Need advice: jewelry

[wolverine68]

I'm hoping my fanatic friends can help me with something...
My mother passed away this past winter, most of what she left behind had only sentimental value, but she did have a brooch that has 8 diamonds and 8 opals. I have no reason to keep it, but how should I sell it? I know that I can get it appraised, but is that worth it? I don't have an Ebay account, so I doubt that I could sell it that way. Should I pawn it? Is there any other way to sell jewelry that makes sense?
Any advice/help would be appreciated.

 

[LindenCy]

If you think it is worth enough, I would get it appraised. Some places may give you a rough estimate without actually doing a formal appraisal also. Then at least you know what you have.

 

[longtimeclone]

You could try selling it on Craigslist, but I would probably get it appraised first.

Have you thought about trying to make something else with the gems instead of a brooch like a necklace or a bracelet? You could then give this to your daughter.

 

[wolverine68]

If you think it is worth enough, I would get it appraised. Some places may give you a rough estimate without actually doing a formal appraisal also. Then at least you know what you have.

Could I take it to a jewelry store and just ask them for an estimate, or would that be a bad idea?

 

[wolverine68]

You could try selling it on Craigslist, but I would probably get it appraised first.

Have you thought about trying to make something else with the gems instead of a brooch like a necklace or a bracelet? You could then give this to your daughter.

I wouldn't trust anyone who listed a piece of jewelry like this on craigslist, and I wouldn't want to give someone who responds to a listing about jewelry any contact information. I have thought about using the jewels to create something for my kids.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

Could I take it to a jewelry store and just ask them for an estimate, or would that be a bad idea?

Most real jewelers (ie. not a mall shop) will do an appraisal on their professional letterhead for a small fee.

 

[wolverine68]

Most real jewelers (ie. not a mall shop) will do an appraisal on their professional letterhead for a small fee.

That would be great, but then what do I do with it? Where is the best place to sell a piece of jewelry?

 

[bugs4cy]

On the Ames CraigsList, I see that Ames Silversmithing advertises jewelry for sale on behalf of the owner. Check it out.

 

[wolverine68]

On the Ames CraigsList, I see that Ames Silversmithing advertises jewelry for sale on behalf of the owner. Check it out.

Thanks, I'll check them out.

 

[twistedredbird]

take it to Ames silver smith. they will tell you if the stones are worth doing anything with. they also do the best custom jewelry in the area.

 

[HGPuck]

On the Ames CraigsList, I see that Ames Silversmithing advertises jewelry for sale on behalf of the owner. Check it out.

+1

They were the first jeweler that came to mind for me for something like this in the Ames area. Don't really have any idea about dsm jewelers.

One other suggestion is that there are some antique dealers that might be worth talking to if they do much jewelry.

 

[evadin]

I'm hoping my fanatic friends can help me with something...
My mother passed away this past winter, most of what she left behind had only sentimental value, but she did have a brooch that has 8 diamonds and 8 opals. I have no reason to keep it, but how should I sell it? I know that I can get it appraised, but is that worth it? I don't have an Ebay account, so I doubt that I could sell it that way. Should I pawn it? Is there any other way to sell jewelry that makes sense?
Any advice/help would be appreciated.

I would highly recommend that you DO NOT go to a pawn shop to sell it. My wife and I own a jewelry business and go to pawnshops to buy jewelry for resale. Why can we do that? Because they pay next to nothing for most all of the jewelry they buy. I would avoid any of the resale shops in Ames as well.

I don't disagree with those that mentioned Ames Silversmithing, I had my wife's wedding ring made there and we have most of our jewelry repaired there. They've always been more than fair, although we've never sold to them or had them sell anything for us.

I would also recommend that you attend a local antique show (not a flea market) and speak to dealers there that have jewelry for sale. I can tell you that we've been approached at the antique shows we set up at numerous times and consistently purchase jewelry that way. If you can wait a couple months, most of the local shows are done until August, but that might be your best chance to get a fair evaluation of value, and possibly cash on the spot. Appraisals are nice and all, but that's an insurance value or retail replacement value, most appraisals mean very little if you're trying to sell something.

 

[Cybirdy]

If you aren't necessarily looking to make money and have someone to pass it onto, that would be what I would do (from a female perspective). Two of our three girls are named after relatives and they have some sort of jewelry from them that was passed on. One of my daughter's has my Grandma's original engagement ring fom the 1920's and has a necklace from my husband's grandma that his Grandpa bought in Germany while serving in WWII. I know you said it didn't have sentimental value. Do you have any female relatives that may have had a connection with your Mom? Just an idea. Good luck with whatever you do with it.

 

[Diamndpusher]

This is going to be a very specific item for a specific buyer....opals are hardly ever expensive and tend to go "downhill" in a hurry as they age. They actual dry out(natural oils) and become very brittle. I like the idea of handing it down or gifting it because it isnt going to be an item most people would want. Brooches are tough to sell regardless and if the diamonds arent of a high quality, the most value will probably be in scrap gold weight. I love restyling these sort of things with my customers....make a band, cross or something freeform with the diamonds. Opals are so fragile that they probably will not be great match for remounting. Are the opals of a black or white backing? I love black opals and think they are so cool if they have good red and blue colors coming from them. Are the colors when you move it from side to side very strong? Do they "pop" with color or just look really dull? Based on the millimeter size of each stone, I could give you a top and bottom range of price. I can buy very nice small opals from my wholesale source for just a couple bucks. Most diamonds are sold at approx $1800 a carat right for replacement stones(Omaha area). A 3.0mm diamond is approx one tenth of a carat.