appraiser

[natalie1070]

can anyone help me find an appraiser for a set of very old bracelets my mom has from her father? she said they are about 200 years old! i can send a picture of them.
thanks

[Russ Nobbs]

Hi Natalie!

I'm sorry your question was overlooked.  Even if we don't know the answer we try to respond with suggestions.

Try for a local appraiser. It's really hard to be accurate from a photograph. Check your local yellow pages for antique  stores that specialize in  jewelry.  Depending on the type of bracelet, one of the Shiffner books on collectable jewelry might include it. They have price guides in the books. A person who manags estate sales might also know values for old jewelry.

A formal, writen appraisal costs from US$25 and up. many places charge a percentage of the value and sometime overvalue a lot to increase their fee. This is typical for places that appraise fine gold and diamond jewelry. Fine jewelry appraisers probably wold not be helpful to you.

I hope this helps.

[Metalman]

I don't know where you are located.  We are in Washington State.  Seattle is nearish to us and I am aware of a high end art and antique jewelry gallery there.  It is called Facere, they have a website
http://www.facerejewelryart.com/
and may be able to helpFacere

[Luann Udell]

Almost any antique store manager, pawn shop, jeweler (especially those who also sell estate jewelry) can give you a ballpark idea of what your bracelets are and how much they are worth, and most won't charge you anything for an informal appraisal.  

Sometimes their establishments even offer a free or low-priced appraisal day, a la Antiques Roadshow, with an expert coming in for the event.  Ask around at such establishments to see if one is scheduled in your area.

Russ is right, for insurance purposes, you'll need a more formal appraisal.  But if you just want to know for personal reasons, an informal appraisal should give you a rough idea of what you have.  And most dealers/jewelery dealers, etc. will do that for free.

Even with experts, you may get a range of opinions and values, depending on the knowledge of the appraiser, the condition of the piece, whether it was repaired, how desireable it is in your area vs. another area, etc.  (Here in NH, sometimes dealers refer to "New York prices"...)  That's why jewelry guides can be helpful but they can't begin to take in all the variables that go into appraising a specific piece or collection.  

The jewelry guides Russ mentions are good, but bear in mind that sometimes other guides are published by collectors who have a tendency to inflate or overstate the value of their pieces.  

Also, what something is "worth" can be tricky.  There is the price you could expect to get from it at a general auction, the price you could get from a specialty auction (say, a Sotheby's jewelry auction), the price you could get for it from a dealer vs. the price you could get for it from an avid collector.  Keep in mind that something may be "worth" $1,000 but whether you could actually get that price (especially after paying dealer fees) or replace it for that price is another thing.  Conversely, something could be "worth" very little in $$ but have enormous sentimental value.  Antiques Roadshow can be a heartbreaking show to watch!!  

And now I'm dying of curiousity.  What kind of bracelets are these??
Luann

[Russ Nobbs]

One of our regular contributors, Luann Udell, can't post to the forum because of some glitch. Here's what she wanted to add to this thread:

"Almost any antique store manager, pawn shop, jeweler (especially those who also sell estate jewelry) can give you a ballpark idea of what your bracelets are and how much they are worth, and most won't charge you anything for an informal appraisal.
 
Sometimes their establishments even offer a free or low-priced appraisal day, a la Antiques Roadshow, with an expert coming in for the event.  Ask around at such establishments to see if one is scheduled in your area.
 
Russ is right, for insurance purposes, you'll need a more formal appraisal.  But if you just want to know for personal reasons, an informal appraisal should give you a rough idea of what you have.  And most dealers/jewelery dealers, etc. will do that for free.
 
Even with experts, you may get a range of opinions and values, depending on the knowledge of the appraiser, the condition of the piece, whether it was repaired, how desireable it is in your area vs. another area, etc.  (Here in NH, sometimes dealers refer to "New York prices"...)  That's why jewelry guides can be helpful but they can't begin to take in all the variables that go into appraising a specific piece or collection.
 
The jewelry guides Russ mentions are good, but bear in mind that sometimes other guides are published by collectors who have a tendency to inflate or overstate the value of their pieces.
 
Also, what something is "worth" can be tricky.  There is the price you could expect to get from it at a general auction, the price you could get from a specialty auction (say, a Sotheby's jewelry auction), the price you could get for it from a dealer vs. the price you could get for it from an avid collector.  Keep in mind that something may be "worth" $1,000 but whether you could actually get that price (especially after paying dealer fees) or replace it for that price is another thing.  Conversely, something could be "worth" very little in $$ but have enormous sentimental value.  Antiques Roadshow can be a heartbreaking show to watch!!
 
And now I'm dying of curiousity.  What kind of bracelets are these??
Luann"

Luann Udell
Mixed media/fiber artist
Wall hangings, sculpture and jewelry inspired by prehistoric art.
"Ancient stories retold in modern artifacts..."
271 Roxbury St.
Keene, NH  03431
home: 603-352-8633
studio: 603-352-2270
fax: 603-358-1056
luann@luannudell.com
www.luannudell.com

[Luann Udell]

Russ, thank you for posting for me, & let's hope the post-eating glitch monster is banished!
'>
Luann