Diamond brooch

[danrom]

Could anyone please help with some links to an appraisal service oriented towards antique jewelry pieces like the one attached?. I did some amateur research on my own and I believe it''s an Early Victorian piece. It has a gold C-clasp and it can be worn as a pendant also. The enamel is damaged. Can it be restored? Any suggestion as to the value of something like this and a good place to sell it?

 

[valeria101]

You can see quite a few simmilar pieces at www.adin.be The explanations they post about the condition, period and techniques of the pieces should help. Unfortunately I do not know whom you might turn to in your area... Hope you can find better help on Pricescope!

 

[Arlington]

I think Dave Atlas is fairly knowledgeable in this area...try calling his shop. Click on the "Appraisers" link on the top of this page.

 

[glitterata]

Nice looking. Yes, looks Victorian. My (completely unprofessional) guess is that there's a third dangly thing missing from the center bottom and that it originally came with a pair of earrings.

You could send it to Dave Atlas or get him to suggest someone near you to appraise it.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

It's English, Mid-Victorian.

Although the diamonds appear to be from an earlier era (circa 1830), the black accent of the brooch suggests the influence of Queen Elizabeth's mourning for Prince Albert's death in 1861. I would place the dating of the brooch within the 1861-1870 decade, with the use of diamonds cut a couple decades earlier.

The brooch is probably 14 karat or 15 karat gold, and my eyeball guesstimate would say that you're probably in the neighborhood of 2 carats of diamonds. Have them checked to make sure they're not paste.

The diamonds are crudely cut and probably average clarity, and this period of jewelry is not a hot seller on today's market. Still, there is some demand among collectors and aficianados of antique jewelry.

My gut instinct is that your retail appraised value would fall somewhere in the $2500 to $3000 range, although you might only realize $1000 to $1500 from the sale of it (or less).

The enameling can be repaired, although I'm hesitant to recommend it as that might turn some potential dealer/collector clients off on the piece if they can detect it. Antique buffs hate any obvious repairs, and the sale of a piece can be hindered or the price lowered by a less than perfect repair.

As far as selling the brooch, the way you realize the most money is to have it professionally appraised and then sell it to a private individual, possibly through the classifieds. The next best route would be to have a regional auction house that is known for selling antique jewelry to sell it through one of their sales. Or, alternatively, to have a jeweler who specializes in antique jewelry to sell it for you on consignment.

Your last, and lowest price option, is to sell it directly to an estate dealer for an "immediate cash" price. Sometimes it's worth it to avoid the hassle and energy expended on the above routes, but be aware that an estate buyer is probably going to pay a third or fourth of retail.

Bear in mind that my gut instinct opinion is only intended as a guide, and that you need to have a professional appraiser knowledgeable in antique jewelry view the piece firsthand for a valid opinion.

 

[fire&ice]

Rich, that's my gut.

But, I think the enamel damage & the missing piece will *really* have an impact on value.

Editted to add: - impact on value as to salability. Collectors are pretty anal about condition. Some won't even buy without the original presentation box.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Good point, F&I.

Danrom, you might consider having that center fitting clipped off by a VERY competent jeweler, if he thinks he can do it and minimalize the appearance of it having been worked on.

It would give the piece a cleaner look, making it appear that it was possibly born that way instead of having had a limb amputated somewhere along the line.