Need advice on buying new diamond jewelry (and selling old)

[anne_h]

Hi all,

Looking for advice here...

I''ll be in NYC soon, looking for all sorts of new treats (mostly antique jewelry).

I have some pieces in my collection I no longer wear and would like to sell and/or trade-in. They are mostly small antique/vintage pieces, mainly small white diamonds in 18k gold or platinum (necklaces, earrings, rings, etc).

Many of the shops I plan to visit do buy jewelry from the public. I was thinking if I found anything new there to buy, I''d then see what they''d offer me for my existing stuff. I was planning to carry my old receipts with me (and where applicable, appraisal docs) in case of this.

Questions:
- Is the whole selling/trading-in thing a bad idea?
- Do antique jewelry shops in NYC tend to offer fair prices (I know I''ll never get what I paid of course).
- Would I get more for my existing stuff elsewhere, such as eBay or Pearlmans, etc.

Thanks for any advice,

Anne

PS - There is also a small chance I''d be willing to part with my existing e-ring. I *could* trade it up with the PS vendor I bought it from, but I am not so sure any more I want a modern stone. So if I found a beautiful (expensive) antique piece somewhere else, I may just propose a trade-in, if they made me a fair offer. Is this crazy?? My biggest concern would be trading in a GIA-certified stone for whatever was in the new piece (usually uncertified, occasionally EGL-USA). I wouldn''t have time to have the new piece appraised either before the transaction. Okay, this is indeed sounding nutty. Comments/suggestions welcome.

 

[Skippy123]

This thread may help you https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/reselling-gems-jewelry-what-can-you-expect.17952/

 

[chrono]

Anne,
Maybe the PS vendor is open to accepting your old stone for an antique stone? Vendors like WF and JA sometimes have access to old cut stones and if your original stone is from them, then problem solved.

 

[Nicrez]

I personally would have your stuff appraised before you set out to sell. You need to at least get ballpark. Shame that you will be trading things in. Often it''s not a very good deal you get back. Nature of the beast...

This may sound nuts, but I would suggest pricing out the items from several places, and concnetrate on the higher end antique retailers who could get more money for your items, since they would be willing to pay more. Clearly, a pawn shop would be penies on the hundred. Also important to know your jewlery. Don''t give away an heirloom piece for nothing if it has a funny stamp mark on it, and it and it turns out to be French Art Deco original Cartier or something...

Good luck and be careful with original pieces and reproduction. Repro is fairly easy to spot, but sometimes they even darken the metal to LOOK real!!!

 

[anne_h]

Thanks guys.

Nicrez - These are all common, non-special pieces (well, they are pretty, but definitely not expensive or designer). I am confident I know what they are, and what they are worth. I just don''t want to lose more on them than I have to.

Because I don''t wear them, I don''t mind getting rid of them, if it means I have that much more to put towards a nicer, more special item (hmmm, tastes change as my income increases). lol!!



Anne