Probably true about the newness but the point of the original post is still a valuable one today. , The actual original post was about how much a piece of Tiffany silver cost versus what it was "worth" to a jeweler if she tried to resell it. Essentially, the OP didn't understand that any jewelry you buy be it Tiffany or some other brand, is not going to fetch what you paid for it if you sell it.
There are 2 things to consider when you talk about "selling" a piece of jewelry of any name.
1- Resell value to a jeweler: If you try to sell a used piece to a jeweler or resell shop, they will pay you scrap or something close to that for buyout. I'll repeat that again: a jewelry store will pay you SCRAP for the metal value. No names involved. Think on it. They do not have the skill or expertise in most cases to value or authenticate an alleged designer piece presented to them so why would they take a persons word on it. Unless you are consigning to sell as an estate piece, in which case you are VERY lucky to get a 80/20 cut. Some of the local brick and mortar resell stores I have checked in to for pieces only give you 50% and then they start it at 50% of retail - so you get not much.
2-Resell value of a piece you sell yourself: You WILL get more of your original amount back for well known brands and items sold in the right places. IE- on eBay if you have done a good job of marketing your piece (good pics, plenty of info, making it easy to authenticate, etc...) a designer piece like Tiffany especially a popular piece would fetch far more than scrap though probably not anything like what you paid originally. Also pieces that are well made with well known boutique vendors (like Whiteflash, Hearts on Fire, Brian Gavin...etc etc...) tend to have decent resale value if you list them in places where people who know about them tend to look (ie- Diamond Bistro, not eBay). So to say only a "designer" brand like Tiffany or Cartier holds its value is not quite true. They are just the most known and so easier to sell if you have the proper pics and documentation on the widest band width. But enough people have jumped on the "super ideal" wagon now to be familiar with the "big names" in super ideal diamonds and jewelry for them to be easier to resell than a piece of average to low quality mall jewelry. Average to low quality pieces from a mall or chain type jeweler are typically the hardest to resell if you try to do that, and you will probably take a massive loss.
The upshot is: if you are concerned about ever reselling, stick to popular pieces by a)well known brands or b) very well made pieces by boutique vendors. Jewelry is not an investment. Ever. You will almost always take a loss unless you are operating in the Elizabeth Taylor end of the spectrum.
