CONSIGNING FAMILY JEWELS

Do you have antique or vintage jewelry you wish to sell?  Jewelry collectors routinely browse local antique shops, vintage malls and shop on online for below market deals on estate jewelry and regularly attend auctions for specific collection offerings.  Antique dealers who specialize in selling pre-owned estate jewelry CONSIGN pieces today rather than buying out right unless, of course,  an item is being sold for its weight in gold.  In today's economy, Jewelers and dealers are not looking to spend a lot of extra cash to build upon their inventory.   Consigning estate jewelry benefits both the dealer and its owner  Consignment fees typically range from 30% to 45% with retail jewelers often taking a 50-50%.  Brick and mortar stores have a much larger overhead than e-commerce dealers. When a walk-in customer purchases a pre-owned piece of jewelry over the stores inventory profits are greatly reduced. So consignments are not always that popular   This is why it may be most beneficial if one is considering selling family jewels to find a dealer online that you know and  trust and one that you have been doing business with for a comfortable period of time.

One of the best places to start the process is to ask your favorite dealer for professional advise.  You've had an opportunity to know the dealers, their shipping policies and quality of merchandise as well as what they have in their shop and what is selling.  Do they have a successful customer rating?  How long have they been in business?  With the internet being a global marketplace, doesn't it makes sense to consign with jewelry who has an internet business rather than doing business with  your home town jeweler? In today's economy and with fewer shoppers  the only way to get the best price is to maximize your market exposure as much as possible.

The antique jewelry is as old as 100 years or more. Experts would like to say that anything that was created starting in 1920s and earlier is already an antique. Vintage jewelry (less than 100 years old) is also in big demand. Estate dealers are interested in diamond jewelry. The diamond jewelry can be loose diamonds, engagement ring, diamond earrings, diamond bracelets, diamond necklaces and diamond rings. The diamond rings can be personalized or wedding diamonds.  Especially of interest are vintage jewelry, both gold and silver, from Tiffany &  Co, Van Cleef & Arpels, Cartier,  Harry Winston as well as other world renowned designers from Denmark, Italy and France.  The saying, "What's in a name" is everything when one thinks of buying a keepsake piece of jewelry.

The Georgian jewelry is made between 1714 and 1837. Mostly, it is handmade and very rare. The designs associated with the Art Nouveau (1890-1910) are  characterized by organic, sinuous patterns and ornamentation based usually on twisting plant forms.

After Georgian, the Victorian romantic jewelry was famous in 1850s. Jewelry made from this era was mostly solemn and became known as Mourning Jewelry because of the death of Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert who died in 1861.  Queen Victoria and her court worn black clothing and jewelry for decades. Mourning jewelry reached its heights in popularity during this time thanks to the examples of the royals.  The elements of mourning showcases heavy and dark stones, such as Jet, Onyx, Amethyst and Garnet.  This specialized genre of jewelry continues to remain of extreme interest to avid collectors.

During the industrial revolution,  (1880-1910) William Morris created the Arts and Crafts movement challenged the Victorian precepts and brought focus towards  the execution of beautiful design (in architecture, furniture, jewelry, textiles, etc.) by a skilled artisan from start to finish. Whereas the mass-produced goods sold in the main stream at the time were machine-made to perfection, signs of handiwork and slight flaws or asymmetries were embraced in Arts and Crafts style design and jewelry because they highlighted the work of the individuals and were handmade.   Even with the flaws of its designs this era was very impressive and today many collectors continue to embraces the arts and Crafts creations from this period.

 SHOP - BUY - CONSIGN WITH US  in the coming year as we approach our 6th year of world-wide sales.  We thank you for your business.  Without you there would be no business!!

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