This doesn’t mean that there weren’t any stamps or maker signatures from before the 20 th century, but if a seller tells that you that a stamp is from a time period before the 1900s, be skeptical and cross reference. So, you can’t find jewelry before that decade with authentic stamps. If you’re unsure, you can look online for listed Jewelry Maker’s Marks and cross reference yours with the already established marks.īut B eware: Gold assaying wasn’t actually enforced until the 1900s. However, in such cases there is generally some kind of purposeful mistake or fading. Signature and purity mark are located inside 14 karat gold ring band. Town mark : Identifies the town the item was crafted in. Purity marks are ratios, with the number mark usually being X parts out of a thousand.ĭate mark : Indicates the date the jewelry was assayed. Purity mark : This indicates the precious metal content of the piece. Hallmark : A mark stamped on articles of mainly gold and silver, certifying their standard of purity The symbol can be either from the original crafter or from a firm/manufacturer tasked with guaranteeing the quality of the piece. Maker’s mark : The maker’s mark is essentially a stamped quality control marker. There are many types of stamps, each indicating a different element of information. Not just assumptions about its value, but real, concrete information. If you can locate one and decipher its meaning, you will learn a lot about the jewelry piece. The signature and stamp for this pocket watch is actually located inside the cover of the watch. However, if you don’t notice any there, then be sure to look all around. Stamps are generally located on the backs of jewelry pieces. The next thing to look at is whether there are any stamps on the jewelry piece. But at that point you aren’t really selling the bracelet for its innate jewelry worth, you are selling it for purely for what it is made of.Īs you can see, the condition of the jewelry has a major role. If it is a real metal, you could melt it down for a profit. No one is going to be able to wear it, and unless it is some sort of relic, no one is going to be showcasing it either. You won’t be able to come up with an exact price just by looking at the condition of the jewelry piece, but looking it over is important for giving you a general of idea of what you are dealing with.įor Instance: If a bracelet is falling apart, with broken links and a missing closure, it's going to be worth less than if it were in mint condition. Be sure to really turn the piece over in your hand, examining it from all sides. Both of these factors play a big role in the jewelry’s value.įirst, check if the jewelry piece has any breaks or cracks. The point of a quality check is to determine what the current condition of the piece is and whether the jewelry piece was well-made to begin with. It may sound like a lot, but if you know what to look for, evaluating your estate jewelry is a piece of cake.Ĭhecking the quality of the jewelry is the first and easiest part of the job. This is done by classifying the who, what, and where of the jewelry piece. The tricky part of identifying estate jewelry, is being able to tell which pieces are valuable and which are junk. If you happen to come into possession of a piece of estate jewelry from Queen Victoria’s court, it’s going to be worth a good fortune, to say the least. This: some estate jewelry can be extremely valuable. So, if estate jewelry is so common, what’s all the hype about? There are many more specific time period categorizations for jewelry (Georgian, Late Victorian, Retro, etc). Note: These three categories are general umbrella terms for the different periods that estate jewelry can be from. Countries with a longer history, Britain for instance, define antique as even more than 100 years old). (Or, at least in the United States it does. Vintage characterizes jewelry that is at least 20 years old.Īntique refers to jewelry that is 100 years or older.
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