• Discover Gold Jewelry

• Pick Platinum Jewelry

• Select Silver Jewelry

• Maintain Your Gold, Platinum, & Silver Jewelry

• Find Gold, Platinum, & Silver Jewelry on eBay

• Buy Gold, Platinum and Silver Jewelry with Confidence

Discover Gold Jewelry

Discover Gold Jewelry

Gold, a soft and highly-malleable metal, does not tarnish easily and comes in a variety of colors. Gold costs more than most precious metals and its softness can result in scratching and denting.

• Yellow gold jewelry: Yellow gold jewelry is non-corrosive and sturdy. Diamonds set in yellow gold benefit from color contrast, and slightly tinted stones can appear brighter.

• White gold jewelry:  White gold jewelry has a shiny silver hue that makes it look like platinum. White gold is virtually non-tarnishing. 

• Rose gold jewelry: Rose gold jewelry includes alloys that bring out deeper pink accents.

Gold's purity is measured in karats. Pure 24K gold is too soft to securely hold a stone so gold is alloyed with other metals such as silver, copper, and zinc to make it sturdier. Gold jewelry should be stamped with the karat mark ("K") along with the manufacturer's trademark and country of origin (if outside the U.S.). European karat markings are different than those in the U.S.

Spot gold-coated jewelry

Not all gold jewelry is gold to the core and in the United States metal less than 10K cannot legally be sold as gold. Most eBay sellers will make sure you know the exact gold content by weight of any piece they sell.

• Gold-filled jewelry: Gold-filled jewelry, also called gold overlay, has a layer of at least 10-karat gold bonded to the surface of a support metal. The karat gold must be at least 10 percent of the total weight.

• Gold plated jewelry: Similar to overlay, the gold content in gold-plated jewelry may be as little as 5-percent of the total weight.  

• Jewelry with gold leaf: With gold leaf jewelry, a very thin layer of gold is applied by hand to the surface of an item.

Pick Platinum Jewelry

Pick Platinum Jewelry

Platinum jewelry is hypoallergenic, strong, durable, and tarnish resistant. Platinum costs more than gold and weighs more. Five heavy metals with similar chemistry and weight (iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium) naturally alloy platinum. Unlike gold, platinum jewelry contains platinum in nearly pure form. It should bear a stamp with a symbol to reveal purity:

• 900 Plat: The "900 Plat" stamp indicates that platinum is 90-percent pure platinum.

• 950 Plat/ Plat: A "950 Plat" or "Plat" stamp indicates that platinum is 95-percent pure platinum.

Platinum provides a sturdy grip for diamonds and gemstones, but the strength of the metal makes resizing platinum rings difficult.

Select Silver Jewelry

Select Silver Jewelry

Silver, a malleable and plentiful metal, costs less than other precious metals, but tarnishes easily and requires frequent care and cleaning. Too soft for use in jewelry in its pure form, most silver jewelry is sterling silver (92.5-percent silver and 7.5-percent copper). Sterling silver should be marked "sterling," "925," or "ster."

Most jewelers can easily resize a non-gemstone silver ring, plus or minus two sizes. However, resizing a silver ring with a gemstone can be difficult due to silver's properties when heated.

Maintain Your Gold, Platinum, & Silver Jewelry

Maintain Your Gold, Platinum, & Silver Jewelry

You can help make your precious metal jewelry last longer by following a few simple steps. The jewelry you wear every day will experience the most wear and tear. Use common sense to help protect your precious metals.

• Be gentle on your jewelry: Avoid wearing scratch-prone precious metal jewelry during rough manual work or activities.

• Stay away from chemicals: Do not let precious metals come in contact with harsh chemicals or abrasive surfaces.    

• Properly store silver jewelry: Store silver in a cool, dry dark place. To slow tarnishing, do not store directly on wood or plastic. 

• Regularly clean your precious metals: Clean gold and platinum with soap, water, and a cloth or soft brush, if needed. Wash silver with soap and water. Be sure to dry it thoroughly with a soft cloth. Clean tarnished silver with a commercial polish, paste, or tarnish-removing wipe. Silver polish may remove intentional oxidation (shading of the metal), requiring professional re-oxidation.   

• Take your jewelry to the pros: Inspect jewelry regularly for damage or loosening, and have it professionally repaired if the need arises. Even if you do not detect damage or loosening, have a professional jeweler inspect metal jewelry to make sure prongs and bezels remain intact.

Find Gold, Platinum, & Silver Jewelry on eBay

Find Gold, Platinum, & Silver Jewelry on eBay

Once you know what type of precious metal jewelry you want, go to the Jewelry & Watches portal and start searching for items on eBay.

• Categories: The primary Categories list holds links to all the major jewelry categories on eBay, including Bracelets, Earrings, Men's Jewelry, Necklaces & Pendants, and Watches. As you dig deeper into a category, you'll see subsequent Categories list on the left side of listings pages that will help you narrow down your choices by subcategory.   

• Product Finder: Certain categories have Product Finders with drop-down menus that will help you quickly narrow down item listings by specific search criteria. For example, the Diamond Solitaire Rings Finder will help you search by metal, shape, carat, and size.   

• Keyword search: Search eBay listing titles for specific words. For example, if you want to find a platinum engagement ring, type "platinum engagement ring" (without quotation marks) into the Search box. Click "Search title and description" to expand your results. Visit eBay's Search Tips page for more tips on searching with keywords.

If you can't find exactly what you want, try shopping eBay Stores, tell the eBay Community what you want by creating a post on Want It Now, or save a search on My eBay and eBay will email you when a match becomes available.

Buy Gold, Platinum and Silver Jewelry with Confidence

Buy Gold, Platinum and Silver Jewelry with Confidence

Before making your purchase, make sure you know exactly what you're buying, research your seller, and understand how eBay and PayPal protect you.

Know your purchase

Carefully read the details in item listings.

• Figure delivery costs into your final price. If you spend a lot of money, make sure the seller will insure the item when it ships.

• If you want more information, ask by clicking the "Ask seller a question" link under the seller's profile.

• Always make sure to complete your transaction on eBay (with a bid, Buy It Now, or Best Offer). Transactions conducted outside of eBay are not covered by eBay protection programs.

• Never pay for your eBay item using instant cash wire transfer services through Western Union or MoneyGram. These payment methods are unsafe when paying someone you do not know.

Know your seller

Research your seller so you feel positive and secure about every transaction.

• What is the seller's Feedback rating? How many transactions have they completed? What percentage of positive responses do they have?

• What do buyers say in their Feedback? Did the seller receive praise?

• Most top eBay sellers operate like retail stores and have return policies. Do they offer a money-back guarantee? What are the terms and conditions?

Buyer protection

In the unlikely event that a problem arises during your transaction, eBay and PayPal are there for you.

• Pay safely with PayPal: PayPal enables you to pay without the seller ever seeing your bank account or credit card numbers. In fact, PayPal protects buyers 100% against unauthorized payments from their accounts. Plus, with PayPal Buyer Protection, your purchase can be covered up to $1,000.

• eBay Security & Resolution Center: Visit the Security & Resolution Center to learn how to protect your account and use eBay's quick and efficient resolution tools.