Featured Seeking advice on selling my family jewels (in nyc)

View attachment 515261 I have all this jewelry from my Mom which I have been sorting and testing need be. I have a plan for some of it, like the few Tiffany pieces will go on eBay, broken/uninteresting/stone-less gold pieces scrapped, decent costume, and sterling pieces I will likely sell on the street in my neighborhood (yes I do this, as where I've been living several years has become much more affluent than I can ever imagine being).

What I am unsure of what to do with is a mix of gold pieces like in the photos below (most is 14k), some of it antique, as I really don't want to sell this sort of thing online as a non-jewelry expert, and plan to shop some of it around to stores in Manhattan (not in the Diamond district) which deal with "estate jewelry" for cash ideally. I plan to weigh each piece before going anywhere, so I have at least a somewhat rough idea of the weight in gold... anyways, my question feels a bit vague- but I suppose I am seeking advice on the best way to ensure I don't get ripped off, while understanding that the shop owners need to make a decent profit. I have mainly dealt in antique/"true vintage" clothes since around 1999 so I am familiar in that regard to selling to other dealers.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated, or if someone happens to know of a jewelry store in NJ or NYC that they trust and respect that buys such jewelry, that would be great as well.

I really like the 18k serpent ring which I will hang onto. Am I correct in assuming that is a chunk of coral?

 

Also, I still can't figure out by all I read, if an y of these are real pearls or not...

 

Helpful if you post these photos as Full Image. If you go back and edit, click on "Insert every image as Full Image".

Also best not to put too many pieces in a single post. Definitely don't add any more here, just start a new post.

Looks like you have some very nice items!

 

Thanks- and sorry if I broke any decorum, which I did consider when posting this.

 

What a lovely collection she had. It's quite the tour of 20th century styles.

I have the yellow gold version of your cameo ring and am casually keeping an eye out for the white gold version. That one is 1920/30s. I typically see those sold on ebay from $150-250 range.

We don't really do direct values here. I would suggest running each photo through google lens and letting it pull up similar pieces for you. Check metal content and gemstones for similarities. Look for sold prices on ebay or etsy for true market price. That will give you an idea. Of course an estate jeweler will be giving you much less than that so that they pay their bills and make a profit.

Also check your costume jewels. Some vintage brands are worth a surprising amount.

 

All quite nice but nothing spectacular leaps out.Nice middle class stuff. Is that brutalist emerald ring to the left signed ? LOVE the snake.

 

Thanks for the kind words and general advice- which is what I was looking for, vs. any specific valuation. With the price of gold now, and with it (in my opinion) likely to go higher with all the craziness in the world, I am trying to be judicious selling these, while not having all that much time considering all the other loose ends in trying to clean out her house. I invested in a good loupe and will be sure to check over the costume stuff, and sterling thoroughly. The photos that I included is something like 1/8 of the stuff she bought (and didn't sell over the years). Thankfully she sold the diamonds out of her wedding band/engagement ring a few years, seeing that the price of diamonds have gone down a lot.

 

I will give it a look and see if I come up with anything.

 

If you find a place that does estate consignment, that might be the route to go if you're intent on selling.
Tiffany on eBay is almost begging for trouble, btw; the name is a fraud magnet, or was when I sold. The rule for eBoo is to never sell anything you can't afford to throw into the trash with a $20 on top.

 

I hadn't considered that- thanks. I will do some research.

@evelyb30 I know what you mean. I did sell a piece on eBay and one on Craigslist, w/o issue. Thankfully she bought all her pieces used. Buying anything Tiffany retail is like throwing 3/4 of the money out the window when you leave the store.

 

Davey makes a good point..... and I'll add that certain times of the year are better than others... if you are not pressed for cash , or time.

Graduation
Mothers Day
Summer wedding time
Christmas

just a thought on when folks would be looking for that special item , and u have a bunch of nice ones !!!!!!!

Don't stress on the price of gold , or gems ...

 

Oh..... and
selling my family jewels

u don't know how much I want to lean into that quote.....

 

Unless you're really after an Onlyfans side hustle. Now that could be an interesting way to sell baubles. It might attract a really strange crowd though.

 

I actually had a more rowdy title in mind w/ the family jewels tie in, but having not been here long enough to know the crowd- it had shrinkage.

 

Appreciate it, and I know she would have as well. But re: gold, it's hard not to when you walk in with a little bag of broken chains, half an earring, thin bands etc., and walk out with 700 smackers for the track.

 

Check the clasps on the pearls. If they are costume then you can bet the pearls are costume. If they are gold or silver it's most likely the pearls are cultured. But you should have them checked at a reputable estate jeweler.

 

No need to waste the good stuff on them. They'll buy any old thing! I always laugh when I see the ebay listings with the gals who sell unrelated stuff right next to their copious cleavage. I wonder if they send you the item with a biz card for their OF.

*CACKLES* Well, I would have enjoyed it.

If you can wait to sell then yes an auction house, I agree. Also jewelry can be a little fiddly and time consuming to properly go over so I would focus on the rest of the estate and then do the bag of jewels. I'm sorry for your loss as it sounds recent? That is very difficult to handle on top of the estate so I hope you have some good help nearby.

 

I’d also think an auction house would be a good way to do it. They’ll do 100% of the work. They’ll work to get the best price. All you have to do is drop them off. No haggling, no time wasting. They’ll probably end up with the same cut or less than a store and save you a lot of time. Pick one with a good jewelry person. I’d think most would end up in lots if it’s a better auction house. They’ll know if something is worth pulling to sell individually though. I sometimes wonder if the smaller auction houses that still have a decent following end up getting more though. They might be so grateful for a bunch of gold that they sell each piece individually, possibly achieving a final higher price per piece than the bigger auction house would selling them in lots. I believe I’ve probably seen evidence of this happening but I’ve never done the math. She was smart to buy a lot of gold. Sorry for your loss.

 

If it were me though I’d put everything you have through eBay. If you have the time and are willing to do the work that would likely be the biggest return. Otherwise auction house all the way.