How to Buy Antique Jewelry? The Beginner’s Guide
Acquiring antique jewelry is not something you can improvise. At Miller, we have decades of experience in jewelry, gemology, and collectibles. If you buy second-hand jewelry from us, you can do so with confidence thanks to our expertise. But how do you buy antique jewelry from private individuals? Here are tips from a professional.
How to evaluate the authenticity and price of an antique jewel?
It takes a lot of skills to properly estimate the price of a vintage piece of jewelry . First, you need to be able to calculate the precious metal content of the jewelry. Whether it is platinum, gold or silver.
You have to study the history of jewelry a little, familiarize yourself with its major periods. Especially Art Deco. To recognize valuable antique jewelry from a great house or renowned jewelers, you also have to familiarize yourself with the hallmarks and signatures used throughout history.
There are reproductions. The value of a copy is of course much lower than the price of an authentic antique jewel. Such a jewel is worth the price of these raw materials, no more.
It is therefore complicated for a beginner to buy an antique jewel with confidence from unofficial sources.
- Selling a jewel in Paris
Questions to ask the seller of antique jewelry
It is customary to ask the seller how long he has owned the piece of jewelry. A used piece of jewelry that has no collector's value sells for much less. So even if it seems counterintuitive, a very recent piece can lose more value than a piece of jewelry that is 10 or 20 years old.
Ask the seller of the antique jewelry if it is a gift or a personal purchase. In the second case, he should probably have proof of purchase, an invoice. This is very interesting in order to be able to verify the authenticity and value of the antique jewelry.
The problem of counterfeit luxury jewelry
There are many fake luxury jewelry items on the market. The problem is even more acute for recent second-hand jewelry. Usually, for vintage pieces, you can recognize fakes by the much lower quality of the workmanship of the copies. Anachronisms, for example diamond cuts that have not been used for a certain period, can also alert the informed enthusiast.
Unfortunately, for modern jewelry this can be very complicated. Most major jewelry houses use laser engraving to sign their pieces. Almost perfect counterfeiting is therefore possible.
This is why, for this type of jewelry, it is better to have a certificate, an invoice. Even experts can demand guarantees as the difficulties are real. Especially on second-hand jewelry such as Cartier Love bracelets.
What about diamonds and precious stones in antique jewelry?
For diamonds of a substantial size, it is advisable to obtain an expert report . It is in everyone's interest: the one who is selling and the one who is buying. This allows a better determination of the fair price of the antique jewel .
- Jewelry expertise in Paris
Compare prices of similar parts
Finally, the simplest method to estimate an antique jewel is to compare prices on the internet for similar pieces. You can consult specialized sites like Miller's. This concludes our guide "how to buy an antique jewel from an individual".
