with the price of gold soaring, French people are rushing to resell their jewelry

In October, the price of gold exceeded the mark of 4,000 dollars per ounce of gold, or more than 110 euros per gram, unheard of since the 1980s.

The value of the yellow metal has increased by more than 50% since the start of 2025, a surge that is pushing many French people to sell their family jewels. In Marseille, Christophe Mély is the manager of the L’officiel de l’or boutique, specializing in gold buybacks. He had never seen so many customers come through the door. “We have a lot more customers than usual”he assures.

“I think that the psychological trigger of the 100 to 110 euros per gram mark made people decide”analyzes the seller. A man has just entered the store. Thierry came with a small red velvet box. Inside, his father’s wedding ring, his wife’s earrings, the baptismal bracelet of one of the children, so many jewels whose value he does not know. Verdict: 900 euros.

The grandfather leaves the store, and already another customer introduces himself. Zohra takes out of a small bag, her mother’s gold jewelry: earrings, a necklace, a bracelet. 18-karat jewelry that she reluctantly sells. Zohra leaves with a check for 2,500 euros to pay her rent. “I’m retired and I don’t earn much, I have to work on the side and I have a problem with rent and charges. I have to sell to pay. I need it”she confides.

Family drawers sometimes contain treasures, but the store manager advises you to wait to get the best price: “If you wait a week to try to scrape one or two euros from the gram, don’t do it, because, on the contrary, you can lose. On the other hand, if you are not in a hurry and you can wait a month, two, six or even a year, wait.”

And Christophe Mèly concludes: “You can be sure that gold will go up, that’s been the trend for decades.”