Has anyone sold their high jewelries

[BoulevardHauss]

Have my eyes on these expensive fancy color diamond jewelry by a well known designer, it is close to 900k USD, i know, expensive, and it costs like one third of the price or half if i were to buy without designer name

Has anybody bought and sold anything like that in similar price range? i.e. wore it for a few year.... Did you lose money or gain?

 

[the_black_tie_diyer]

Hi!

I'm sorry, but this is not a yes or no question.

What Designer? Iconic design? What piece? Natural colored diamonds? Heat treated/"color enhanced"? Quality? Would the "non designer pieces" have stones of the same quality/ and comparable overall specs? And these are just a couple of the questions I would have, if I was going to try and give a serious answer (To the best of my knowledge, whatever that is worth ...) to the question.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[LanaA]

Have my eyes on these expensive fancy color diamond jewelry by a well known designer, it is close to 900k USD, i know, expensive, and it costs like one third of the price or half if i were to buy without designer name

Has anybody bought and sold anything like that in similar price range? i.e. wore it for a few year.... Did you lose money or gain?

I don't know if this answers your question, but I have had trouble selling my non designer pieces. Some designer pieces were very plain and the non designer were good quality diamonds but not in the 900K Range

Sothebys and Christies told me I should sell the non designer ones at Estate sales. The designer ones they could take.

I think the name carries a lot of weight, even more than the actual piece. However, if you are getting a very valuable stone, that would most likely supersede the name.

 

[BoulevardHauss]

Thanks for the reply! Do you mind me asking what price range are they? I think the vca flower and butterfly stuff sell very well in auctions because its popular

Thats strange cuz usually sothebys and christies take anything over 5k USD no? I saw the lowest prices sold for under that too

Yes i have been reading christies jewelry guide, those non intrinsic are called provenance lol, whatever i dont care for those but others do, esp at auctions.

ya so the thing is i can get a much bigger stone with the same price if i go non designer, but i think being designer makes selling easier, esp if you want to hold it for a long time

 

[BoulevardHauss]

Thanks for the reply! Do you mind me asking what price range are they? I think the vca flower and butterfly stuff sell very well in auctions because its popular

Thats strange cuz usually sothebys and christies take anything over 5k USD no? I saw the lowest prices sold for under that too

Yes i have been reading christies jewelry guide, those non intrinsic are called provenance lol, whatever i dont care for those but others do, esp at auctions.

ya so the thing is i can get a much bigger stone with the same price if i go non designer, but i think being designer makes selling easier, esp if you want to hold it for a long time

I don't know if this answers your question, but I have had trouble selling my non designer pieces. Some designer pieces were very plain and the non designer were good quality diamonds but not in the 900K Range



Sothebys and Christies told me I should sell the non designer ones at Estate sales. The designer ones they could take.



I think the name carries a lot of weight, even more than the actual piece. However, if you are getting a very valuable stone, that would most likely supersede the name.

 

[BoulevardHauss]

Hi!

I'm sorry, but this is not a yes or no question.

What Designer? Iconic design? What piece? Natural colored diamonds? Heat treated/"color enhanced"? Quality? Would the "non designer pieces" have stones of the same quality/ and comparable overall specs? And these are just a couple of the questions I would have, if I was going to try and give a serious answer (To the best of my knowledge, whatever that is worth ...) to the question.

Kind regards,
Oliver

By iconic design do you mean something like the tutti frutti with a good auction history? They are gonna custom make it for me any design i want

i do not ever buy anything unnatural or treated every, its pointless, i might as well get a costume jewelry, esp for this price

Quality wise, i am not a professional by any means, the non designer piece i asked a source from china who buy stones from mining areas, but again im not expert so i cannot compare quality other than what is on the GIA report, which i heard is much more than that when it comes to resale value

does the designer makes a difference whether is harry winston, cartier, tiffany, vca, etc? usually the price is more of a factor

 

[QuelleFromage]

If you are going to spend a million dollars on jewelry, you should go to one of the major houses like Graff. At this level you are talking heritage jewels and you need both the top-quality stones and a big name. Without the name, yes it will be cheaper but then the stones must be absolutely impeccable to the point of being rare finds, ie let's say you are looking at yellow diamonds - the color must be exceptional, the cut and quality must be perfect, which is all very rare in yellow. That's the only way a nameless jewelry piece can hold value at say half a million - has to be a rare level of quality.

 

[BoulevardHauss]

If you are going to spend a million dollars on jewelry, you should go to one of the major houses like Graff. At this level you are talking heritage jewels and you need both the top-quality stones and a big name. Without the name, yes it will be cheaper but then the stones must be absolutely impeccable to the point of being rare finds, ie let's say you are looking at yellow diamonds - the color must be exceptional, the cut and quality must be perfect, which is all very rare in yellow. That's the only way a nameless jewelry piece can hold value at say half a million - has to be a rare level of quality.

ya i think big names just gives people who go to auction an assurance, 1 million is not even a lot when it comes to high jewelry at auctions, i think people who buy just want a peace of mind from one of the major houses

i.e. there are still a lot of very nice crocodile studded with diamond handbags there, but himalaya diamond birkin is still what people are after

for us who dont know about the craftmanship of jewelry its probably best to stick with the major houses

i have not seen those fancy diamonds quoted one third of the price by my chinese source, they told me you can get it authenticated and traded at a shanghai diamond trading centre, but i dont know how much i even trust that, there are many ways to bribe people to scam you in china

 

[BoulevardHauss]

anyways i dont know if my himalayan birkin reference is appropriate, that one is hard to get, vs contemporary high jewelry is like as long as you are willing to pay you can buy....

i dont mind wearing it for a good 5- 10 years and sell it, by then the price would most like went up already and can sell for a profit

 

[the_black_tie_diyer]

By iconic design do you mean something like the tutti frutti with a good auction history? They are gonna custom make it for me any design i want

i do not ever buy anything unnatural or treated every, its pointless, i might as well get a costume jewelry, esp for this price

Quality wise, i am not a professional by any means, the non designer piece i asked a source from china who buy stones from mining areas, but again im not expert so i cannot compare quality other than what is on the GIA report, which i heard is much more than that when it comes to resale value

does the designer makes a difference whether is harry winston, cartier, tiffany, vca, etc? usually the price is more of a factor

Yes, Cartier's Tutti Frutti is a good example. You can have that "overall style" copied aka "without the name" - and it will probably be a hard sell - no matter the quality. Whereas a Cartier piece might raise in value at some point. I say might because it's quite simply a bet on future, a risky one. Currently people feel everything is possible in jewelry/watch world, see: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/p...00a-only-watch-2019-most-expensive-31-million

GIA (and similar) reports are only worth so much and, basically only as long as they are physically attached to the stone. Luckily we have laser engraving. At least as long as you have some basic trust in the source. If you can't identify/rate stones yourself, stay away from offers to source something for you from unverified sources. Especially if you have no means to verify the report(s) fits the stone(s) you got.

I will say this: Buying and selling diamonds as amateur is like swimming in a pool full of sharks. With sea mines at half-depth and some venomous sea snakes in between. Choose wisely who you trust and always, always verify.

Jewelry, without a name attached, will almost always sell below what you paid for it. Exceptions confirm the rule. And the only factor determining a price when selling is the actual cost of material and stones. So if you use (truly exceptional) stones, they will decrease/increase in value according to current market within their league just as the other materials will. Don't expect the work being a big (or any) factor when selling. Again, exceptions confirm the rule.

(Highly) Personal rating:

1. Graff
2. Cartier
3. Harry Winston
4. Tiffany & Co.
5. VCA

If, like you say, you're not an experienced buyer/seller, stick with the big houses and you might eventually get lucky. Everything else will be ending up a disaster, especially when sourcing stones from halfway round the world without proper knowledge and means of verifying. Not to mention many other risks.

If you don't want to go with the big names, ask and look around for a local professional you can trust. Go with your gut feeling, if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

Try to gain some experience by having someone you can trust show you some stones and their ratings/reports.

So, yes, jewelry "with a name" will not only hold value better but there is a chance of value increasing over time in accordance with market/sentiment.

Jewelry "without a name" will generally fetch lower resale value. It's determined by quality of materials, only - and those obviously again in accordance with market/sentiment. You will almost always loose on the cost of work.

Provenance is important is both cases, but especially with jewelry "without a name".

Custom made/ bespoke jewelry should be for oneself to wear and enjoy, then it's the best and most enjoyable experience. If it's about speculation on resell value - that, one can have much easier, and with less baggage attached.

I can only strongly advise against using a +- one million jewelry project to test waters. I can only say it again, it would be bound for a disaster. Go with something that feels right from the get go - from a reliable source.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[LanaA]

Thanks for the reply! Do you mind me asking what price range are they? I think the vca flower and butterfly stuff sell very well in auctions because its popular

Thats strange cuz usually sothebys and christies take anything over 5k USD no? I saw the lowest prices sold for under that too

Yes i have been reading christies jewelry guide, those non intrinsic are called provenance lol, whatever i dont care for those but others do, esp at auctions.

ya so the thing is i can get a much bigger stone with the same price if i go non designer, but i think being designer makes selling easier, esp if you want to hold it for a long time

I sold a plain bracelet, given to me by a relative for around 5k, I believe the brand was Cartier, it was a while ago. The others I tried to sell, the GIA value for each individual piece was around 11k and 10k. One was a pair of sapphire and diamond bracelets, and yellow and green diamond flower earrings. Both were much more valuable than the Cartier bracelet. Unfortunately they did not provide a reason as to why they wouldn't, just that they couldn't buy it and I'd do better at an estate sale.

I ended up donating one of the sapphire/diamond bracelets to a charity that helps women and I kept one. The earrings I'm still trying to figure out what to do with, I cant seem to find estate sales to sell it to.

 

[QuelleFromage]

Yes, Cartier's Tutti Frutti is a good example. You can have that "overall style" copied aka "without the name" - and it will probably be a hard sell - no matter the quality. Whereas a Cartier piece might raise in value at some point. I say might because it's quite simply a bet on future, a risky one. Currently people feel everything is possible in jewelry/watch world, see: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/p...00a-only-watch-2019-most-expensive-31-million

GIA (and similar) reports are only worth so much and, basically only as long as they are physically attached to the stone. Luckily we have laser engraving. At least as long as you have some basic trust in the source. If you can't identify/rate stones yourself, stay away from offers to source something for you from unverified sources. Especially if you have no means to verify the report(s) fits the stone(s) you got.

I will say this: Buying and selling diamonds as amateur is like swimming in a pool full of sharks. With sea mines at half-depth and some venomous sea snakes in between. Choose wisely who you trust and always, always verify.

Jewelry, without a name attached, will almost always sell below what you paid for it. Exceptions confirm the rule. And the only factor determining a price when selling is the actual cost of material and stones. So if you use (truly exceptional) stones, they will decrease/increase in value according to current market within their league just as the other materials will. Don't expect the work being a big (or any) factor when selling. Again, exceptions confirm the rule.

(Highly) Personal rating:

1. Graff
2. Cartier
3. Harry Winston
4. Tiffany & Co.
5. VCA

If, like you say, you're not an experienced buyer/seller, stick with the big houses and you might eventually get lucky. Everything else will be ending up a disaster, especially when sourcing stones from halfway round the world without proper knowledge and means of verifying. Not to mention many other risks.

If you don't want to go with the big names, ask and look around for a local professional you can trust. Go with your gut feeling, if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

Try to gain some experience by having someone you can trust show you some stones and their ratings/reports.

So, yes, jewelry "with a name" will not only hold value better but there is a chance of value increasing over time in accordance with market/sentiment.

Jewelry "without a name" will generally fetch lower resale value. It's determined by quality of materials, only - and those obviously again in accordance with market/sentiment. You will almost always loose on the cost of work.

Provenance is important is both cases, but especially with jewelry "without a name".

Custom made/ bespoke jewelry should be for oneself to wear and enjoy, then it's the best and most enjoyable experience. If it's about speculation on resell value - that, one can have much easier, and with less baggage attached.

I can only strongly advise against using a +- one million jewelry project to test waters. I can only say it again, it would be bound for a disaster. Go with something that feels right from the get go - from a reliable source.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Oliver

Can't say it any better than this.

 

[JolieS]

Yes, Cartier's Tutti Frutti is a good example. You can have that "overall style" copied aka "without the name" - and it will probably be a hard sell - no matter the quality. Whereas a Cartier piece might raise in value at some point. I say might because it's quite simply a bet on future, a risky one. Currently people feel everything is possible in jewelry/watch world, see: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/p...00a-only-watch-2019-most-expensive-31-million

GIA (and similar) reports are only worth so much and, basically only as long as they are physically attached to the stone. Luckily we have laser engraving. At least as long as you have some basic trust in the source. If you can't identify/rate stones yourself, stay away from offers to source something for you from unverified sources. Especially if you have no means to verify the report(s) fits the stone(s) you got.

I will say this: Buying and selling diamonds as amateur is like swimming in a pool full of sharks. With sea mines at half-depth and some venomous sea snakes in between. Choose wisely who you trust and always, always verify.

Jewelry, without a name attached, will almost always sell below what you paid for it. Exceptions confirm the rule. And the only factor determining a price when selling is the actual cost of material and stones. So if you use (truly exceptional) stones, they will decrease/increase in value according to current market within their league just as the other materials will. Don't expect the work being a big (or any) factor when selling. Again, exceptions confirm the rule.

(Highly) Personal rating:

1. Graff
2. Cartier
3. Harry Winston
4. Tiffany & Co.
5. VCA

If, like you say, you're not an experienced buyer/seller, stick with the big houses and you might eventually get lucky. Everything else will be ending up a disaster, especially when sourcing stones from halfway round the world without proper knowledge and means of verifying. Not to mention many other risks.

If you don't want to go with the big names, ask and look around for a local professional you can trust. Go with your gut feeling, if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

Try to gain some experience by having someone you can trust show you some stones and their ratings/reports.

So, yes, jewelry "with a name" will not only hold value better but there is a chance of value increasing over time in accordance with market/sentiment.

Jewelry "without a name" will generally fetch lower resale value. It's determined by quality of materials, only - and those obviously again in accordance with market/sentiment. You will almost always loose on the cost of work.

Provenance is important is both cases, but especially with jewelry "without a name".

Custom made/ bespoke jewelry should be for oneself to wear and enjoy, then it's the best and most enjoyable experience. If it's about speculation on resell value - that, one can have much easier, and with less baggage attached.

I can only strongly advise against using a +- one million jewelry project to test waters. I can only say it again, it would be bound for a disaster. Go with something that feels right from the get go - from a reliable source.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Oliver

To add a slight nuance to this excellent analysis, when you sell fine jewellery, the selling price is not the price you receive as the seller, unless you do a private sale. There will be sales commissions and fees that can eat up to 25%, not to mention taxes on capital gains.

 

[BoulevardHauss]

wow thanks for this thorough long analysis! that's why i prefer to get anonymous online opinion who has no conflict of interest with me aka doesn't want to make money off me lol

i have pretty much decided on one of the major houses you mentioned and the main stone, i just don't want to post it on open forum too much details for privacy concern, but i will send you photos in PM!

GIA reports are useful but only to a certain extent, it has to been seen in person to determine the value, seen similar gia stats but very different prices

Totally agree on the mentality part! Only if I can just treat it as a consumer item not think about resell lol, but at this price point and not being wealthy enough, I can't help but to calculate the risk. For the wealthy high networth people out there it would be great to just through few millions on pieces and not worry about finance

Speaking of which, the reason why I decided on this price point, being a newbie, is because now the fancy diamonds are very high priced already, also there is more room for growth for a rarer aka more expensive stone. Especially will be holding it for a very long term, there is no time to test out the water.

I saw similar stone sold for six figure less last year, but again it could be the sales people showing what they want to show me lol

I think this is a risk that I am willing to take, and will take your advice on enjoying the piece to get rid of emotional baggage lol!

Yes, Cartier's Tutti Frutti is a good example. You can have that "overall style" copied aka "without the name" - and it will probably be a hard sell - no matter the quality. Whereas a Cartier piece might raise in value at some point. I say might because it's quite simply a bet on future, a risky one. Currently people feel everything is possible in jewelry/watch world, see: https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/p...00a-only-watch-2019-most-expensive-31-million

GIA (and similar) reports are only worth so much and, basically only as long as they are physically attached to the stone. Luckily we have laser engraving. At least as long as you have some basic trust in the source. If you can't identify/rate stones yourself, stay away from offers to source something for you from unverified sources. Especially if you have no means to verify the report(s) fits the stone(s) you got.

I will say this: Buying and selling diamonds as amateur is like swimming in a pool full of sharks. With sea mines at half-depth and some venomous sea snakes in between. Choose wisely who you trust and always, always verify.

Jewelry, without a name attached, will almost always sell below what you paid for it. Exceptions confirm the rule. And the only factor determining a price when selling is the actual cost of material and stones. So if you use (truly exceptional) stones, they will decrease/increase in value according to current market within their league just as the other materials will. Don't expect the work being a big (or any) factor when selling. Again, exceptions confirm the rule.

(Highly) Personal rating:

1. Graff
2. Cartier
3. Harry Winston
4. Tiffany & Co.
5. VCA

If, like you say, you're not an experienced buyer/seller, stick with the big houses and you might eventually get lucky. Everything else will be ending up a disaster, especially when sourcing stones from halfway round the world without proper knowledge and means of verifying. Not to mention many other risks.

If you don't want to go with the big names, ask and look around for a local professional you can trust. Go with your gut feeling, if it doesn't feel right, it probably isn't.

Try to gain some experience by having someone you can trust show you some stones and their ratings/reports.

So, yes, jewelry "with a name" will not only hold value better but there is a chance of value increasing over time in accordance with market/sentiment.

Jewelry "without a name" will generally fetch lower resale value. It's determined by quality of materials, only - and those obviously again in accordance with market/sentiment. You will almost always loose on the cost of work.

Provenance is important is both cases, but especially with jewelry "without a name".

Custom made/ bespoke jewelry should be for oneself to wear and enjoy, then it's the best and most enjoyable experience. If it's about speculation on resell value - that, one can have much easier, and with less baggage attached.

I can only strongly advise against using a +- one million jewelry project to test waters. I can only say it again, it would be bound for a disaster. Go with something that feels right from the get go - from a reliable source.

Hope this helps.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[BoulevardHauss]

I sold a plain bracelet, given to me by a relative for around 5k, I believe the brand was Cartier, it was a while ago. The others I tried to sell, the GIA value for each individual piece was around 11k and 10k. One was a pair of sapphire and diamond bracelets, and yellow and green diamond flower earrings. Both were much more valuable than the Cartier bracelet. Unfortunately they did not provide a reason as to why they wouldn't, just that they couldn't buy it and I'd do better at an estate sale.

I ended up donating one of the sapphire/diamond bracelets to a charity that helps women and I kept one. The earrings I'm still trying to figure out what to do with, I cant seem to find estate sales to sell it to.

hmmm thats strange, maybe they had many similar pieces that might bring the bid price down if have too many? try another auction place maybe will get lucky with the earrings! Or some websites

wow that is very kind of you, i am also going to donate clothes to the needy, good karma will come back!