by Maya Bornstein
Lyricist Fred Ebb, who wrote the hit 1966 musical Cabaret, said it best: “Money makes the world go round.” Like it or not, if you are a part of society, one of your main concerns in life is probably money: how much you have, how to get it, and how to spend it. Most people work extremely hard for their paychecks and tips, but there are a few simple ways to make some extra cash with very little effort. We urge you to avoid the illegal ones and go for the gold – literally. All those old or broken gold items just rolling around in that bottom desk drawer or in storage can be sold for a substantial amount of money. As one of the most precious commodities in the world, gold can fetch you a very respectable sum.
To get started selling your old gold, you can use the Gold Value Calculator to find out how much your jewelry is worth before sending it off. All you need to know ahead of time is the weight of each necklace, bracelet, ring, brooch, and other items, as well as the karat value of each. Once you plug those factors into the calculator, you can see the dollar worth of each piece right before your eyes. Let’s give it a shot.
Take for instance the Golden Eagle, which is known for being one of the biggest statues in the world to be made of solid gold. It was made by Canadian sculptor Kevin Peters for the Hunt for the Cause Foundation, which organizes treasure hunts to raise money for charities. Famed treasure hunt extraordinaire Ron Shore commissioned it for “The World’s Greatest Treasure Hunt” with the intention of selling the eagle and putting the proceeds into cancer research – specifically breast cancer, a disease that took his sister’s life.
The Golden Eagle took Kevin Peters and his team of 40 artists over 4,000 hours to create – that’s 500 days of nine-to-five work. Weighing in at an amazing 18 pounds of glittering solid gold, the eagle is enhanced even more by a head of 18k white gold covered in 762 diamonds, with pear diamond eyes. Its body consists of 14k gold, as do the rock and base on which the eagle sits, with another pouring of 14k white gold making up the tail feathers. The 26 cm-tall bird is truly one of the most stunning sights in any museum, which is why it is currently on sale for $5 million.
With all that information, we can use the calculator to see how much this astonishing sculpture is worth according to the value of gold in the current market. Plugging in the ounce equivalent of 18 lbs, which is 288 oz, and the 14 karat value, according to the Gold Value Calculator, the Golden Eagle is worth about $300,000 in gold alone. However, what must be taken into account are the diamonds that bedeck the bird’s head, as well as the 400-year old Atocha Star Emerald over which the eagle watches. The 25.87k emerald was rescued from a Spanish treasure galleon which sank during a hurricane in 1622, and which is worth about $750,000 on its own. This puts the statue’s overall value at about $1,050,000.
So you can see how easy it is to use the calculator, even on a complex piece of art consisting of several different materials. Whether you agree that “money makes the world go round” or not, few people are likely to refuse a generous check in exchange for the jewelry they never wear. Find out more about selling your gold and how much your own items are worth by visiting GoldValueCalculator.com.