Jewelry Baby Book?

[YadaYadaYada]

I've had this idea banging around in my head for a while about making a jewelry diary/baby book. It would be a book with a picture of each piece and the stats as well as history behind it and approximate value (this would have to be updated from time to time obviously). This way if something happens to me, whoever is in charge of my estate has all the information right there, they don't have to guess what the stone is, there is record of where special pieces came from and it takes the stress of having to figure it out away from the loved ones. Plus you could add in the story behind it, where you got it from, it would be kind of neat to read maybe?

Of course if you have a lot of jewelry it would be quite the undertaking, maybe not possible to document every one so then it could just be the most expensive or most sentimental, it could be whatever you want.

Mind you I don't have baby books for the kids but I'm considering the equivalent for jewelry

Anyone out there with a jewelry baby book? Would you make one?

 

[lilmosun]

With the same thing in mind, I take a photo of each piece and write the details on the back. Right now I stick each in a photo sleeve along with any receipts (or at least the ones I don't loose). They are stored in a photo box.

I've thought about putting them into photo albums that have the sleeve-like insert pages...easier to flip through but it would take up more room. Transferring them into an album might be a retirement project lol.

While I have a lot of pieces, it wasn't that time consuming to get started...I just started pulling stuff out and taking pictures. I didn't worry about beauty shots...the point was just so someone could match it to the actual piece. Writing details took time...some I had more info on than others...trying to look for receipts and matching what I had was the hard part.

 

[Jujeh]

It's kind of weird to call it that but I think it's a great idea.

Might as well expand it to include all of your assets ...

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@lilmosun, this is great to have a record like what you are doing, even just a picture with information on the back is something for someone to go on if they need to.

Yeah baby book is maybe not the perfect way to describe it. Maybe jewelry diary or jewelry asset compilation, idk something along those lines @Jujeh

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I've had this idea banging around in my head for a while about making a jewelry diary/baby book. It would be a book with a picture of each piece and the stats as well as history behind it and approximate value (this would have to be updated from time to time obviously). This way if something happens to me, whoever is in charge of my estate has all the information right there, they don't have to guess what the stone is, there is record of where special pieces came from and it takes the stress of having to figure it out away from the loved ones. Plus you could add in the story behind it, where you got it from, it would be kind of neat to read maybe?

Of course if you have a lot of jewelry it would be quite the undertaking, maybe not possible to document every one so then it could just be the most expensive or most sentimental, it could be whatever you want.

Mind you I don't have baby books for the kids but I'm considering the equivalent for jewelry

Anyone out there with a jewelry baby book? Would you make one?

this is a great idea
i have kept the relevant documents of alot i have purchased but its a bit all over the place
a book sounds better
my mother left very detailed instructions regarding her jewlery that was left with her lawyer
if she hadn't done that we would not have known what was what in the way of rings she inherited and i would never had known her eternity ring was from my dad on the occasion of my birth

 

[kgizo]

I love this idea and I would buy one! I worry about the sentimental pieces being discarded by whomever goes through my estate as I live far from my family. Plus, it would alert them to look for a piece if they see it in the book but not in the safe.
I would buy a second one for DH. He is into guitars and has some $ and $$$$ guitars. It would make it easy for the executor to know how to distribute or sell them.

 

[Slickk]

Great idea...I have often thought what my kids would know about my jewelry, some inherited and my pieces, should I pass away. I think I will do something like this too.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

My MIL recently passed away and there was this old wedding band in with her jewelry, she did not have a lot of fine jewelry. This one was obviously 50's-60's with stars around the band and a diamond in the center of each star, there was an inscription in the band with initials. We have no solid idea who in the family it belonged to. So that kind of got me thinking about this idea.

Also I worry about what will happen to my jewelry if something happens to me, nobody is going to know what a spinel is, or the lengths some of us have gone to in order to design or find the perfect piece.

 

[stracci2000]

I have a jewelry folder, which I keep with my other important papers.
I have most of the receipts for purchases, and work done on my pieces. I also have papers from appraisals, which include photos of the appraised pieces.
But most of my jewelry is from estate sales, eBay, or gifts, and I don't have any documentation on these pieces.
So I guess I need to get busy documenting the rest.
This will take weeks..........

 

[PreRaphaelite]

I love this idea!
I’ve been collecting bling for myself but recently considered choosing something specific to leave to my niece since I’m childless. It would be great to have a baby book with details and certificates attached etc.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Oh lucky niece, you have a great eye! @PreRaphaelite

 

[Miss Marple]

I'm totally envisioning somebody with mad scrap booking skills putting together artistically arranged and decorated pages that include photos and stats for each piece. Personally lo ve the idea but lack the skill or vision.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

@Miss Marple, wouldn't that be fantastic? I lack the creative vision too so mine would just be a picture and description/story handwritten out in a journal. Even something simple will get the job done.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I actually plan to do that, too! I might do a Shutterfly book or something like that so I can get more than one copy made. That will be more of a visual and history piece, and I will have another notebook with values and who should size them or sell them if needed. Of course, I'll be lucky to actually get the pictures taken and make the second thing! It's on my list of things to eventually do!

 

[sarahb]

I want to do the exact same thing: a record of each item describing the origination, vender, cost, photo, size and all & any other descriptive detail. Imagine not knowing your mothers eternity was her Push Present for your birth @Daisys and Diamonds Diamonds....how fortunate for you she made those records!!

 

[MeowMeow]

That's a great idea actually. It's on my mind as something I should do. One of my extended family has done something of the sort for her own things for the future. Just not a book exactly.

 

[whitewave]

I went and had several pieces appraised by Ira Savoie near New Orleans and he does a nice write up for each piece and then gives a value.

I plan to do this again this year and eventually will have it done for all of my pieces. That way, when I die, everyone will know what each piece is and what the value was at the time and they can divide fairly based on that.

But, yes, it would also be cool to do a photo book for each piece with pics of the listing, the stone, inspiration pics, and then the final pics. Journey from stone to setting to ring. Would be interesting to do.