Old jewelry

[dollface007]

Does anybody out there have any experience selling their jewelry?

I have a gold & diamond necklace, and a gold/sapphire/diamond bracelet that my ex boyfriend gave me. Well, it's been a few years, so they have very little sentimental value left. I never wear them anymore, and I'd much rather have the cash right now since my broke ass is still in school.

What's the best way to get it appraised and get good money for it? Who do I go to? I'd rather not go the Ebay route.

Thanks lovelies,
D

 

[EJFan]

yeah. definitely don't ebay legit jewels like that.

i have no personal experience with this but my first thought is to send them to me. i'll gladly send you a check for a fair amount when your package arrives.

truthfully, i don't know what the safest/fastest way is to liquidate these things. a pawn shop would surely be quickest but you'd probably not get top dollar. maybe you could find a consignment shop in your area... at least that way you have control over pricing.

i don't think you'd have to get a professional appraisal done but i'd at least check with a jeweler. see if you have a personal contact... like a friend of a friend of a friend.

 

[Ezzy]

Does anybody out there have any experience selling their jewelry?

I have a gold & diamond necklace, and a gold/sapphire/diamond bracelet that my ex boyfriend gave me. Well, it's been a few years, so they have very little sentimental value left. I never wear them anymore, and I'd much rather have the cash right now since my broke ass is still in school.

What's the best way to get it appraised and get good money for it? Who do I go to? I'd rather not go the Ebay route.

Thanks lovelies,
D

Take them to a Jeweler as if you are enquiring about having them cleaned, prior to selling them. Most jewelers when put to quoting you on the work to have them cleaned will make an offer and assessment of their worth, so they can take the sale from you add their commission and then sell them themselves.

You should then say you will give the matter some more thought and leave the store, under no circumstances take this first offer even if it is more than you every thought they were worth.

Now you have an idea of what that jeweler would be willing to pay, head for another and repeat the story, see if the second offers anywhere near what the first one did. If their offer is much lower, you can mention that the last time you were looking to have them cleaned (and there is no need to say it was only half an hour ago) you had been offered $X, they may well beat that first offer.

If the second don’t offer much more than the first, go back to the first but add 25% to their last offer and say you could let them go if they could meet that price. Most folks have not got an idea about how to negotiate, if their original offer was more than you expected you have lost nothing by leaving and coming back, if their first offer was not as high as you feel it should have been, make sure you would be happy if the 25% was in there, if you wouldn’t then add only the % that makes it worth your while.

You can also look to auction houses if you are in a major city, take them in as if you were thinking about putting them in an auction of similar aged jewelry, and enquire about what sort of reserve they would be putting on them, remember reserves are set lower than the expected bid value by up to 40%, and unless there is something special that would make them a good sale, just use the auction house to get a feel for the value.

You will never make real value in a pawn shop, and you have to do well in Ebay to make it worth your while selling there.

 

[Cathleen]

When you do get an idea of a fair price, is there a 'Want Advertiser' in your area? It's usually a weekly publication and there is no limit to what you can find it there. It is a seller to buyer transaction only. The seller will pay after the item is sold (a percentage), it is the honor system.

I like what Ezzy said about making the rounds.

 

[My Own Way]

Don't pawn them! Ever. Unless of course that's a last resort. You'll never get a true or good price from a pawn store. I might be wrong, but as far as I know, normal jewelers, like Zales etc don't buy previously owned jewelry. If you have an independent, family jeweler in your town, they might be willing to buy them, but I think your best bet would be to possibly go into one of those smaller jewelry stores and ask them if they know of a reliable and fair estate jeweler. It is generally the estate jewelers that deal with previously owned jewelry, but like Ezzy suggested, I'd nose around a bit from jeweler to jeweler to make sure you're getting a fair and accurate price.

 

[Macdaddy23]

Does anybody out there have any experience selling their jewelry?

I have a gold & diamond necklace, and a gold/sapphire/diamond bracelet that my ex boyfriend gave me. Well, it's been a few years, so they have very little sentimental value left. I never wear them anymore, and I'd much rather have the cash right now since my broke ass is still in school.

What's the best way to get it appraised and get good money for it? Who do I go to? I'd rather not go the Ebay route.

Thanks lovelies,
D

Try the newspaper

 

[dollface007]

Thanks for the ideas, y'all!

I know there are a few family jewelers around town, so I'll check them out...at least to get an idea of what they're worth.

I'll probably start the process once I come back from my vacation in a couple weeks. In the mean time, please keep the advice coming!

 

[MistyBluEyes]

Ask your local jeweler to reccomend an appraiser. They will tell you what your jewelry is worth.