Hey there. First off, this is specifically what I do for a living so let me kind of give you a full rundown:
estate jewelry gets evaluated two separate ways:
1. Certain items will be distilled into component value… like.. let’s say you have a 1980s gold nugget ring with two carats of diamonds and a beautiful sapphire. Technically a ring like that would be worth, on a retail level, the value of the diamonds, gold, sapphire and labor. But in the estate jewelry world that’s something I’m buying to take apart because if I wait for a buyer for the piece it will never sell.
2. Finished sellable pieces. These are items that I’ll buy as-is and put into my inventory. I’m an ideal world there is a platinum art deco sapphire and diamond bracelet or some other super in-demand item. That’s something I’m happy to buy for the value of the components plus the labor. Further in this category can be “signed” or designer pieces where something is worth considerably more because it was made by Tiffany and co, van cleef and arpels, David Webb or some other designer that’s ubiquitous in jewelry.
my business is bandbdiamonds.com and if you want to come in I’ll go over pricing for the items and make offers and then I’d advise you to get a few other bids just to make sure you’re paid the highest amount for the items, especially the important ones. Hope that helps