Author Topic: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry  (Read 6866 times)

Allen

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Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« on: October 12, 2013, 10:20:05 AM »
My mother has left me bags and bags and bags and bags (I had no idea; this must have been an addiction for her) of jewelry from e.g. QVC and other television shopping networks. 

I have no idea what to do with it.  How to sell it, how to value it, etc.  None of it is sentimental because I didn't even know she had all this.  From a purely business perspective,

Is it more valuable just to remove the gems and send the gold off to a scrapper?  If I did that what do I do with the gems?  If I keep them together, how would I go about selling them?

Any advice would be appreciated.

chasesfish

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Re: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2013, 10:45:59 AM »
I can't help but think of this, the entire supply chain:

http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/410876/the-jewelry-polka


I think your best bet is a local, reputable jeweler to value this and make you an offer.  They will probably give you the best price because they can do a combination of sell it as is, separate the gems/metal, and scrap it.


Zamboni

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Re: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2013, 11:30:56 AM »
Please accept my condolences if your mom has passed. 

I agree with having a reputable jeweler look at it.  They might not want it, though, but at least you will have an opinion.  Maybe take it to two places?

The jewelry from online shopping is often not very solid (hollow rope chains, for example), so the gold weight is probably lower than appearance indicates.  Good luck!

Edited to say that, if they don't take up too much space, you might just want to pick the ones you like and keep these use as gifts for the ladies in your life.  Have a lady friend help you pick.  That way you can even include a little note that your Mom left it to you and that you thought they'd like it.  Look up the birthstones for different months for added gifting power at birthday time.  Do you have nieces, daughters, etc?  I get gifts from relatives like this and I always enjoy that touch.
« Last Edit: October 12, 2013, 11:37:38 AM by Zamboni »

lifejoy

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Re: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« Reply #3 on: October 12, 2013, 02:08:36 PM »
Is it stylish stuff? Sell it on etsy. Call it vintage (if it is, indeed vintage) and you'll make a decent return.

rubybeth

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Re: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« Reply #4 on: October 12, 2013, 02:13:27 PM »
If it's mostly QVC type stuff, it's likely mostly fakes. I'd have a reputable jeweler (NOT someone at a chain store) look everything over for hallmarks and check stones to see if any are real. If any of it is antique paste jewelry (like from before 1950), it can be quite valuable, but if it's mostly newer stuff, it's likely not worth much at all.

Catbert

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Re: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« Reply #5 on: October 12, 2013, 02:14:25 PM »
I like Zamboni's advice of using it for gifts, especially with family members.  Jewelry in generally has huge mark-up and TV shopping channel jewelry is more overpriced than most.

Argyle

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Re: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« Reply #6 on: October 12, 2013, 04:58:07 PM »
You could also just sell it on eBay.  Make a wild guess at a starting price and see how high the bidding goes.  I think time put in to maximizing your return from these will probably be time lost, because I imagine the value is not impressively high.  However, the pre-Christmas season is the right time to sell.  If they're still in their original packaging, be sure to mention that.

Nords

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Re: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« Reply #7 on: October 12, 2013, 09:57:26 PM »
I have no idea what to do with it.  How to sell it, how to value it, etc. 
Any advice would be appreciated.
The absolutely fastest and easiest approach would be to donate it to charity and take a deduction for whatever value you feel you can justify. 

If you have any documentation (tags, receipts, labels, packages) then you might be rewarded for selling it on eBay or etsy.com... at slightly above minimum wage.

onehappypanda

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Re: Inherited jewelry...lots of jewelry
« Reply #8 on: October 13, 2013, 06:12:29 AM »
I spoke to a jeweler that specialized in vintage jewelry, and he said that usually the most economical method of selling jewelry was to sell the gems, and sell the gold in bulk. This is assuming that they are high quality enough. According to him, many jewelry places will buy your used jewelry but they're probably going to do exactly that. So I guess it depends on how much effort you want to put forth.

Personally, I'd find someone who buys used jewelry and probably take the lot them to see if they want anything. Maybe try a couple places to compare offers. You could sell individual pieces on Craigslist, but if there's a lot of it that might take more time and effort than it's worth.

 

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