Identifying The Valuables In Your Jewelry Box

Every jewelry box out there has something valuable in it, whether you inherited a lot of pieces from an eldery relative or you’ve simply been collecting since you were a child. Even if you only started putting an accessories collection together a couple months ago, there’s still a good chance you’re sitting on real treasure! But before you go rooting through your box, you need to know what you’re looking for. So, maybe that diamond necklace your mother gave you actually does carry some value? Let’s find out! 

Know Your Hallmarks

Across the globe, hallmarks tend to remain the same. This makes it easier for jewelry to travel, and be sold in a variety of different countries. As such, it shouldn’t be hard to read the hallmark on any pieces you pull out of your jewelry box. But depending on the type of jewelry, and what metal it’s made of, you’ll be looking for different things. 

For example, on gold items, you should be looking for the ‘k’ symbol to tell you the carat of the piece. On silver items, in contrast, seeing something like ‘STER’ engraved somewhere means it’s Sterling Silver. Look all around the piece to find marks like these; you should also be able to spot the Maker’s mark, as well as country of origin as well. 

Get Your Diamonds Professionally Appraised

If you’ve got a diamond piece in your jewelry box, or you think you’ve got one, it’s best to get it seen to by a professional. It’s hard to spot imperfections or impurities when you’ve got an untrained eye, and before you let yourself get really excited about this treasure, make sure you’re holding the real thing!

After all, it’s very, very hard to tell apart vvs diamonds next to fake glass items, and you can never be sure what kind of carat you’re working with either. This is especially true if the hallmark has rubbed off from years and years of use. So get down to a diamond expert and see what they think about your items. 

Sort Through the Colors

If you’ve got a few pieces in your box that have gems fitted in them, you’ll want to take a good look at their color. The more rich they are in their color, the better! But at the same time, make sure they have a bit of transparency to them – if you can see through them, but they still shine with color in the light, they’re looking to be precious stones. If they’re otherwise a bit murky, and they’re more translucent in quality, it’s a potential sign that this stone has a lot of impurities within it. That could mean it’s worth a lot less in a jeweler’s eye. 

If you’re looking to make a bit of money off of your old jewelry collection, go through it right now and see what you can find. As you go, use these tips to really sort the wheat from the chaff.