman bundled up in a window seat, said “sit down, the plane is smaller so you can sit where you like”. Her voice was stern and seemed to know everything. So I sat down next to her and she kept telling the other passengers where to sit and what to do. My immediate reaction is that she herself was an off duty flight attendant, but seemed to look so young. She actually appeared to be of High School age.
After the flight took off we started to talk. I quickly noticed “yes sir, no sir” where at the end of her sentences. She explained to me she was a Marine from Texas and just graduated that morning from intelligence school. She was only 20! In two months, she will be shipped off to Afghanistan. She said her parents were nervous about her deployment, but she was excited. She was excited that her duties were to protect the boots on the ground with logistic information that would be critical to saving lives. She felt proud to serve and has no problem risking her own life to protect us back home. Needless to say Goosebumps ran up and down my arms and she stated these facts in a firm and strong tone. I couldn’t believe the conviction and maturity this young woman had.
As Americans we complain all the time about little stuff that rarely affects our overall quality of life. Here this young Marine and many others are not complaining or critical of their sacrifice. It was a pleasurable end to a long day meeting such a fine person who not only makes her parents proud, but makes all of us proud of our soldiers fighting for our freedom, liberty and safety. God Bless them all.