The questions we are asked most often before someone sells gold, answered directly. Something not covered here? Call +33 6 72 61 52 69 or write to contact@swissgoldservices.com.
Swiss Gold Services is a gold buying counter at 1913 route de Cannes, 06560 Valbonne, in the Alpes-Maritimes, between Cannes and Antibes and next to Sophia Antipolis. It buys gold jewellery, investment coins, gold bars and dental gold. Each item is analysed on the spot by XRF spectrometry and paid for immediately. Phone +33 6 72 61 52 69.
Book an appointmentThere is free parking directly in front of the building, at 1913 route de Cannes in Valbonne. The counter is on the first floor.
Yes. Everyone at the counter speaks English, on every day we are open, so there is no particular day to aim for and no need to bring someone to translate.
Three things determine it: the weight of the item, its fineness, and the gold price at the time of sale. Fineness is stamped on the piece: 750 means 18 carat, that is 750 parts per thousand of pure gold, or 75 per cent of the weight. A 10 gram 18 carat piece therefore contains 7.5 grams of fine gold. The metal value is that fine weight multiplied by the price per gram. The buying price is lower than this theoretical value, the difference covering refining, margin and the risk of the price moving.
The hallmark gives a first indication: 375 for 9 carat, 585 for 14 carat, 750 for 18 carat, 916 for 22 carat, 999 for fine gold. But a hallmark can be missing, worn away, or fail to match the actual alloy, particularly on repaired pieces or items of foreign origin. Only an analysis measures the real composition. At Swiss Gold Services it is done by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry in front of you, and the percentage of each metal appears on screen.
Yes, and it is worth exactly the same as if it were intact. When jewellery is bought for its metal, the value lies in what it contains, not in its condition or style. A broken chain, a single earring or a bent ring is worth its weight in fine gold. There is no point paying to repair a piece before selling it: the repair costs more than it adds.
Almost nothing. A gold-plated piece carries a layer of gold a few microns thick over a base metal of no value: the recoverable quantity of gold is too small to cover the cost of processing. Rolled gold, which is thicker, still falls well short of solid gold jewellery. XRF analysis settles the question in seconds without damaging the piece, so where an inherited item is in doubt, it is worth having it checked rather than thrown away.
Yes, pieces with stones set in them are bought. The stones themselves are not: they are removed and returned to you, so they are not counted in the weight of gold purchased. That is what explains the gap with the figure on a kitchen scale, which weighs the piece with its stones in it: only the metal genuinely present is weighed, analysed and paid for.
Yes, both. Solid silverware is bought exactly as silver jewellery is, on its measured fineness: cutlery and canteens, trays, tableware, frames, cups. Most of what reaches us is 800, 900 or 925 fineness, and often in lots of several hundred grams, where the weight makes up for a per-gram rate well below gold's. Silver plate is accepted too, but its actual silver content is far lower than solid silverware and varies considerably from piece to piece, which is exactly what the X-ray fluorescence analysis measures. In both cases the price follows from the silver genuinely present rather than from how the object looks, and you see the measurement on screen.
No, there is no minimum. A single ring, a broken chain or one coin is weighed and analysed exactly as a large lot would be. In practice small quantities are the norm rather than the exception: around half the gold that passes through the counter comes in at under five grams, and the smallest piece we have bought weighed five hundredths of a gram. It is worth the trip even for a single item.
No. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry is non-destructive: the item is exposed to an X-ray beam, each chemical element re-emits radiation at its own characteristic energy, and the instrument reads the composition without removing or marking anything. The piece comes back intact. This is the difference from the acid and touchstone method still used in many shops, which scratches the item and only gives a rough surface reading.
The gold price is the price of pure metal on the world market, the spot price, which we take hourly. A buying price is always below it, and legitimately so: it has to cover refining the alloy down to fine gold, the counter's margin, and the risk of the price moving between purchase and resale. Any professional claiming to pay exactly the spot price is not telling the truth. The right question is not whether a buyer pays spot, but what spread they apply and on what measurement they based it.
Sometimes, yes. An investment gold coin is worth at least its fine gold content, but it can be worth more where a numismatic premium applies, depending on its rarity, its condition and market demand at that moment. That premium moves over time and varies from coin to coin: it is observed, not calculated in advance. This is why a coin should be examined individually rather than weighed in with the rest of a lot.
No. An LBMA-certified bar with its assay certificate and serial number is easier to value and particularly sought after, but certification is not a condition of sale. A bar without documents is analysed like any other item and valued on its measured composition. Swiss Gold Services buys bars and small bars from 5 grams to 1 kilogram.
French law applies a flat tax, withheld at source by the professional buyer, so the seller receives a net amount with nothing further to declare. Two rates apply. Jewellery, art and collectors' items: 6.5 per cent of the sale price, made up of 6 per cent tax and 0.5 per cent CRDS, with full exemption on any sale below 5,000 euros. Bullion and coins: 11.5 per cent of the gross amount, made up of 11 per cent tax and 0.5 per cent CRDS. Sellers who hold a dated purchase invoice may instead opt to be taxed on the actual capital gain, with a 5 per cent allowance per year of ownership from the third year and full exemption after twenty-two years. This describes the general French regime and is not personalised tax advice.
It cannot be avoided, but another regime can be chosen. A seller who can evidence the price and date of acquisition, with an invoice in their own name, may ask to be taxed on the capital gain actually realised rather than on the total sale amount. That regime allows a 5% deduction for each year of ownership from the third year onwards, and full exemption beyond twenty-two years. Depending on how long you have held the item and how the price has moved, one regime or the other works out better. Keep your purchase invoices for bars and coins, and do the calculation with your adviser.
The online simulator gives a first order of magnitude, tax included, from the type of item. At the counter, each piece is then weighed and analysed by X-ray fluorescence in front of you, and the price offered follows from that measurement and the day's rate. If you accept, the transfer is sent immediately, with tax already deducted, and usually arrives within about two hours. You remain free to decline at any stage and leave with your belongings.
Three are asked for: valid photo identification, proof of address less than three months old, and bank account details in the seller's own name. The identification is required by the regulations covering precious metal buying, and the account details because settlement is by bank transfer only. You can show them as PDFs, from your phone for instance: there is no need to print anything.
No, cash settlement is not permitted for precious metal buying. There is therefore no threshold below which it becomes possible again, whatever the amount of the sale. Payment is made by bank transfer to the seller's account only. The transfer is sent as soon as you accept and usually arrives within about two hours, depending on your bank's processing times.
Yes, the transfer can be made to an account held outside France, on one condition: the account must be in the name of the person selling the items. Payment into a third party's account is not possible. So bring the full IBAN of the account, in the seller's name.
The Valbonne counter is open Monday to Friday, from 9.30am to 12pm and from 2pm to 6pm, and on Saturday mornings from 9.30am to 12pm. It is closed on Sundays, and between 12pm and 2pm from Monday to Friday. You are welcome to come during those hours, or to book an appointment in advance if you would rather be expected.
The tax information on this page describes the general French regime applicable to private individuals. It is provided for general information and does not constitute personalised tax advice: for a specific situation, consult a professional.
