Selling a diamond from Brooklyn usually starts with one choice: sell to a jeweler or gold buyer close to home, or make the trip into Manhattan to the Diamond District on West 47th Street. Both can work. This page sets out how to decide, how to check any buyer in Brooklyn under the city’s rules, and what to have ready, whether you are in Park Slope, Brooklyn Heights, Williamsburg, Bay Ridge, Flatbush or anywhere else in the borough.
Diamond Buyers NYC is an independent referral service, not a buyer, pawnshop or dealer, and it is not connected with any business using a similar name. When you call or send the form, your details go to an independent buyer in New York, who makes any offer.
Selling a diamond in Brooklyn? Call, and an independent New York buyer comes back to you.
A buyer near home, or the district
| A neighborhood buyer in Brooklyn | The Diamond District, Manhattan | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | Close to home. | West 47th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. |
| Second opinion | The next buyer may be some distance away. | Many buyers on one block. |
| What they buy | Ask: some buy only gold, not stones. | Many businesses there trade in diamonds. |
| Rules | The same NYC licence, ID and scale rules. | The same NYC licence, ID and scale rules. |
One simple approach: get one written offer close to home, then compare it with written offers on 47th Street before you decide. Comparing offers on the same description is what tells you whether the local one holds up. The guide to the Diamond District NYC explains how to work the block, and the 47th Street BID lists the B, D, F or M to 47-50 Streets Rockefeller Center and the N, Q or R to 49th Street among the nearest subway stops.
Checking a Brooklyn buyer
The same NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) rules apply on a Brooklyn shopping street as on 47th Street. Before you sell, check:
- The licence. A Secondhand Dealer General licence must be posted where customers can see it, with DCWP’s complaint sign, and the number must be on the receipt.
- The scale. Any business that buys precious metal must have a scale of an approved type, reading to 0.01 troy ounce or finer, and tell you the troy weight.
- Your ID. The buyer must see official photo ID, record it and have you sign in front of them.
- The kind of business. A pawnshop lending against your ring needs a separate DCWP pawnbroker licence. A pawn is a loan, not a sale.
What to bring from Brooklyn
- Official photo ID.
- The grading report, if there is one. GIA offers a Report Check on its website where the number can be looked up.
- Receipts, appraisals and any box and papers.
- Every piece you might sell, so offers cover the same things.
- A note of each offer as you get it.
If the diamond is in a gold setting, the metal is valued separately from the stone. The page on how to sell gold in NYC explains karat and troy weight, and the page on how to sell loose diamonds covers stones out of their settings.
Why the offer is below what you paid
Wherever you sell, an offer will be below the store price. A retail price includes the store’s costs and margin; a buyer pays what the piece is worth to them to resell, reset or melt. Compare offers with each other, not with the receipt. The guide to diamond resale value explains more, and the step-by-step page on how to sell diamonds in NYC covers the sale itself.
Questions people ask
Can I sell a diamond in Brooklyn without going to Manhattan?
Yes. A licensed buyer in Brooklyn works under the same city rules. Getting a second written offer is easier on 47th Street, where many buyers work on one block.
Is Diamond Buyers NYC a Brooklyn diamond buyer?
No. Diamond Buyers NYC is an independent referral service, not a buyer, pawnshop or dealer, and it is not connected with any Brooklyn business. Your details go to an independent buyer in New York, who makes any offer.
How do I check a Brooklyn jeweler before selling?
Look for the DCWP Secondhand Dealer General licence posted in the store and its number on the receipt, and make sure any metal is weighed on a scale you can see, with the troy weight told to you.
Call the line
One number, answered in New York.