How can you tell whether the professional appraising your jewelry is offering a fair price?
In Paris and the surrounding region, jewelry appraisals are carried out by several kinds of professionals.
1. Experts and specialist antique dealers
The first are the experts, who sometimes also work as specialist antique dealers. They generally know the market well, from antique and signed jewelry to precious stones. Most of them are based in the two hubs of the jewelry and gemstone trade in Paris, the 9th and the 3rd arrondissements. Since the closure of the Louvre des Antiquaires, once a world-renowned center for pre-owned jewelry, some dealers have also gathered around the Élysée Palace, in the 8th arrondissement.
When consulting an expert, a number of details are worth checking to be sure of what you are told; each of them is a guarantee for your appraisal.
First of all, an expert will firmly refuse to give an estimate based on anything other than seeing the jewel or the stone in person, or at the very least on a certificate from a recognized gemological laboratory. If you are given a firm price over the telephone, your jewel is bound to be undervalued. How could anyone commit to a quality known only through the necessarily incomplete description of an untrained eye? The devil is in the details, as the saying goes, and in jewelry, details are everything.
A jewelry expert will not hesitate to request one or even several certificates to establish the origin of a stone or to confirm that it has not been treated. Being an expert does not mean being an oracle. Without a laboratory or advanced gemological equipment, it is impossible, for instance, to tell whether a diamond’s color has been altered by treatment, or even whether the stone was grown in a laboratory. It is therefore no surprise if, out of caution or diligence, the expert recommends a certificate.
Finally, some signs never lie. Appraising a jewel takes time and a careful look at all its features. An expert will share their knowledge and tell you about the jewel: its period, its stones, how it was made. If a dealer takes a quick look through the loupe, puts the jewel on the scales and gives you a price on the spot, the chances are that the appraisal is nothing more than a weighing, and that the so-called expert is simply buying the jewel for the weight of its gold. Faced with a taciturn expert, it is worth asking questions and trusting your instinct.
2. Auctioneers
Some auctioneers know the jewelry market well and will appraise a jewel correctly. It should come as no surprise, however, if an auctioneer's estimate is around 30% lower than that of a specialist dealer: it takes into account the auction fees, which amount to… the same figure.
3. Gold buyers
Black-fronted shops with "We buy gold" signs have multiplied across France as the price of gold has risen in recent years. While some of them are conscientious people who know jewelry and precious stones, most specialize in gold as a raw material or an investment product.
So while they may offer competitive prices for gold by weight, they are not jewelry experts and do not claim to be. Having your jewelry appraised in such a shop is not necessarily a bad idea. But, as the French government itself recommends in its latest circular on the subject, we warmly encourage you to seek several appraisals.
4. Jewelers
Lastly, some jewelers offer to appraise and, where appropriate, buy your jewelry. Here again, the vast majority of jewelers know their craft well but are not necessarily qualified to appraise antique or signed jewelry. Jewelers with a window of well-chosen, high-quality antique jewelry are often better qualified than those selling new jewelry from well-known brands, who are often retailers for the great Houses of the Place Vendôme.
To conclude, we cannot say it often enough: it is always wise to trust one’s instinct and to meet several professionals.
