A treasure in the drawer

It is well known that antique jewels have immense value. But have we ever wondered how much a jewel from another era can really be worth? Let's find out together if we too have a treasure in the drawer!

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Jewels at auction

According to the British auction house Bonhams , vintage jewelry would be revalued more than any other asset. There is no house that can hold it back: a quality jewel has gained more than 80% in auction value in the last decade. A real record, considering that houses have increased by only 47% in Great Britain (and decreased in many other countries, including Italy!).

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Which eras?

It is important to point out, however, that the jewels with such value on the auction market are the ancient ones, especially if they date back to the Belle Epòque (1890-1915) or Art Déco (1920-1930) periods. The classic family jewels, in short, that could have belonged to our grandmothers and great-grandmothers.

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The brands

The increase in value in jewelry works only in quality jewelry, especially for houses such as Cartier, Bulgari, Van Cleef and Arpels , which are the most valued. This does not take away that even jewelry from smaller or artisanal houses, if resold, have a good market value.

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An example

An oversight worth $83,188, that of an English lady. The elderly woman resold a necklace that she thought was costume jewelry, valued by Bonhams at auction: the necklace turned out to be a rare Chanel example, designed by Coco Chanel herself and with a small engraving with the name of the designer. A real treasure mistaken for junk!

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The most important value

We talked about economic value and money: it is important to know how much our possessions could earn us on the market, of course. But we must also and above all remember the emotional and personal value of the jewels we own and that our ancestors left us. Perhaps purchased with sacrifice, our grandmothers' jewels are an important witness of a bygone era, full of charm and memories. So, let's always think carefully before putting our treasures up for sale!

See you here again, very soon, with many other curiosities!