Jewelry spreadsheet? Do you have one?

[WhoaNelly]

Hello lovelies: Have been meaning to create a spreadsheet of purchased items. I know from reading posts some of you are super organized and have inspired me to start one of my own. Anyone willing to share---even if just headers?

I'm thinking something along the lines of item description/ image/ date purchased/ stone (type & lapidary)/ cost/setting (creator/description)/cost/total cost---maybe adding specs for stone

Would love to hear what your thoughts are. This way I would both keep track of what I have and how much I've spent (scary). Not sure I want to know the latter

TIA

 

[YadaYadaYada]

DH said he wanted me to do this and would even help me because he is an Excel god, haven’t gotten around to it, too busy being tired lol!

Seriously I admire all the PS’ers that have it together and have everything organized and accounted for.

 

[yssie]

I gave up on the spreadsheet. Too much diversity of detail to try to stuff into sensible columns and no good way to include images.

I’ve just got a folder instead. Inside that folder - my insurance info and subfolders for each brand/vendor. And inside each vendor subfolder - a separate folder for each piece that’s got a couple pics of the piece itself, a photo of my receipt, photos of any additional paperwork (appraisal, certificate of authenticity, website listing screenshots, etc.), and photos of serial/hallmarks/engravings.

My goal was to create a single source of reference; it isn’t easy to digest “at a glance” but it’s comprehensive. I think what works best really depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.

 

[diamondyes]

I have a spreadsheet.

Item description, cost, value, origin and notes

Those are my headings.

It looks like this:

14k yellow ring with 1ct lab round diamond, $6500, $7000, David Klass and Ritani, size 6

Something like that.

And yes- it is a bit horrifying to see the amounts spent tallied up!!!

 

[lulu_ma]

I have spreadsheets for old cuts, diamond necklaces, and general bling purchases. Very basic format-date/ price/ vendor/ctw/ price per ct/ specs/ notes.

I like to have my market data organized so I can quickly make purchasing decisions.

 

[LilAlex]

I just started doing this a few months ago for two reasons. One, we lost something and didn't even know it was missing for about a half-year. I was sure it got thrown out. Was thrilled when spouse texted me a photo of it in its "found" location. It had been sitting out and I guess I just threw it in a drawer when we dashed out for a longish trip. Two, (mostly) only I know the details for these things and they are buried in various emails and posts like this one and spouse correctly pointed out that if I were hit by a bus, nobody would know anything. (Hmmm...she does drive a bus now that I think about it.)

So I made a Google Drive spreadsheet that started out really rudimentary but then I ended up pasting in all the vendor descriptions, lab name and report number (if relevant), vendor, purchase date and price, and the results of some wild-goose-chase online hallmark investigations, and old family lore, and who on PS sold it to us or gave me what advice, and now I guess it is part diary/part list...

That kind of stuff is mostly a free-text field. (Like my Mom had a favorite modest gold bracelet that she always wore when she dressed up and I was able to track down what Italian town and atelier produced it in the '60s -- Italy has great numerical hallmarks/makers' marks.)

For the handful of older, nicer things, I did leave some footprints for the kids like "sell me last!" Like a lot of us, we have some flashy things that are not valuable and some valuable things that are not flashy -- so if you knew very little about gems and just made a "keep" and "discard" pile, you might get it exactly wrong.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

I maintain both a repository of pictures as well as a spreadsheet.

My spreadsheet (which is filterable across all parameters) has the following columns: serial number, description, invoice number, certificate number, photograph, purchase date, and purchase price. I’m also currently adding in three more columns - metal colour, stone, and jewelry type (eg earrings, bracelet etc). and I’m almost done with these too.

I keep all my jewelry invoices and certificates together in a safe place as well.

 

[dk168]

I have one for jewellery projects, so that I could work out what to have made or set.

I list them, then ask my contact at the bench I use to provide me at quote, then I prioritise based on the state of the piggy bank.

DK

 

[Mrsz1ppy]

I started with an excel spreadsheet but it is tricky for me to manage with images. I have started with a database now, so pictures can be more easily inserted, but it’s a winter project so not on it now. I keep notebooks with sleeves and insert vendor description, receipt and lab reports so it’s all together.

 

[Tonks]

This is a great idea. I wish there were a template out there to use, because it seems this will take a LOT of time!

 

[lala646]

I keep a Google Sheet where I track items, provenance, purchase price, cert info, and also break down by category, and year acquired. I find it really important to track my spending, so I always have accountability to this hobby, as we all know spending can easily get out of hand without even really trying. I also color code it for things that need repair, things that will be for a future project, things I may want to sell, and things I have currently up for sale.

I also have a Google Drive folder where I keep images of all my items, including receipts, certs, correspondence with the seller, research/comps, etc. Those folders are broken down by category, and then metal color. Since I don't have a sentimental connection to most of my collection (and no children), any item could be up for sale in the future if I lose interest, so it helps to keep as much supporting info as possible.

 

[Lookinagain]

I'm bad. I don't keep anything organized. I have a folder with all the certificates and some appraisals and receipts. But honestly, I couldn't match all the certificates to some of the smaller stones. For the larger stones, I at least put a note on which piece has which stone. I don't think I want to know what I have spent.

 

[diamondyes]

This is a great idea. I wish there were a template out there to use, because it seems this will take a LOT of time!

It’s the perfect pastime while hanging out on ban island, let me tell ya!

 

[WhoaNelly]

So interesting to hear people’s thoughts and ideas. I’m struggling a bit to get started in part because my info is all over the place—a couple of physical folders and online too—and because of the volume.

I have no children and therefore this also becomes a way to designate to whom items go in case I get hit by the proverbial bus, thank you @LilAlex!

 

[yssie]

So interesting to hear people’s thoughts and ideas. I’m struggling a bit to get started in part because my info is all over the place—a couple of physical folders and online too—and because of the volume.

I have no children and therefore this also becomes a way to designate to whom items go in case I get hit by the proverbial bus, thank you @LilAlex!

Highly recommend taking photos of receipts, especially if they’re printed on that sort-of-glossy super-thin receipt paper. That ink fades - I’ve got some decade-old receipts that are basically illegible now!

Maybe make it easier to start by setting a dollar threshold? Deal with documentation for things that cost over X first. And then lower that threshold as you find time. That’ll get the most critical pieces taken care of right away.

I’d also suggest storing your electronic documents and photos somewhere off your home computer. I use Google drive. You can share with other people, set whatever authentication and permissions you want… My husband and a couple of friends have access to mine, and he’s got strict instructions on who to go to for what if I kick off unexpectedly

 

[WhoaNelly]

Highly recommend taking photos of receipts, especially if they’re printed on that sort-of-glossy super-thin receipt paper. That ink fades - I’ve got some decade-old receipts that are basically illegible now!

Maybe make it easier to start by setting a dollar threshold? Deal with documentation for things that cost over X first. And then lower that threshold as you find time. That’ll get the most critical pieces taken care of right away.

I’d also suggest storing your electronic documents and photos somewhere off your home computer. I use Google drive. You can share with other people, set whatever authentication and permissions you want… My husband and a couple of friends have access to mine, and he’s got strict instructions on who to go to for what if I kick off unexpectedly

Thanks Yssie—great ideas. I am going to start with the items I have insured and work my way down.

I don’t know if it’s worth insuring colored stones like the Mozambican purple garnets or zircons. The settings cost more than they do!! But I suppose since they are a couple of K I should at least get them appraised for replacement cost.

I agree with cloud storage—I have them in a OneDrive folder to which my husband has access. I hadn’t thought about the thin receipt paper. Eep.

 

[yssie]

And this piece of paper was kept in the dark in a folder, no UV exposure or anything like that. Glad I got a photo whilst it's still somewhat visible.

Lots more like this… I don’t know if it’s that paper or the ink. Terrible for longevity.

 

[diamondyes]

Do y’all think I need to keep receipts of non-branded non-designer jewelry?

 

[chere]

I have a spreadsheet in Excel and saved to Google Drive. I embedded pictures, files and links of the piece, appraisals, receipts, insurance policies and upgrade policies. Everything is in one place.

I left notes for the kids on sentimental pieces.

 

[icy_jade]

Do y’all think I need to keep receipts of non-branded non-designer jewelry?

Yes all the more so as they are harder to value/get info on

 

[Brigid]

My PA helped organise my GD spreadsheet, we have everything covered jewellery, handbags, accessories, artwork and other valuables in the house. It was a mammoth task in the beginning now it’s easier to just add items as they’re purchased.
All items have descriptions, photos, cost, valuation, and certifications etc.
The hardest part was updating our insurance which is now astronomical and we live in a very safe area but at least we’re covered for unexplained events.

 

[Pomelo]

Gosh I love this thread

I keep a database in Notion - I prefer it to excel because you can embed files and photos into each row (but I haven’t actually taken photos of everything to upload, so should do that!).

In addition to others’ suggestions, I find it helpful to tag them by category such as: ring/necklace/bracelet/earrings and also YG/WG/RG. This helps me identify if I have any gaps in the collection and more importantly, if I already have something similar. Aside from bands, I try to only have one or two pieces per “need”, which helps against any impulses.

Notion is free to use for personal accounts and I keep my whole life on there now. For those that haven’t used it before, it’s a web-based app (also on mobile but more clunky) that mixes e.g. Word with Excel with a great filing system. It has honestly transformed my personal admin (and not just for jewellery tracking!).

When our home was burgled a couple of years ago, I had to rely on my memory and e-receipts only (I buy a decent amount at auction so thankfully have electronic records of this). Whilst I think I captured the majority of what was stolen, there must’ve been things missed off. So keeping this is very helpful for insurance purposes.

Edit: just FYI, I also spent a weekend last year documenting my wardrobe too (no photos though, just categories, descriptions and approx cost), because I found that I was buying multiple things/forgetting what I already own. It helped me declutter about one third of my wardrobe and our bedroom could breathe easier afterwards.

My clothing spreadsheet is on Excel as it doesn’t need to contain as much info as jewellery (lower value!), because Excel is faster to use.

 

[Tonks]

I’m a big Dropbox fan. Whenever I get around to doing this, will probably put all the info there. It’s nice because you can create a folder and share with others.

 

[Tonks]

Ok, I have started to do this. It will take a good long while.

If you are an Apple household, you can do this with a basic spreadsheet in Numbers. It allows you to copy and paste images into cells, so I have taken photos of GIA reports, appraisals, receipts, etc, and put them in it. It’s not particularly elegant, as the cells have to be really big to see the images, but it does work.

 

[RockOnReen]

I have one that lists all the must have information y'all have already talked about and then enough about each item and its history that my children will be able to identify them and know what are the ballpark values and origins -- a lot I've bought myself but many are gifts from their dad or otherwise heirlooms. I also listed which child gets "first dibs" on each but have told the three of them that they should feel fee to trade, pass down, or sell as they see fit (but I know them all well enough to trust they will be sentimental about the right pieces). The first dibs is my way of acknowledging their preferences and the things that they've admired over the years. I'm also trying to pass along anything I no longer wear so they can enjoy it now - I'm not planning on going any time soon but have seen too many beautiful things sit in family jewelry boxes unworn waiting to be bequeathed. (Caveat: I won't comment on the legal implications of doing it this way but suggest anyone with high value items check with their estate planning attorney for what makes sense for their circumstances and in their location.)

 

[WhoaNelly]

I have a spreadsheet in Excel and saved to Google Drive. I embedded pictures, files and links of the piece, appraisals, receipts, insurance policies and upgrade policies. Everything is in one place.

I left notes for the kids on sentimental pieces.

I love this—exactly what I was envisioning. Thank you!

 

[WhoaNelly]

I appreciate everyone’s systems and ideas. Bringing up ways to organize and implement in multiple media. I, insurance, and multiple inheritors benefit from your generosity. Thank you!

 

[autumngems]

I have one for my loose gems but I haven't done one for my jewelry yet, I suppose I really need to.

 

[momofive]

Definitely going to do this. I