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Message:: [QUOTE="Northern Lights Lodge, post: 2405838, member: 13464"]Hi [USER=13627]@Cheryl LBJ[/USER]  - Our local jeweler will do "undocumented" best guesstimates for about $50 an hour... a "bag and tag" I think he calls it. He has determined if and what caret gold and if it is a real stone for that.  We took him 12 items for an estate appraisal... and it was $50. He also gave us an idea if we needed a "real" appraisal for something. Since my sister and I were just trying to divide things equitably - we only needed a "ball park" on many items. You can call your local jewelers and see if any of them offer that service. We made an appointment and he did it while we waited.  We took notes as he talked... it was a great fairly inexpensive way to realize if we had any thing that needed a "real" appraisal.  You could divide up the "stuff" - into two categories - what YOU think is costume - and what YOU think may have some value. If he looks at the first lot and says at a glance that it is all costume - or maybe picks a couple items out of it to add to the second lot... it may solve a lot of questions for you. PS. We had a LOT of jewelry to go through - 2 HUGE plastic tubs; including some very nice jewelry that had been my great-grands (circa 1880) - although there were only a few stones involved. She bought a "jeweler's scale" - and I had spent a lot of time previously "researching" similar items and given it a rough comparable value. Sis weighed everything and gave it the current "gold or silver" value.  We then put the 2 prices (current scrap value and possible comparable value) together and decided on a reasonable value (neither one of us had chosen any items yet).  The few things that we couldn't value, were the things that we took to the jeweler.  After he valuated those last dozen things...we laid everything out...and as eldest; it was determined that I should choose one item first. Then we took turns.  Sometimes we put similar things together before a pick. We had previously decided that no matter WHO chose what; that we would sleep on our decision and start over in the morning if there was a disagreement OR if down the road; we felt that a decision was wrong that we'd discuss it. As we went, we did a "general running total" so that values came out similar. Since neither one of us planned to sell anything...we felt it was fair. I suppose that if one of us had wanted to sell an item chosen; that an agreement would have been made to offer it for "sale" to the other before really selling it.  Items that neither of us wanted were offered to grand kids the same way and then cast offs were sold and the money went into the general estate sale coffer to be divided later. LOL... in the end; there were only 5 non-jewelry items we couldn't decide how to divide. We had a few more boxes of "stuff" to divide (also non-jewelry) and decided to add those 5 to the lot. The next morning we decided we were both very happy with our jewelry choices and stuck with our plan. She also had an idea re: the 5 items which both of us really liked - we had 3 boxes of used greeting cards from the late 1800's to about 1930... and she suggested that I keep the 5 items and she get the cards. I slept on it. Since she is a "graphic artist" by career; it seemed appropriate that she receive the cards - much as I LOVED them!  So we made that arrangement. I have worked in personal property appraisals for years... and I've seen how "sticky" and complicated dividing an estate can be. BOTH of us were determined to find an amiable division.  We used a similar plan for the entire contents. A few items have gone back and forth... ultimately, I think we have both been happy with choices.  I don't envy anyone trying to divide an estate... but I wish you lots of luck and hope that my suggestions might be beneficial to some of you. Cheerio,Leslie[/QUOTE]

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