Sell your designer jewelry online — see the value first

A piece from a recognized jewelry house, identifiable by its signature and hallmarks. Tiffany & Co., Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, David Yurman, Harry Winston, Chanel, Hermès, Mikimoto, Georg Jensen and others in that tier. The distinction that actually changes the valuation is signed versus unsigned: a signed piece is valued on maker, collection and design as well as materials, while an unsigned one is valued mainly on its gold, platinum and stones. Costume and fashion jewelry from a luxury brand is a separate category again; it can carry collector value but not metal value.

Check the clasp, the inside of the band and the back of the setting for a signature before assuming a piece is unsigned. A signature on its own does not set the price; it has to hold up against the hallmarks, the numbering and the construction.

‍

Yes! Papers can help, but they are not what proves a piece genuine. The piece itself does that. Authentication works from the signature, hallmarks, serial or reference markings and construction. Box, papers, certificate and service records add marketability and can widen the buyer pool, which matters most on higher-value brands.

Send the piece as it is and include photographs of whatever documentation you do have, even if it is partial. Without paperwork, more weight falls on the physical evidence, so photo quality matters more than usual.

In two stages, and it is worth understanding the difference. The first stage is remote and works from photographs. The signature and hallmarks, the serial or reference number, the way the clasp and settings are built, the proportions of the design, and whether all of those agree with what the house was doing in that era. A piece that is consistent across every one of those is usually straightforward. A piece where one element is off is the one that needs hands on it.

The second stage happens when the piece arrives. Metal purity is tested, stones are examined under magnification, construction is checked against known genuine examples, and the marks are looked at under a loupe rather than through a phone lens. Unvault carries this out on camera and gives you video of the inspection, and the full sequence is on how Unvault works.

Send the sharpest photographs of the marks you can manage before anything else, since that is what the remote stage runs on. Remote authentication produces a preliminary view, not a final one: a piece cannot be confirmed as genuine from photographs alone, which is why the estimate is an estimate until the piece is in hand.

Yes, this is possible, but not automatically. A signed piece from a recognized collection usually carries a premium over the same metal and stones unsigned. The size of that premium depends on the maker, the collection, the era, the size and how recognizable the design is. On a plain signed band with little design content, the material value may be most of the total.

If you want a rough sense of the metal half before anything else, the Unvault calculators will get you there.

Ask for the estimate broken out, so you can see what is attributed to materials and what to make and design. Retail price is not resale value as the original ticket included retail margin that does not come back on resale.

No. Wipe dust off with a soft dry cloth and stop there. Aggressive polishing removes metal, softens engraving and can alter an original finish, which can reduce value. Replacing a clasp, a stone or a link with a non-original part can also reduce value more than the wear it corrects. Repairs carried out outside the maker's own service are usually visible to an authenticator.

Photograph the piece exactly as it is, wear included, and note any repair or resizing you know about. Alterations that are not disclosed but are found at verification will change the final offer, so it is better to declare them at the start.

These have two different trade-offs. A pawn shop is fast and local but tends to price on materials, often treating a signed piece as weight. Consignment can reach a higher headline price, but you wait, sometimes months. You also carry the risk while the piece is unsold and the commission comes off the final sale, not off the asking price.

For comparison, Unvault states its fee of 15 to 20 percent in the itemized breakdown before you accept, most sellers complete the process in 5 to 8 business days, and payment is processed one business day after acceptance.

Compare net proceeds and timing rather than headline numbers. Ask what comes off the top, when you are paid, and what happens if the piece does not sell. An online estimate is data-driven but preliminary, and the final authenticated value can differ after physical inspection.

Both come from the same place: an offer made without documented evidence. Insist on a process that shows its working, meaning what was verified, how, and what each factor contributed to the number.

With Unvault's process, each piece is examined on camera and you receive video of that inspection, the final offer is itemized, and if you decline, the piece is returned free with insured return shipping.

Before shipping anywhere, confirm that the buyer documents its authentication, itemizes the offer, and returns declined items at its own cost. No remote estimate is final: verification can move the number in either direction, which is exactly why seeing the reasoning matters more than the headline figure.

When working out how to sell jewelry online, photos are key. Shoot in natural light against a plain background, everything in focus, one shot each of: the whole piece; the signature and hallmarks; the serial or reference number; the clasp or closure, inside and out; the backs of settings and the stones; and any wear, engraving or repair. Add the box, papers or certificate if you have them.

Shoot the marks close enough to actually read. One sharp photograph of a hallmark is worth more than ten flattering photographs of the piece.