How Design Quality Impacts Jewelry Appraisal

Far too often many jewelry owners think that the value of what they are wearing consists only of the gold and jewels it might hold, but in the case of master level designers there is also an intrinsic value in the art of the jewelry itself.

Many people who want to have jewelry appraisal done, take their pieces to a local buyer of used goods that only sees value in the raw materials and they could not care less about whether it was purchased from a local mass jewelry broker or an amazing designer like Bulgari.

This means that knowing what you are wearing can have infinite more value than you might be aware of, or than what a local jewelry store might tell you.

Costume jewelry, for instance, in some rare cases can be worth more than an ounce or two of gold, as its value relies greatly on who designed it and whether or not the piece is original or a reproduction.

This is why if you find an old box of jewelry in your grandmother’s attic, it might be a good idea to have it looked at by a professional. Even something as amazing as Faberge necklaces are still being found today tucked in old chests and boxes. At first they appear lackluster or even strange with decades of dust on them, but in fact such finds amount to tens of thousands of dollars.

The amount of work that these jewelry artisans put in their craft is a huge part of what makes their pieces so valuable. Aside from that, the jewelry market itself drives prices based on scarcity of available work and current trends.

Diamonds and gold will contain some intrinsic value always, regardless of whom the jewelry is designed by. But there is always a chance that even something which appears plain to the owner could in fact be incredibly valuable. Having a professional do a jewelry appraisal in order to determine value, will help you avoid the potential pitfalls of being taken advantage of. 

Any time a buyer, like a jeweler, looks at and appraises jewelry, he has a vested interest in appraising low so that he can buy it for a lower price. This is why having a third party conduct the appraisal is so important.

At the same time, keep in mind that purchasing and wearing jewelry is a very personal thing for many people, so what one person really loves to wear might not be for everyone. This means that pieces that might not be visually appealing to you, can still hold a great value if they were designed by a famous designer or belonged to a known person.

Any time you find a piece of jewelry that you think might be valuable (or not think so), go ahead and contact us. You might have found a box of faux pieces your grandmother used as a play in high-school or you might have found a diamond in the rough.