Unvault: $750B in Gold Jewelry Sits in US Households

“Gold has been compounding quietly while pieces sit tucked away in jewelry boxes,” said Nidhi Singhvi, co-founder of Unvault. A chain bought for $600 two decades ago still feels like a $600 piece to its owner, even though the raw gold inside may be worth closer to $4,000 today, she said.

Unvault analyzed more than 50,000 platform evaluations and found that owners typically underestimate the current gold metal value of their jewelry by a factor of three or more. The company also said 62% of U.S. jewelry owners carry no insurance on their fine jewelry, a gap it attributed to a lack of updated appraisals.

The index showed wide variation across states. New Jersey ranked highest with an estimated $8,784 in gold metal value per household, followed by Connecticut at $8,303, California at $8,099, Maryland at $8,066 and Massachusetts at $7,901.

Founded by Singhvi and Navya Reddy, Unvault uses computer vision, real-time market data and expert gemologist reviews to provide jewelry valuations and liquidity options. The report is the first from its Jewelry Drawer Index, which Unvault plans to update quarterly.