Sell Persian Gold Jewelry in Los Angeles
We buy Iranian 18 karat gold jewelry, Bahar Azadi coins and Pahlavi coins at our Lawndale counter. Every piece is tested, weighed and written down in front of you, and you are paid in cash before you leave.
Sell Persian Gold in Los Angeles for What It Weighs
South Bay Coin is a licensed, bonded and insured precious metals dealer at 16916 Hawthorne Blvd in Lawndale, and Persian gold has crossed this counter since 1980. Greater Los Angeles holds the largest Iranian community anywhere outside Iran, from Westwood and Beverly Hills through Encino and down into the South Bay. The gold that community keeps is rarely an impulse. It was bought by weight, at a rate published every morning, and it deserves to be sold the same way.
Iranian households buy and price gold per gram, and the daily rate is public, which is why most of our Persian clients arrive already asking the right question. Not what will you give me, but what is in it and where is gold trading today. We answer in exactly those terms. We read the purity out loud, set every piece on a scale turned toward you, and write the purity and the weight beside each item before anyone mentions a total. Our gold jewelry buying page covers that same process for every karat we handle.
The honest half is that not everything in a Persian box should be priced by weight. A ring set with Neyshabur turquoise, an enamelled bangle from Isfahan, a fine filigree pendant from Zanjan: pieces like these can be worth more intact than melted, and when that is true we say so before we quote rather than after. Those go on the luxury jewelry side of the counter, assessed as objects rather than as metal.
And nobody is asked to explain why they are selling. Gold held as savings exists to be drawn on, whenever and in whatever amount the family decides. No interview, no story required, no pressure. Appraisals are free whether you sell or not.
Our Lawndale Showroom
South Bay Coin
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Sat: 10 AM - 3 PM
Sun: Closed
Persian Gold Is Two Finenesses, 750 and 900
Almost every Middle Eastern gold guide written in this country drops Iran into a list of half a dozen countries and calls the whole group 21 karat. Iranian jewelry is not 21 karat. The Iranian standard is 18 ayar, 750 parts of gold per thousand, stamped 750 in Western or Persian numerals. A Persian lot is therefore unusually uniform, which makes the exceptions inside it worth naming rather than sweeping into the same pile.
The exceptions are usually the coins, and they are a different fineness on purpose. A Bahar Azadi and the Pahlavi issue it replaced are both struck at 900 parts per thousand, which works out to 21.6 karat: a coinage standard, not a jewelry one, and it matches no American karat stamp and no United States bullion product. A full coin weighs 8.136 grams and holds 7.322 grams of gold. The half, the quarter and the one gram piece come off the same standard and scale exactly. Those are physical constants, so you can check our arithmetic while you stand here. Loose coins that have nothing to do with Iran belong on our gold and silver coin page instead.
One more thing, said plainly, because no buyer in this city says it. Inside Iran the Bahar Azadi trades above its metal, because it is the household hedge against a falling currency in a market closed to outside gold. That premium does not travel. Dealers outside Iran price the full, half and quarter on measured gold content, so a family comparing our number against a rate read from Tehran is comparing against something Los Angeles cannot buy or sell. That is not a low offer. It is a different market, and we would rather explain it than let you find out at the third counter.
Persian Gold We Buy for Cash
Bring the whole box or bring one piece. Nothing is separated, cleaned or altered without your say-so, and anything you decide to keep goes home with you the same visit.
Persian 18 Karat Jewelry
Chains, bangles, rings, earrings and pendants marked 750, in Western or Persian numerals, and pieces carrying no mark at all.
Azadi and Pahlavi Coins
Bahar Azadi in full, half, quarter and one gram sizes, plus Pahlavi issues from before 1979, loose or still in their packets.
Turquoise and Enamel Work
Neyshabur firoozeh, Isfahan minakari enamel, Zanjan malileh filigree and engraved work, quoted as pieces first.
Broken and Unworn Gold
Single earrings, snapped chains, bent bangles, worn wedding bands and odd links. Condition changes nothing about what the metal weighs.
Sell Persian Gold in Three Steps
Walk In, Call or Text
Come to 16916 Hawthorne Blvd in Lawndale with no appointment, or text photos of the jewelry and coins to (310) 363-2697 first.
Purity and Weight, Written Down
We test each piece, weigh it on a scale facing you, and write the purity and the weight beside it. Coins are assessed on gold content.
Take the Offer or Take It Home
Sell all of it, sell part of it, or sell none of it. Accepted offers are paid in cash at the counter. Bring a valid photo ID.
South Bay Coin vs. Other Persian Gold Buyers
Persian gold in Los Angeles usually gets sold one of four ways: a licensed dealer, a private buyer someone introduced you to, a pawn shop, or an envelope in the mail. Two of the rows below are marked No in our own column.
| Criterion | South Bay Coin | Private Buyers | Pawn Shops | Mail-In |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reads 750 jewelry and 900 coins as separate purities | Yes | Sometimes | Rarely | No |
| Tests and weighs every piece in front of you | Yes | Varies | Sometimes | No |
| Prices Azadi and Pahlavi coins on measured gold content | Yes | Varies | Rarely | Varies |
| Pays the Tehran coin premium | No | No | No | No |
| Writes purity and weight beside each item before a total | Yes | No | Sometimes | Varies |
| Licensed, bonded and insured California dealer | Yes | No | Varies | Varies |
| Hands back anything you keep, same visit | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Sells new Persian jewelry you could trade into | No | No | Sometimes | No |
What Our Customers Say
Common Questions About Selling Persian Gold
Where can I sell Persian gold jewelry in Los Angeles?
South Bay Coin buys Persian gold at 16916 Hawthorne Blvd in Lawndale, a licensed storefront open six days a week with no appointment needed. Clients drive in from Westwood, Beverly Hills, Encino and across Los Angeles County. Jewelry and coins are tested, weighed and itemised at the counter while you watch.
What karat is most Persian gold jewelry?
Iranian jewelry is overwhelmingly 18 karat, the national jewelry standard, stamped 750 for 750 parts of gold per thousand. Guides that group Iran with the Gulf and call everything 21 karat are wrong about Iran. The mark may appear in Western digits or Persian numerals, and plenty of older pieces carry no mark at all.
Do you buy Bahar Azadi and Pahlavi gold coins?
Yes. We buy Bahar Azadi coins in the full, half, quarter and one gram sizes, and Pahlavi issues struck before 1979. Bring them loose or still sealed in their packets. Each is assessed on measured gold content, and we tell you which size you are holding before we write anything down.
How much gold is in a full Bahar Azadi coin?
A full Bahar Azadi weighs 8.136 grams and is struck at 900 parts per thousand, so it contains 7.322 grams of pure gold. That is 21.6 karat, a coinage fineness rather than a jewelry one. The half coin, quarter coin and one gram coin come off the same standard and scale down exactly.
Why does a Bahar Azadi sell for less here than the price quoted in Tehran?
Inside Iran the coin trades above its metal because it is the household hedge against a falling currency inside a closed market. That premium belongs to that market and cannot follow the coin abroad. Dealers outside Iran price the coin on gold content, so a Tehran quote is not a number any Los Angeles buyer can match.
Do I need a receipt or paperwork to sell Persian gold?
No. Gold that came out of Iran decades ago rarely travelled with its paperwork, and we do not ask for any. The test and the scale establish what the metal is, which is what the receipt would have told us anyway. Bring a valid photo ID for yourself, because California requires it of the seller.
Do you buy Persian gold set with turquoise or enamel?
Yes, and those pieces get quoted as objects before they are ever quoted as metal. Neyshabur turquoise, Isfahan enamel work and fine filigree can carry value that a melt calculation ignores entirely. If a piece is worth more intact than broken down, we tell you that first and let you decide.
Can I sell only part of my gold and keep the rest?
Yes, and it is common here. Gold bought as savings is meant to be drawn on in pieces. We price everything you bring, tell you which items convert closest to their metal value, and you choose what goes. Whatever you keep is handed straight back to you the same visit.
Do you buy Persian 18 karat gold that is not stamped?
Yes. Handmade and older Iranian pieces are often unmarked, and a missing stamp changes nothing about what the metal is. We test the piece itself rather than reading a mark, then write the reading beside it. An unmarked piece that reads at 750 is bought as 750.
What should I bring to sell Persian gold jewelry?
Bring the gold and a valid photo ID. Nothing needs to be cleaned, sorted, polished or repaired first, and single earrings and broken chains are welcome. If a family member holds part of the lot, bring them along, because we can write separate slips and pay separate people.
Ready to Sell Your Persian Gold?
Walk into our Lawndale counter with no appointment, or text photos of your jewelry and coins for an estimate. Free appraisals, cash at the counter.
