Match receipts and packaging to each gold item
Keep a document date separate from an object's apparent age. For an old-gold handover, organise receipts, tags, boxes and pouches by item number before adding them to the supporting material.
Put the evidence in a useful order
List stones, pearls, cords and other non-gold components apart from style, quantity, hallmarks and visible damage. Combining them into one broad statement can hide the basis of the weight.
During the final check, make sure no identifier has moved from one piece to another. Leave missing details blank, and describe any part that cannot be opened or viewed safely.
Begin with dimensions, marks and overall form
When several gold items arrive together, note a working name, visible wording or motif, size or weight, present packaging and condition for each one. Anything indistinct should remain open for another look.
To discuss net weight, separate stones, pearls, cords, spring clasps, watch movements and every other non-gold part. Gross weight is not net gold weight, and a similar object cannot supply a missing figure.
State exactly what the packaging conceals
A fracture, distortion or older design does not by itself prove different fineness. Missing gold, repair solder and repaired areas can affect net weight, so locate them under the correct number and explain any blocked view.
A reference gold price, stated fineness and confirmed net weight are three distinct facts. Any deduction or handover condition should be itemised only after the actual piece has been examined.
Keep overall photographs, close details, measurements, packaging and papers together under the piece's identifier. Before touching a vulnerable area, explain where contact is proposed and what it might change.
Leave the jewellery unchanged during storage
Hallmarks such as 999, 916 and 750 may guide an initial grouping, but a hallmark is only one clue. Repair solder, later-added fasteners and mixed materials still require direct inspection.
Images can support sorting and locate conspicuous damage. They may not settle the material, a fine repair or anything hidden by packaging; never fill that gap from a comparable item.
Use background stories only as research leads
Separate jewellery of different stated fineness into different pouches, image groups and weight lines. Include the unit from the electronic scale, and never combine grams, taels and troy ounces as if they were interchangeable.
For a wedding-jewellery set, retain the hallmark and weight of every piece. List cords, tags, stones and non-gold decoration apart from the set, rather than treating the combined gross weight as net gold.
Cite the source and consultation date for manufacturing or historical information. An old label, oral account or online picture can guide further checking, but it must stay connected to the correct item.
A practical sequence for checking old gold
Concentrate first on clasps, seams, solder joints and moving parts, then add stones, pearls, cords and other components. Do not turn a name unsupported by the photographs into a conclusion; use the identifier to return to the right piece.
The checklist need not be completed in one sitting. Securely match receipts, tags, boxes and pouches first, then review style, count, hallmarks and visible damage. State any obstruction caused by packaging or angle, and finish with a clasp-and-solder check.
Write visible observations separately from old labels, certificates and recollections. If they disagree, retain both accounts without using either to rewrite the other. Revisit the clasp, seam, solder joint or moving section that raised the question.
Before an enquiry, confirm the item count, accessories, packaging and unresolved points. Deductions, examination steps and handover terms should be explained after the pieces are visible. Finish by checking style, quantity, hallmarks and damage one by one.
If gold remains in an old album, original box or sealed package, identify the restriction and photograph every visible clasp, solder joint and structural detail. Do not force the container or jewellery open.
