Did you inherit jewelry from a loved one? Perhaps you do not know the value of the inherited items. If they have been packed away, you may have taken a look at them and not have been impressed. This is a mistake that untrained eyes tend to may make, and you may have inherited something valuable, which is why you should not rush to judge the pieces.
Distinguishing Between Antique, Vintage, Pre-Owned, and Estate Jewelry
Just because the jewelry you inherited was left by an older relative does not mean that it is antique. The term antique is assigned to items that are at least a century old. If the jewelry you inherited is less than 100 years old, it may be considered as vintage jewelry, which are pieces that are at least 20 years old.
An important point to note about estate pieces is that they are pieces of jewelry that are pre-owned, and may or may not be high-value items. This is why it is wise to get their appraisal value, which may be surprising to untrained eyes.
History and Condition
If possible, it would be helpful to gather as much information from other family members about your inheritance as possible. You might find out some interesting things about the pieces in the collection as well as some family tidbits that can hold sentimental value. Perhaps you are excited and want to dig right into getting as much information as possible about your inherited jewelry. A jewelry buyer can likely help you to identify whether or not the pieces have ever been repaired, which could impact value.
Authenticity
The best way to ensure that you are dealing with authentic pieces of jewelry are to have the pieces checked for authenticity by an independent expert. This will yield important information about the metals and gemstones used, and it can also help with assessing a valuation on the jewelry items. If you have a complete set of pieces, you may find that the value of the whole collection is different than adding the value of each individual piece. This can be the case when certain pieces of a collection are harder to find for sale.
Think carefully about whether or not selling the items is ideal, especially if you are a young person. This is because you might be overlooking the sentimental value of the items now, but this is something that you may appreciate in the future.
For more information, contact professionals like Jeffrey-Private Jeweler.
Share19 July 2016
A few days ago, my mother-in-law’s dad passed away. This sweet man lived a long, full life. He was ninety-one-years-old when he died. At his funeral, my mother-in-law told me she liked the ruby, cross pendant I was wearing. Because I wanted to cheer this sweet woman up, I immediately came up with a plan. I decided to buy her a pendant like mine. Because this pendant was also available in sapphire, I decided to purchase this stone for my mother-in-law. Sapphire is her birthstone. On this blog, I hope you will discover the best types of jewelry items to buy for a mother-in-law. Enjoy!