Selling Inherited Jewelry: What to Do First
A jewelry box, a chest of silver, a watch in its case — and no idea what is valuable and what is not. There is no rush. Here is what to do, and not do, before anyone names a number.
Before you do anything
Almost everything that lowers the value of an inheritance happens in the first few weeks, with the best of intentions. Four things to leave exactly as they are:
Don’t clean or polish anything
Tarnish on silver and wear on gold do not change the weight, and polishing removes metal while adding nothing to the price. Original surfaces also help identify age and maker.
Don’t split up sets or pairs
A complete flatware service, a matched pair of earrings, a suite of brooch and earrings — together they are worth more than the pieces sold one at a time. Keep boxes together too.
Don’t throw out the paper
Receipts, old appraisals, GIA reports, warranty cards, and service records help confirm what a piece is. They can raise an offer; they never lower one.
Don’t mail it off, and don’t let it leave unpriced
Mail-in buyers price your pieces where you cannot see the scale. Have everything tested, weighed, and priced in front of you, and let nothing leave your hands until you have agreed to a number.
Sort what you have — roughly
You do not need to be an expert, and you do not need to finish. A quick pass over the marks tells you which pile each thing belongs in; our hallmark guide explains the marks.
Jewelry
Anything stamped 10k–24k, 585 or 750 is gold and has a floor value by weight. Signed pieces (Tiffany, Cartier, David Yurman), antique pieces, and anything with diamonds are priced as pieces, not as metal. Costume can wait — it is identified free, and it rarely changes the total.
Silver
Look at the back of a fork or the base of a bowl. STERLING, 925, or the English lion means solid silver with real melt value; EPNS, "silver on copper," and "quadruple plate" mean plate, which has essentially none. Partial sets and single serving pieces still count.
Watches, coins, and the rest
Watches are watches, not scrap — running or not, with or without box and papers. Coins and bullion are priced against the live market. Art, antiques, and furniture: we will tell you what we can purchase and what is better handled separately.
For the math behind metal offers, see what your gold is worth and what sterling flatware is worth.
One evaluation, not five
A gold buyer sees weight. A silver buyer sees ounces. An estate jewelry buyer walks through every category in a single visit — jewelry, silver, watches, coins, art, antiques — and prices each thing for what it is: melt as the floor, signed and antique pieces as pieces, diamonds as stones. You get an itemized offer with the reasoning shown, decide item by item, and nothing leaves the home until you agree.
Payment is the same day, by cash, check, or wire, with documentation of every item — the record an executor needs. That is the whole of our estate service, and it starts with a phone call, not a commitment.
Inherited Jewelry FAQ
Do I need to sort everything before you come?
No. Mixed and unsorted is completely normal — a drawer, a chest, a shoebox. We go through every category in one visit and sort as we go, in front of you.
Can you come to the house?
Yes. Larger estates and families who would rather not transport valuables can request a home visit anywhere in Southwest Florida — Naples, Marco Island, Bonita Springs, Estero, Fort Myers, and Cape Coral. Smaller collections are welcome at our Shirley St showroom during open hours.
I am the executor or trustee. What do you need from me?
Your ID at the sale, and whatever authority your attorney tells you the estate requires — we are not the source of that advice, but we work with attorneys and trustees to their timelines, and we document every item we purchase so the estate has a clear record.
Do I need a written appraisal for the estate?
Sometimes an estate or an insurer needs a formal written appraisal, which states a retail replacement value and is a different service from ours. We do free market appraisals backed by a real offer; if you need the paperwork, we will say so and refer you to a certified independent appraiser.
What if most of it turns out not to be valuable?
Then we tell you that straight — no charge, no obligation. Costume jewelry and silverplate are identified for free. We purchase the pieces that carry real value and can help coordinate the rest, and you decide item by item; you can sell some and keep some.
Rather have an answer about your pieces than in general? The appraisal is free, at the showroom or in your home.
When you are ready, we are a phone call away
Private, unhurried, and with no obligation — at the Naples showroom or at the home.