Value of Grandmother's Vintage Jewelry Collection

[RedThread]

My grandmother recently died but my grandfather is still alive and is now in a senior apartment community. We would like to sell what we can to help pay for his rent there, and I plan to keep a few pieces to pass down in our family in remembrance.

I am betting that these pieces aren't worth much, but even if I can get $10 for some things, that would help. I don't know anything about jewelry.

I have photographed everything. Some of the photos need to be re-done because they don't show up as vibrantly as they should, but hopefully the photos will help figure out what I have exactly and perhaps how much I could get.

I know some things are probably not even worth $1. If anything looks familiar to anyone or if anyone knows any values, that would be very helpful. I don't want to accidentally sell something for really low that could be worth $50 or something.

Thank you! I searched for vintage jewelry forums and this is the first one on Google that came up. We do plan to take all of this to a jeweler for a free appraisal, but I don't think they will be too thorough with the amount I have. THANK YOU!

Here is a link to my flickr photo set that shows the jewelry, there are 699 photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/redthreaddiy/sets/72157653250804528

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Hi Red Thread,
I didn't have a chance to look at your photos but might be able to offer you some advice. We look at large jewelry lots such as yours on a frequent basis. We sort out the fine jewelry, precious metal, costume jewelry etc. The advantage is that you have a professional appraiser looking at your items. Oftentimes we find an item that has value based on designer name, or is just a piece that looked like costume that was really not. An appraiser in your area might charge an hourly rate to view your items. It's a fast paced task when it's done by a professional and the peace of mind that you will have will be worth it. It helps to have your items sorted and bagged in advance. Hope this is helpful.
***Always look inside folded pieces of paper in individual jewelry boxes or earring boxes. We found a very valuable diamond pin folded inside a piece of paper. Owners will sometimes write a few words about who owned the piece and include a date. We find that some folks like to hide their jewelry in strange places.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

Hi Red Thread,
I just took a quick peek at your photos. It looks like Grandma had a lot of very common costume items, gold and silver plated...but still have someone take a look.