An inherited jewellery box usually mixes three things: pieces with market value, gold that is worth its weight, and keepsakes that should not be sold. The first step is to separate them, and you do not need to be an expert to begin.
1. Do not clean or repair anything
Home cleaning can strip a patina or damage a stone. A recent repair can take value off an old piece. Bring them as they are.
2. Gather the papers
Invoices, certificates, boxes bearing a jeweller's name, even family photographs in which the piece appears: all of it helps to date it and give it provenance.
3. Have the whole set appraised
Appraising piece by piece leads to selling the easy items first and being left with the difficult ones. An appraiser who sees the whole set can tell you what deserves to be sold as jewellery, what as gold, and what is worth keeping.
4. Choose how to sell
- Direct sale: you are paid at once; the price is the quick-sale price.
- Consignment: the piece is offered to the public at the agreed price and you are paid when it sells, less the commission. It takes longer and usually yields more.
- By weight: for gold and silver with no value as jewellery. The price depends on fineness, weight and the day's rate.
5. If there are several heirs
A written, piece-by-piece appraisal lets you share fairly before deciding what is sold. At Mercurio we issue them for that purpose: ask for one when you bring the set.
At Mercurio we handle whole estates and collections — jewellery, art, furniture and objects — from start to finish, as well as consignment and gold and silver buying.