While selling gold for cash has been a common way to get fast money over the past decade, selling diamonds hasn't gotten nearly as much attention. However, if you have diamonds or diamond jewelry, you can sell those along with gold and silver if you need cash. Selling diamonds for cash is a little different from selling gold and silver as there's no scrap value to use as a basic price if the item is not of the best quality. So, you need to know what could influence the price that you could get for the diamond.

Visible Damage

Visible damage is, as you'd expect, a big influence, but visible damage may not be that visible to you. Diamonds are hard, and it takes a lot to scratch them to the point where you can see the scratch with an unassisted eye, but smaller flaws can show up more easily. If you sell diamonds for cash, chances are the company you go to will have an appraiser on site who can look at the diamond thoroughly. It may help you to have the diamonds appraised independently, or if you have the time and inclination, you can send the diamond to an institution that does diamond grading, like the Gemological Institute of America.

Even if the flaws don't appear visible to you, because a trained appraiser can see them, they will affect the price you get (this is why an independent appraisal or grading can be helpful because there's no suspicion that the diamond buyer's appraiser might try to undercut the price). You can't do much about flaws in diamonds -- it's just good to know that they are a factor.

Stone Color

Diamonds come in many shades and colors, with the most common colors being white (clear), yellow, and brown. Diamonds are graded on a scale of colors, with whiter diamonds being more prized than yellower diamonds. You can find other colors like pink, but these are super-rare and likely not in your possession. Color is just one factor, so a perfectly cut, flawless diamond that's a tad on the off-white side may actually fetch more than a flawed white diamond. Size also influences the price, too.

You Sure Those Are Real?

No one likes to think about whether their diamonds are really fake. If you've been told a stone is real, you want to believe it's real. But fake diamonds and costume jewelry (e.g., Edwardian paste jewelry) were very commonly worn decades ago and considered rather tasteful. It doesn't take much for one of those costume pieces to gain a reputation of being "real" as it makes its way through generations of a family. Obviously, if the stone is fake, you're not going to get cash for the stone. But don't give up. If the piece is an antique, there may be value in its design or origin, and you can seek out collectors or sell the piece online yourself.

At the same time, sometimes you think you have some costume jewelry that turns out to be real. If you do have older pieces of jewelry with what you think are fake stones -- but you're not sure -- ask the diamond buyers to take a look because, if they turn out to be real stones, you could get some unexpected cash.

To learn more about getting cash for diamonds, reach out to a professional near you.