Carl Blackburn & SDJB’s Gold Buying Business

In the following media interview Carl Blackburn, owner of San Diego Jewelry Buyers (SDJB), discusses the ways in which his company’s gold and jewelry impacts the local economy.

San Diego Jewelry Buyers has been in the gold, jewelry, and watch buying business for some thirty years. In these difficult financial times, what role do you see your company fulfilling with regard to the larger San Diego economy?

CB: Every day, San Diegans bring me items which have been lying around in a dresser or safe deposit box, and trade it in for cash. Yesterday a woman in her 80s traded in her scraps of old gold for about $1800, and said she was going straight to Best Buy to get a brand new flat screen TV and home theatre for her apartment. All things considered, I think she’ll get a lot more enjoyment from that TV entertainment center, than she was getting from some old broken gold jewelry that had been lying around in her dresser drawer for 30-40 years. I joked with her that if someone ever breaks into her apartment, the gold would have been a lot easier to make off with than the new giant flat screen TV mounted to her wall!

So you are saying that San Diego Jewelry Buyers helps customers realize wealth they might otherwise have forgotten about?

CB: In many cases, yes. But it also is more than that. When people find out that they have un-tapped wealth sitting in their drawers and cabinets, wealth that can be transferred into quick discretionary income, this feeds the local economy. Money is moved, circulated, spent, and re-generated through all the businesses that the customers patronize with their sudden “windfall”. In addition, taxes are paid on all of these new transactions, thus supporting local, state, and federal government services.

But at some point doesn’t this all run out? I mean, there is only so much of this “untapped” wealth lying around, right?

CB: On the one hand yes, and on the other hand, no. People often ask me “you keep buying all this gold, don’t you think the public will run out of gold soon?” My answer is to point to the whole eBay phenomenon, which turned millions of everyday Americans into moonlighting dealers of second-hand merchandise. That started long before the current gold rush and economic crisis, and people are still selling their unused possessions on eBay, as much if not more so than ever. So do you think that Americans will run out of diamonds, gold, silver, jewelry, and fine watches anytime soon? Sure, the economy is bad now but it will eventually turn around. New precious items will continue to be bought, which eventually become “old” items, and SDJB will be here to turn those items into cash and transfer that wealth back into the economy.

From what I understand, you also see San Diego Jewelry Buyers’ business as contributing to more than just the economy, don’t you?

CB: That’s right. As a professional jeweler and designer, I’ve been a longtime supporter of sustainable luxury. And when it comes to selling your gold to a company like SDJB, people are helping the environment by reducing the need for eco-harmful gold mining activities. The same thing goes for when consumers sell us their pre-owned diamonds and precious gemstones. It’s a win-win situation for our customers, for us, and for the community.

SDJBL Moves to New Location

San Diego Jewelry Buyers & Loans (SDJBL) has announced that it has moved to a new location across from the San Diego Jewelers Exchange building. SDJBL’s new address is 907 6th Ave. The new showroom and offices take up the entire NE corner of 6th and E Street, at the same intersection as the Jewelers Exchange (861 6th Ave.), but on the opposite side of E Street. Read more

San Diego Pawnbroker & Gold Buyer Reports Rise in Large Cash Loans

San Diego Jewelry Buyers (SDJB), the elite pawnbroker of San Diego County, has reported a steady increase in immediate cash loans on luxury collateral, such as fine jewelry, gold coins, rare timepieces, and large carat diamonds. According to Carl Blackburn, president of San Diego Jewelry Buyers, the rise in its large instant cash loans is due to a combination of factors: Read more

The San Diego Jewelers Exchange

As the economy continues to tighten, the San Diego Jewelers Exchange (SDJEX) has emerged as the must-stop shopping complex for San Diego jewelry shoppers looking to make the most of their hard-earned dollar. The SDJEX is becoming increasingly popular because shoppers can sell their old jewelry here and then use that extra cash to help purchase a new item from one of the many affordable retail shops or artisan studios located inside the Jewelers Exchange Building. Read more

Investigating Gold Buyers

San Diego’s most watched news station, KUSI News, has released a special consumer report on selling gold in San Diego County. Conducted by former CNN reporter Sasha Foo, the report reveals that there are both good and questionable gold buyers operating in San Diego.

The special report is titled “Selling your gold? Don’t get scammed!” and includes an interview with Sheryl Bilbry, a staff member of San Diego’s Better Business Bureau (BBB). She tells Sasha Foo that San Diegans need to be smart when selecting a gold buyer for their gold jewelry, since some gold buyers may have file folders full of customer complaints. Cash4Gold, for example, has earned itself a D- minus grade from the BBB.

Bilbry explains that Cash4Gold customers have complained that their gold never got to the company; that they were told that within 10 days they could get their gold back, but then Cash4Gold wouldn’t return it; and that Cash4Gold didn’t pay them as much money as they said they would for their gold. Bilbry adds that citizens can get cash for their gold jewelry in San Diego by “credible” companies. They just need to investigate who they are.

Selling used gold jewelry, gold bullion coins, and other gold objects has become a big business during the past year due to the recession. But Sasha Foo warns San Diegans not to let that “stampede for cash turn into fool’s gold.” To illustrate how “legitimate” gold buyers operate in San Diego, Ms. Foo interviews Carl Blackburn, the founder and co-owner of San Diego Jewelry Buyers (SDJB) and a jewelry industry veteran.

Blackburn explains to Foo how trustworthy gold buyers go about buying used gold rings, gold chains, and other gold jewelry, demonstrating how gold purity and weight is tested. He advises San Diegans to shy away from any gold buyer who guarantees they will beat the price of any other gold buyer, as well as anyone who does not make the customer feel totally comfortable with selling their gold. Blackburn also says that a “red flag” is when a customer calls a San Diego gold buyer for today’s gold price and the buyer doesn’t want give out the information.

SDJB’s website SanDiegoJewelryBuyers.com is filled with articles and tips that can help San Diegans make better selling decisions when selling their gold, diamonds, and fine watches.

To watch KUSI’s full special report on San Diego gold buyers, please go to: Selling Your Gold? Don’t Get Scammed!

SDJB, Timothy Meier, & Green Gold

San Diego Jewelry Buyers (SDJB) has teamed up with local award-winning designer Timothy Meier to provide “green” (eco-friendly) fine jewelry to San Diego residents. San Diego and Southern California residents can bring their used gold jewelry into SDJB’s shop, located in the Gaslamp District of downtown San Diego, and receive cash for it today. Read more

7 Quick Questions to Ask Your Gold Buyer

San Diego Jewelry Buyers has announced the publication of a new education article appearing on their online Knowledge pages for consumers wanting to sell gold, fine jewelry, diamonds, and timepieces. Titled “7 Quick Questions to Ask Your Gold Buyer,” the article intends to help consumers avoid many of the pitfalls that have been recently documented by investigative news programs, where gold buyers have been engaging in dubious practices to buy gold from sellers for far less than what they deserve.

“Over the past year, there have been literally hundreds of new people and companies getting into the gold buying business,” says Alan Blyler, a spokesperson for San Diego Jewelry Buyers. According to Blyler, while some of these gold buyers are upstanding and follow industry accepted practices, many more, especially some of the big online outfits, are engaging in practices that long-time gold buyers do not support.

For example, some gold jewelry buyers immediately offer a customer a higher amount when he or she rejects the company’s first buying offer; and then a higher cash amount again when that person rejects their second offer. “An upstanding gold buyer will give you their best buying offer right from the start. Period,” says Blyler.

One sample from San Diego Jewelry Buyers “7 Quick Questions to Ask Your Gold Buyer” is the following:

How much are you paying per gram today for 14 karat gold (or 10K, or
18K, etc.)?

CORRECT ANSWER: According to today’s market price of gold, we are paying ___ per gram for 14K gold (or 10K, or 18K, etc.).

REASON: Some gold buyers will use deceptive techniques in order to get you into their store. For example, they might say, “Today’s gold price is ___ per gram.” Then when you come in they will explain that the price they quoted you on the phone was what they sell gold for, not what they buy it for. They do this in hopes of capturing a certain number of people who will still go through with the transaction despite the “misunderstanding.”

To read the rest of SDJB’s essential questions to ask a gold buyer, please visit their website at: SanDiegoJewelryBuyers.com

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Looking for more information about people’s personal experiences with gold buyers, and why you should compare before choosing one? Then check out this good news article: It Pays to Compare Gold Buyers.

San Diego Jewelry Buyers Publishes Brief History of Pawn Shops

San Diego Jewelry Buyers (SDJB) has announced this week’s addition to its Knowledge pages for consumers interested in selling or collateralizing their fine jewelry, diamonds, watches, and gold. The article is titled “A Brief History of Pawn Shops,” and it adds to SDJB’s growing list of helpful information, facts, and tips involving jewelry, precious metals, timepieces, and luxury brands. Read more

Selling & Loan Guide For Consumers: Jewelry, Diamonds, Gold, & Watches

**The United States has over 12,000 businesses that buy and sell used jewelry, watches, and diamonds. Not all are the same. When deciding on whom to entrust with your fine jewelry transaction, be selective, do research, and choose only those businesses that specialize and understand the current jewelry market. Read more