What to offer for these earrings? [picture included]

[Dulcinea]

Hi all, I wonder if someone can give me some help in determining a fair price for a pair of earrings I'm looking at. I'm a bit confused about what to offer the seller, because the earrings are 18k white gold with diamonds and emeralds, and I'm accustomed to seeing this style/period done in platinum. (The seller tried to persuade me they are more valuable in gold because of the current market prices, but to my thinking, that logic only holds if I were planning to melt them down, which obviously I am not!).

Sorry that the picture isn't so great. They're really quite lovely, with a lot of filigree/open work (if that's the technical term-- I'm not sure).

I know it's hard to judge these things online, but any ballpark guesses would be great. I don't want to lowball this person, but I also don't want to pay too much for them

 

[jewelerman]

i would like to help you but i need information like diamond and metal weights and stone quality. Plus it would be hard to make an accurate appraisal without holding and louping these beauties. you have nice taste! i would ask the seller for a return for full refund in writing in case you think you are spending to much and they can be returned if you have second thoughts. I don't understand why the sellers thinks they are more valuable in while gold? lighter on the ear maybe ,but more valuable is a line to get you to buy!i dont trust sellers who willing to say anything for a sale!

 

[Dulcinea]

Jewelerman, thanks for your response-- I was worried I probably wasn't giving enough information. I should have written the weights down! The store where I found them mostly buys jewelry and (I assume) melts down all but the few pieces it puts on sale, and I'm not sure how expert they are about the estate pieces that come their way. I think that's why the woman I spoke with in the store was telling me white gold made them more valuable-- she was imagining dissolving them and hocking the metal. She didn't even know what period the earrings were from, and didn't seem too interested in that information, for that matter. On the upside, the store does tend to be amenable to some bargaining, and I'd think they must want to sell some of the pieces they can't melt down-- all I ever see in there are people selling their jewelry rather than buying from the existing stock. I think I'll decide what the earrings are worth to me, and see what I might be able to negotiate. The drape effect on them really is gorgeous in person! I'll definitely take your advice about getting a written return agreement, just in case.

 

[zhuzhu]

Wow! They are gorgeous!

 

[Rhea]

I never like to be the first person to make an offer. Did they give any indication on how much they want for them?

 

[Amys Bling]

Impossible to know what to offer without know ctw of the diamonds- their color, clarity- the weight of the gold, the stats on the emeralds.... More infor please!

 

[MrsM]

I just saw a pair of earrings very similar to the one you posted but in ruby instead of emerald. It is made by Levian and is listed on eBay for $4,500 (supposed retail is $9,000). Hope this helps!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Levian-18Kt...62576?pt=Designer_Jewelry&hash=item4aadd16a90

 

[Dulcinea]

Mrs.M, thank you! Those are identical, save the gemstones. This helps a lot-- most of all because I now know they're antique-style rather than really antique, and that makes them significantly less desirable to me. [ETA: Unless they are old pieces from the company, but it seems odd that the seller would list a retail price if that were the case-- that would seem to suggest to me that they are still on the market, but maybe that's not right.] [ETA2: I've emailed the company directly to verify their age-- thanks again for the lead!]

 

[Dulcinea]

Le Vian customer service was super-helpful: 1998-1999. I guess if I'd louped them while I was at the jeweler's, I would have been tipped off by the cut of the diamonds. Many thanks to everyone for the help.