If it's gold jewelry, and not gold plated, most jewelers will give you a free evaluation. They simply check the karat value, plop it on a scale, then give you a value for the gold content that are willing to pay...It just takes a few seconds. Most jewelers will not buy the items for resale.
Most local auctioneers are happy to give verbal valuations of items free of charge. (They're obviously hoping that you'll sell through them but there's no obligation to do so). They only charge if you require a valuation in writing, e.g. for insurance purposes.
Even major international auction houses adopt a similar approach in many cases. I've accompanied a friend who took a vase into Sotheby's to get a free on-the-spot valuation. I've also taken some items into Bonham's myself. Within minutes I was chatting to the same expert that people queued for hours to see on the Antiques Roadshow, who was happy to value my items for me with neither charge nor obligation involved.
Any pawn shop such as Cash Converters will give you the scrap value if they are gold or silver.
Of course they could be worth a lot more if they were made by a famous/popular company, designer or have great artistic merit