DO

• Do start by determining whether your pieces are gold, platinum or silver. Look for a hallmark, or stamp—often found on jewellery clasps, backings or posts of earrings, inside rings and on the handles of flatware. There are a wide range of hallmarks that correspond to origin and history, such as the maker’s mark (a brand name), an Assay Office Mark (a symbol indicating where the metal was tested, such as a crown within a heart for Finland) and date letters (pertaining to a time period). The Standard Mark indicates the precious metal content—for instance, 999 means 99.9 per cent precious metal. Some of the most common are, for gold: 24K or 999, 18K or 750, 14K or 585, or 9K or 375. For platinum: Plat, Pt, 850, 900, 950 or 999. And for silver: Sterling, Ster, 925, .925, or a lion passant.

• If possible, do remove gemstones from old settings, since they won’t be considered in the offer, and keep them. You could use the money from the metal to invest in a modern redesign (think ear climbers, floating pendants and dainty rings).

• Do consider how you want to be paid—via e-transfer, cheque or enjoy an additional 10% premium payout with a Maison Birks gift card.

DON’T

• Don’t send plated jewellery or plated flatware—some signs it’s gold-plated are marks like GP, GEP and RGP. You could try testing the piece against a fridge magnet: a strong magnetic pull indicates a high quantity of non-precious metals, which wouldn’t be worth sending in.

• Don’t submit watches or timepieces— even if they’re made of precious metals.

• Don’t send collector’s coins or anything that could be considered currency—keep that stuff in your safe.

• Don’t overthink it—if you’re unsure if it’s precious or not, call customer service or chat online with a Maison Birks Gold Exchange representative, or just send it in to be evaluated. And if you change your mind about selling, don’t worry: You have 30 days to ask for your pieces to be returned.

Presented by Maison Birks Gold Exchange

Learn more about recycling your precious metals at metroland.birksgoldexchange.com or call 1-800-913-6215 to request a free Gold Exchange kit.