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The information contained in this article is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.
Perhaps you are ready to sell your engagement ring after a divorce or breakup for emotional reasons, or maybe you just need the money. No matter the reason, now is a good time to sell your engagement ring, in part because today there are quality, safe and transparent ring buyers who will pay you the highest rate.
Ready to sell your engagement ring or wedding band? Here’s everything you need to know:
How much an engagement ring is worth and how much you can sell it for
But what you really want to know is likely this:
Where can I sell my engagement ring for the most money?
Buys all gold, silver, diamond, gemstone jewelry
Accepts diamonds of .5 carat+ per stone & worth at least $1,000 at auction
Pays in 24 hours of accepted offer
Takes about 2 weeks total
Other places where you can sell an engagement ring:
Local jeweler or diamond exchange
Marketplaces like Etsy and eBay
Of all these options you have to sell an engagement ring, these few won't likely get you the most money:
Pawn shops typically buy all kinds of gold and diamond jewelry, but expect to pay a very high commission.  Pawning your jewelry may get your immediate cash, but a pawnbroker will nearly always pay far less than a reputable jeweler or online gold or diamond buyer.
Online ring buyers like Worthy.com and DiamondsUSA.com often pay more than local jewelers or pawn shops because their overhead is low, there is far more competition online, and online buyers are subject to national review agencies like the Better Business Bureau. For you, they are fast, convenient and you don’t have to leave your house to get your cash within a day or two. Plus, many local buyers have closed during the pandemic (even if their Yelp or Google listing says they are open, they may have actually closed).
What is the best way to sell an engagement ring?
After researching this topic for five years, I am confident that you stand the best chance of getting the highest price for your jewelry if you sell to an online engagement ring buyer.
Think about it: The vast Internet creates much more competition that encourages online buyers to provide honest, trustworthy service. And while there are certainly quality local jewelers, there are simply fewer jewelers in each community. Plus, selling your engagement ring or other jewelry online means you don’t have to leave your home, haggle with a jeweler or otherwise go through the hassle.
The recommendations made here are based on my own personal experience with highlighted companies, online reviews from customers, Better Business Bureau ratings, news reports from reputable publications, age of the company, ease of use of their websites, transparency, and overall sentiment that these are quality businesses that care about their customers.
14 ideas for & where to buy unique and non-traditional engagement rings in 2022
How do I sell my engagement ring?
Here are the basic steps for how to sell your engagement ring:
1. Gather all the information you have about your engagement ring
If you have a GIA or other lab report, the box, receipt, and any documentation of the size and quality of the stones and metal.
2. Get an appraisal of your ring and diamond
It is important to understand what your ring is worth on the resale market, including the grade and weight of the stones and setting. A quality jewelry appraisal or lab report will document these details. You can see recently sold items at Worthy to get an idea of jewelry prices.
3. Get offers from some of the top online ring buyers, including Worthy (for engagement rings with larger stones) and DiamondsUSA.com (for wedding rings and engagement rings with small stones). Just share some basic information with the seller either online or on the phone, then they will make an estimate. From there, a quality online buyer will send a free FedEx, UPS or USPS mailer that includes insurance, and you should be able to track your item all the way to the buyer, through their specific selling process.
Best place to sell an engagement ring: Worthy.com
If your ring is worth $1,000 more (a .5 carat center diamond) we recommend selling an engagement ring with Worthy.com. The same applies if you are selling a wedding ring. Worthy will help you sell your ring, plus any other fine jewelry.
Worthy.com is an online auction, so you will get multiple vetted bids on your jewelry — which typically drives up the sales price
Worthy is trustworthy. Send in your jewelry with a free, 100% trackable FedEx mailer. Your ring is video recorded from the moment it enters the Worthy NYC offices, and insured up to $100,000.
Better Business Bureau A+ rating
4.8/5 stars on Trustpilot
Each seller receives a free GIA-certified lab report — the only way to get a fully accurate appraisal and resale price estimate
You have full control of the auction minimum sale price
Get paid within 24 hours of the sale close.
Worthy can help you sell the following types of engagement rings:
​​Rings with a large center stone (above .5 carats)
Designer engagement rings (Tiffany & Co, Cartier, Harry Winston, Van Cleef & Arpels, etc…)
Check out my Worthy review to learn more about my personal experience selling an engagement ring with the auction platform. You can also see what jewelry recently sold for on this Worthy page.
How to sell your engagement ring online to Worthy.com
Enter your name and email, along with basic information (diamond color, carat weight, clarity, etc.) about your jewelry, including size and grade of your jewelry or stone.
Receive an estimated market value for your piece right then and there. This whole process takes about 2 minutes.
A very nice customer service representative calls to answer all your questions, and tell you what will happen next.
Ship your item. If that price suits you, Worthy will send a FedEx delivery person to your house the next business day (or sometimes the same day! That blew my mind!), in which you send the jewelry, diamond or watch to them — Worthy pays for all shipping and insures the item for up to $1 million. Sweet!
Agree on a “reserve price,” or the lowest price you are willing to accept.
Your item is auctioned. Worthy will put your jewelry in front of at least 100 potential buyers worldwide, who can then bid on your item.
Receive an offer within 7 days of Worthy receiving your item.
Get paid. After you confirm the sale, you’ll receive payment within 24 hours.
8 ideas for & where to buy affordable engagement rings in 2022
Best place to sell a wedding ring or an engagement ring with a small diamond: DiamondsUSA.com
For other rings, gold and jewelry, including wedding rings of gold and platinum, and those with small diamonds, DiamondsUSA is a quality choice:
Better Business Bureau rating of A+
Get paid within 24 hours
Free, secure mailer or FedEx package sent to your home
Buys gold, silver, platinum jewelry, watches, coins and scrap
Fox Business News investigation found CashforGoldUSA paid 3X its competitors.
100% highest price guarantee.
Insurance up to $100,000
If you do not accept their offer, DiamondsUSA will send your item back immediately, free of charge.
10% bonus if you send your item within 7 days.
DiamondsUSA can help you sell the following:
Diamond ring with a small center stone (below .5 carats)
Wedding ring with lots of small diamonds in the setting
Engagement ring with small diamonds or other gemstones in the setting
How to sell rings online to DiamondsUSA.com
DiamondsUSA.com is one of the best gold and jewelry buyers on the market, buys any and all sizes of gold and diamond jewelry, and is easy to use:
Go to DiamondsUSA.com and request an appraisal kit, including a free prepaid overnight FedEx mailer delivered to, and picked up from you door. Your item is insured up to $100,000 by Jeweler's Mutual insurance, and the CashforGoldUSA facility in Foxboro, Mass., is insured by Lloyds of London.
Once received, you will get a confirmation email or call, and DiamondsUSA evaluates your item and extends an offer.
Once you accept the offer, get paid within 24 hours!
Send in your item within 7 days and get a 10% bonus.
DiamondsUSA is 100% United States-based and family-owned business. The parent company, C.J. Environmental. was started in the basement of the Schneider family home in Sharon, Mass., in 2005, according to CEO Norm Schneider, who runs the company with his sons, Cory Schneider, Stephen Schneider and Barry Schneider.
“By partnering with a refinery, we can offer the public metal and diamond rates typically reserved for private companies,” Norm told me. Within three years of opening, the company was named to the INC 500, as one of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States.
Aside from top rates, customer service, Norm Schneider says, is the other differentiator for CashforGold and DiamondUSA customers.
“We understand the delicate nature of every transaction — clients trust us with their valuables and family heirlooms, and we recognize that is a big responsibility,” Norm says.
Each customer who gets a mailer receives a tracking number so they can track their shipment through SMS messaging and/ or email based on preference. You get an alert when your shipment is scanned by the carrier, when it is scheduled to arrive and when our shipping department has received it.
“We constantly invite clients to ask questions and work nights and weekends to ensure queries are answered in a timely fashion by one of our in-house jewelry experts,” Norm says. “Some clients have lots of questions, some don't have any, either way we are patient and never pressure anyone to sell. We have thousands of repeat clients, some who have been working with us for over a decade.”
If you choose to decline the offer for whatever reason, DiamondsUSA will immediately return your item for free, no questions asked. Learn more in my review of CashforGoldUSA, which I used to sell a diamond and gold ring.
What to know before you sell your diamond engagement ring
The resale value of your engagement ring depends on the size, cut, clarity and color of the stone, as well as the market value of the precious metal in which it is set — as well as whether yours is name-brand jewelry.
To educate yourself about selling your ring for the most money:
Learn about how diamonds are valued and priced
Understand how to work with a quality diamond buyer.
Understand how to value and sell platinum, and
Understand the value of the gold —Your gold wedding band is worth more or less its weight in gold, based on the karat and weight of the metal.
However, if you want to know the true value of what your jewelry is worth, and how much you can get for it by selling, you really need a certified lab report from either the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the International Gemological Institute (IGI).
Worthy works with both the GIA and IGI, which provide the most respected, independent, third-party certifications (a.k.a. lab reports) on your jewelry.
How much is an engagement ring worth?
Before selling an engagement ring, or other precious jewelry, first educate yourself about what you have, as well as the valuing and pricing process.
Do you give an engagement ring for a second marriage?
Understand the value of gold or platinum engagement ring:
The resale value of your engagement ring depends on the size, cut, clarity and color of the stone, as well as the market value of the precious metal in which it is set — as well as whether yours is name brand jewelry.
Understand how to value and sell platinum
Understand the value of your gold wedding ring:
Your gold wedding band is worth more or less its weight in gold, based on the karat and weight of the metal.
Understand the value of the gold
Appraise an engagement ring
Most local jewelers in your community will offer an appraisal, often for free. This can be a good estimate of the replacement value of your jewelry, which can help you get it insured, and understand its retail value, if you were to buy the sale item at a store, today. Jewelers will often offer this for free.
However, if you want to know the true value of what your jewelry is worth, and how much you can get for it by selling, you really need a certified lab report.
There are just a couple of internationally recognized jewelry grading laboratories, and these include the Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, based in New York City, and the International Gemological Institute, or IGI, based in Antwerp, Belgium.
Worthy works with both of these laboratories, which provide the most respected, independent, third-party certifications (a.k.a. lab reports) on your jewelry.
Get your questions asked about appraisals and lab reports
How much is a small engagement ring or gold wedding band with small diamonds worth?
If your jewelry is modest, there are other options for selling an engagement ring. For engagement rings and other jewelry estimated at less than $1,000, I recommend CashforGoldUSA, and its sister site Diamonds USA (formerly CashforDiamondsUSA) — both of which have an A+ Better Business Bureau rating and guarantee payment within 24 hours, and pay a 10% bonus if you send in your item within 7 days.
Note: Worthy only accepts items valued at $1,000+, which is typically the minimum value of a diamond center stone of at least .5 carat.
How much is an engagement ring setting worth?
The gold or platinum setting of an engagement ring is typically worth its weight in scrap metal costs. Any side stones, unless they are more than .3 or .4 carats, are called melee diamonds, and may be worth a few hundred dollars if they are high quality.
Except in rare cases when side stones are large or high quality, or the ring is by a name-brand jewelry designer (Tiffany, Cartier, Bulgari) jewelry and diamond buyers will remove the center stone to repurpose, and melt down the ring setting for scrap.
How much can you sell an engagement ring for?
A 1-carat diamond and gold engagement ring will fetch resale prices ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the cut, quality and setting. Platinum setting and large side stones can mean higher prices, as can name brands like Tiffany or Cartier.
Your engagement ring is worth the current market rate for the diamond and metal.
How much will I get if I sell my diamond ring?
Here are some recent diamond ring sales from Worthy.com:
0.97 Princess Cut Bridal Diamond Wedding Ring Set sold for $2,520:
Who gives the most money for diamond rings?
The only way to know who will pay you the most money for your ring is to shop it around to multiple buyers: a pawnshop, local jewelers near you, online diamond buyers and auctions, like Worthy.com. The advantage of Worthy is that multiple, vetted diamond buyers bid on your diamond ring, which in theory will bid up the money you receive.
How much will a jeweler pay for diamond ring?
A jeweler will likely pay you anywhere from 50% to 70% of the retail value of your ring. Shop around.
At Worthy, a 0.92 CT emerald-cut solitaire ring, H, VVS2 in a platinum setting sold for $1,380, while a 1.55 CT round solitaire ring, J, SI2 in a gold setting sold for $4,003. A 2.24 carat princess-cut solitaire diamond, J, I1, sold for $4,348.
Do engagement rings hold their value?
While over time, diamonds have historically risen in value from a retail price point, do not expect to get your money back on an engagement ring. Typically resale vale of fine gemstone jewelry is one-third to one-half of what you pay for it.
Why is the resale value so low? Why you will lose money selling your engagement ring
One of the reasons many women choose not to sell their engagement ring is that the price they are quoted from a jeweler or auction site is much lower than they believe their rings to be worth. Typically, the resale value of a diamond is about one-third of what you (or that special someone who is now your ex-husband) will pay retail. However, more and more women are buying their own engagement ring.
One survey by diamond wholesaler De Beers found that the number of U.S. women who bought their own engagement ring doubled over the five years ending 2017 to 14%. What's more, women who pay for their own engagement ring pay a third more than if their betrothed paid himself — an average of $4,400, compared to the average of $3,300 that men typically spend.
There are a few reasons for this:
Wholesale ring buyers need to make a profit when they resell your ring or earrings, so they like to buy low, and then turn around and sell your diamond for a higher price.
The market for diamonds and jewelry changes all the time, so the market price of your jewelry may have dropped since it was originally purchased. Also, engagement ring resale value fluctuates with supply and demand.
There is often confusion about the total carat weight of a diamond ring or other jewelry. A common misunderstanding is that the jewelry owner believes that, for example, she has a 1 carat engagement ring, when in reality, the center stone is .5 carats, and the surrounding smaller stones total .5 carats. Most jewelers or ring buyers value the smaller stones very little — perhaps less than $100 total in this case — and are only interested in the center stone.
Many people also do not know the actual, certified resale value of their diamond center stone.
I admit that the cash I earned by reselling my engagement ring was less than I’d hoped, but after some research, I understood that there is a significant difference between retail and resale value of diamond. It is what it is. To protect yourself from any shock, check out recent sales or get an estimate at Worthy.com.
I used the money to send my kids to Europe with their dad to visit relatives there. It seemed a just use of those funds.
Plus, it felt good to rid my home and mind of that significant marriage memento.
Takeaway: Just trade your engagement or wedding ring for cash, and call it a day.
What you could with an engagement ring after divorce if you don’t want to sell
If the rings sitting in a drawer, the back of the closet, or a jewelry box, collecting dust and spreading bad energy, what can you do with them? Two ideas:
Repurpose the diamond into another piece of jewelry — like a necklace pendant or right-hand ring. But, let’s get real: It’s still the same gemstone, with the same memories.
Keep it to give to your children (do they really want to wear a ring from a marriage that ended in divorce??)
These divorced women created their own meaningful ceremonies with their engagement rings:
Monique: “Climbed a mountain and threw it off the summit.”
Sarah: “Put it in the collection plate at church.”
Melanie: “Sold my diamond ring. Bought an entrance to a marathon, new running shoes, got my hair cut and colored, bought my kids a toy, and paid my attorney (some) of the money I owed. It was tough, but I’m glad it’s not there burning a hole in my soul.”
Misty: “Sold it to buy gas to leave his sorry a$$!”
Marilyn: “Sold it. Kept thinking about the Gary Lewis song, This Diamond Ring Doesn’t Mean What it Meant Before.”
Precious: “Flushed it. It was cheap just like our marriage.”
Joan: “Since mine is 3.5 carats I still wear the fucking thing…😳”
Eve: “I left it on the dresser for him along with a note that said it was as worthless as his vows to me.”
Shonda: “Bought hardwood floors for the house. We’d fought bitterly over that while we were married. I enjoyed my new floors for three years before selling the house. The realtor estimates the floors added $25,000 value. Win!”
Shanna: “Wrapped it up in a bunch of scrunchies, and threw it into the middle of a river.”
Brenda: “When my divorce was final, I put them in an urn which holds the ashes of my baby girl furbaby. She is gone and so is my marriage, so now they – the memories – are entwined forever.”
Jess: “My wedding band was worn, and engraved on the inside, so I couldn’t get more than scrap gold value for it. It had felt like a shackle to wear. So I threw it into the Great Salt Lake the day before I left the state for good.”
Julie: “I took all the jewelry he gave me to our jeweler who bought them. Most were “sorry I screwed up” pieces, so all loaded with bad memories. I purchased several pieces that I really love, including nice diamond stud earrings, and don’t miss a single piece!”
My advice? Don’t hold on to a token of a relationship gone wrong. Instead, consider selling your engagement ring for the most money, safely through a reputable online ring buyer — and use the money for a positive new start.
More about my own experience selling my diamond and gold engagement ring:
I had a really spectacular engagement ring.
It wasn’t that it was huge or particularly expensive.
It was unique — the 24-carat yellow gold band consisted of a half-dozen hand-hammered connected spheres, each centered with a very nice diamond.
It was totally my style, and it got lots of attention (which is also my style).
When I divorced, I put the wedding rings in the safe in my house.
In the back of my mind, I thought I would give them to my daughter one day — a token of the marriage that produced her.
Plus, I just wasn’t ready to sell the engagement ring — or part with that time of my life.
I see now I wasn’t ready to face it.  In the end, I sold it.
Bottom line: I’m a fan of selling your engagement ring.
Overall, I am a huge fan of selling your engagement ring in the event that your relationship ends, and I did so myself about five years ago.
I only received a fraction of what my now ex-husband and I paid for it, but I felt I got a fair price and used the proceeds to fund a trip my kids took to Europe with their dad to visit family — which, again, I felt good about.
The real value in selling bridal jewelry, or other jewelry you don’t wear, is that it frees up all that negative energy attached to the item, stewing indefinitely in your jewelry box.
Even if you loved the ring, loved your ex, loved being married (yes, yes, yes for me), it is time to move on and free the mental energy attached to the ring — not to mention the money!
How about you? Do you still have your engagement ring? Or did you resell your wedding ring, give it away, turn it into a necklace, or throw it out the car window into a ditch on the way home from the court date finalizing your divorce? Do you feel you understood the true resale value of your jewelry? Please share in the comments …
Did you know you can sell your wedding dress for cash?
Where can I sell my engagement ring for the most money?
After researching this topic for years, I am confident that you stand the best chance of getting the highest price if you sell to an online ring buyer.
How much do you get for selling an engagement ring?
The resale value of your engagement ring depends on the size, cut, clarity and color of the stone, as well as the market value of the precious metal in which it is set — as well as whether yours is name brand jewelry.
How much can you sell an engagement ring for?
Your engagement ring is worth the current market rate for the diamond and metal.
How do I sell my engagement ring?
When selling your ring, you have a few options: sell to a jeweler or gold exchange near you; pawn shops; or online ring buyers.
← Cash for Gold USA: Is this a legit gold buyer? [2022 reviews] How to recycle gold, silver, and jewelry for the most money →
Wealthysinglemommy.com founder Emma Johnson is an award-winning business journalist, activist, author and expert. A former Associated Press reporter and MSN Money columnist, Emma has appeared on CNBC, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, TIME, The Doctors, Elle, O, The Oprah Magazine. Winner of Parents magazine’s “Best of the Web” and a New York Observer “Most Eligible New Yorker," her #1 bestseller, The Kickass Single Mom (Penguin), was a New York Post Must Read. As an expert on divorce and gender, Emma presented at the United Nations Summit for Gender Equality and multiple state legislature hearings. More about Emma's credentials.
October 2, 2017 at 11:58 pm
I’m going to sell my rings, and use the money to help buy my daughter’s wedding dress. That way the rings will go to her in some way, but be a blessing to her, instead.
September 7, 2017 at 2:34 am
I went to Cancun, got my belly pierced and had my diamond reset into a belly ring. Also had a fling with a hot Latino waiter…
qua tang cuoc songsays:
August 30, 2017 at 12:27 am
Thanks , I’ve recently been searching for information about this subject
for ages and yours is the greatest I have discovered so
far. However, what in regards to the bottom line? Are you positive in regards to the supply?
August 28, 2017 at 7:41 pm
I would love to sell mine but when I tried to, I found out the “$10,000” diamond was fake. Seems appropriate based on my marriage experience. Live and learn!
August 23, 2017 at 11:45 am
Very great article. I wish you guys the best and good luck with your diamond engagement ring.
February 26, 2017 at 10:23 pm
I am not divorced but my mother and father got divorced. My mom hung onto her ring for me. She thought multiple times about selling but didn’t. My step dad also hung onto his ring for his daughter. When my husband asked permission to marry me he was given the ring. I love it and it means so much to me.
February 27, 2017 at 9:25 am
What exactly does it represent? Is it that love that brought your parents together, or something else?
December 12, 2021 at 7:55 pm
That’s beautiful that your mother kept her ring for you and that your husband gave it to you as an engagement ring or when he proposed. That’s so meaningful.
February 9, 2017 at 1:17 am
I held onto mine for 9 years after everything was done. I asked my daughter who was 13 if she would like me to save the rings for her (which I paid for our entire set and as well $21,000 in his schooling and he didn’t finish his degree). She declined and suggested I sell the rings. I went to a reputable jeweler in my area and was surprised how much I received!!! I have the money in savings bonds for kids for college. I slowly got rid of pieces of furniture and other household items and replaced with my own choices. My house is my own style now. Only thing I have left isn’t wedding dress and wedding photo albums I don’t know what to do with so packed away and put in storage……what did everyone do with their wedding albums:photos?
February 13, 2017 at 9:16 am
Great experience … and good Q … I have all the pics … I like to remember the good times and feel those memories belong to my kids.
December 12, 2021 at 8:32 pm
Nice sentiment. Remember the good times, those memories belong to the children who were born to that relationship.
December 19, 2019 at 12:31 pm
I threw them in a garbage dumpster across the street.
December 12, 2021 at 8:03 pm
I’m surprised your daughter didn’t want the rings. I’d suggest that she might want your wedding dress. If it’s not her size she may not want to have it altered because she may want it to be the same as it was when you got married. She could still treasure if you make the wedding dress a family heirloom or proud treasure. It would mean a lot to her if you kept it, and would still mean a lot to her if you gave it to her. Same for the photos.
December 22, 2016 at 9:28 pm
I have a “show diamond…looking as if he spent a fortune. Go figure. Ex bought a one and three quarter diamond surrounded br nice bagets..six. bur the diamond was exactlythat. “LOOK WHAT I BOUGHT HER..” What looked like a 10,000 ring has so much carbon..worth maybe 1,500…I may donate it to a food bank or homeless shelter. Not doing me a darn bit of good hanging around.
December 23, 2016 at 6:46 am
that sounds like a plan! Or … sell the ring and donate the $$ … might be more helpful to the charity.
November 12, 2016 at 9:38 am
After having my diamond engagement ring and wedding bands stowed in a safe for the last two years, I decided it’s time to get them out of my life. Appreciate all of the advice I found here. Whatever I get for the rings, I intend to donate half to the Democrats. Then I will let my hillbilly ex know just where his money was donated. #SweetRevenge.
November 16, 2016 at 2:38 pm
LOL–Lee You are too funny…I feel like Ebeneezer…I want one ghost to show me hope for compassion, grace and forgiveness to drizzle down and peace to settle in