Take Stock of What You’ve Got: Create your own jewelry inventory

Here’s a perfect at-home project for now—gathering all of your jewelry in one place and making a list. You may think, “Well, I don’t really have that much.” But whether you have an extensive jewelry collection or not, there are times when it’ll be vital to have quick access to a record of everything you own.

Why it’s so important

• If you have a large collection, it may be nearly impossible to remember every piece of jewelry you own. As Jewelers Mutual reminds us, if a fire, flood, or other natural disaster destroys your belongings, your insurance company will need proof of what you had to reimburse you or replace it with same kind and quality.
• If you lose jewelry and it’s recovered, you may need to provide proof of ownership to claim it. Sometimes a picture of you wearing the piece is sufficient—but that may be harder to locate than you think.
• When you need to prove your jewelry’s value, your ownership of it or both, the fastest, easiest and most stress-free way is to have a dedicated personal jewelry inventory.

Tips for inventorying your jewelry

• Collect everything in one place: Chances are, your valuables aren’t all together and some may even be hidden in different places. (A friend’s mother always quizzed her daughter on where different pieces were tucked away to make sure she’d remember.) First step is to find them and put them all together on a table.
• Make sure you’ve got everything: Rings, necklaces, pins, earrings, stickpins, etc.—think about everything, even small pieces or things that you don’t think are valuable. If you’re not sure if something’s real, make a note of it. That little gold bracelet you got for your Sweet 16? Gold has risen so much over the years, it could be worth hundreds now. And don’t forget men’s jewelry, too—watches, rings, chains.
• Assemble your paperwork: Look through your files to collect original sales slips, repair records, or previous appraisals.
• Document what you’ve got: Take pictures! And if something has a special meaning, jot down why it’s so important to you. Make sure that those memories are passed along with the jewelry.

How to create your jewelry inventory

Now that you’ve got everything in one place, it’s time to take inventory. Here, from jewelersmutual.com, is an example of some things to note, either in a notebook or online in a spreadsheet:

• Jewelry type
• Latest appraised value
• Description (including brand name, carat, color, clarity, etc., if applicable)
• Date of ownership
• Identification number (if you have one)

To that, I’d recommend saving pictures of each item along with appraisals, receipts, and certifications. Keep a copy of the spreadsheet in a secure place, like a safe or safe deposit box.

Next step—a personal jewelry catalog: Creating a personal jewelry catalog is one of the services I provide as a professional appraiser. It includes a photo of the piece, a description, and an estate value, and can be a big help for estate planning.

For the final piece of the inventory puzzle, get in touch with me—at 617-304-0174 or aimee@ambappraisal.com—to arrange your professional appraisal. Whether it’s for insurance or estate purposes, you’ll have a clear understanding of what you have and what it’s worth…and know that your treasures are protected.

Brilliantly yours, Aimee