FAQ
Estate Jewelry Questions
Written for the person with the legal duty, not for a seller.
Unhurried, itemized, and with a written record. Bring the co-executor, the attorney, or whoever else needs to see it.
FAQ
Buying inherited jewelry and estate metals
- Will you tell us to sell elsewhere?
- When a piece is worth more to a specialist, yes. It costs us the item.
- Can we sell before probate is opened?
- Ask your attorney. We would rather wait than create a problem.
- What about specific bequests in the will?
- Check first. Selling something left to a named beneficiary is very difficult to undo.
- What record do we get?
- A written itemized list — piece, weight, purity and price paid.
- Should we photograph first?
- Always, individually, before anything moves.
- Should we clean coins?
- Never. It is visible to specialists and reduces value.
- Should we polish silver?
- No. It removes metal and does not change the offer.
- Is our flatware sterling or plate?
- We test it. Plate looks identical and has little metal value.
- Should we sell a watch for its gold?
- Almost never.
- Why is the diamond offer so low?
- Retail margin does not come back in the resale market.
- Do certificates matter?
- Considerably. They are often filed with insurance papers.
- Should we wait for a better gold price?
- The difference is usually small, and we cannot predict it.
- Do we have to decide on the day?
- No. Take the offer away.
- Can we bring the whole box?
- Please do, including what you think is worthless.
- Is this page legal advice?
- No. Your probate attorney decides what applies.
Still not answered?
Call (954) 951-8926 to book an unhurried appointment. Bring everything, and bring whoever else needs to be there.
What we buy
Gold Jewelry
Most inherited gold jewelry is worth its metal content. A meaningful minority is worth considerably more, and telling them apart is the whole job.
Explore →
Sterling Flatware & Hollowware
The canteen nobody wants and nobody wants to throw away. Usually worth real money as metal, occasionally worth more as a set.
Explore →
Coins & Bullion
An inherited coin box usually contains bullion, which is worth its metal, and collectible coins, which are worth whatever a collector will pay.
Explore →
Watches
A watch is worth what the watch market says, which usually has nothing to do with the gold in the case.
Explore →
Diamonds & Stones
Stones are valued on quality, not weight, and the resale market bears very little relation to what the piece cost when it was bought.
Explore →
Costume & the Rest
Most of what is in an estate jewelry box is not precious metal, and some of it is still worth something to somebody.
Explore →
Next step
Run it both ways before you decide.
No credit check and no obligation. Tell us what you hold and what the money is for, and if selling is the better answer for your situation you will be told that first.