Owning the crown jewels 15 Mar 2022 Auctions News Suffolk News

In our world we see a lot of jewellery, we also see a number of people who have jewellery but not sure what to do with it. They may have inherited from a loved one and it is not to their taste, or it was from their own collection but they no long feel the love for it or wear it and they come to us as they want to move it on to someone who will appreciate it and wear it.

So why sell your jewellery at auction? Well, firstly it is a great way to get your piece in front of thousands of people at auction. Not only do we attract a number of people to our auctions in person as we are known for being a specialist when it comes to fine quality jewellery, we also attract an audience of over 40,000 people through selling on an online platform. So that’s an audience that may register to bid in our auction to see your piece. You won’t get that anywhere else! Also this year we are celebrating our 500^th auction since we started and it falls on a fine jewellery auction – so what better way to celebrate than with things that sparkle!

Everyone loves jewellery, whether you are diamond lover or have a passion for pearls and rubies in our auctions we see so much beautiful jewellery. From brooches to bracelets and rings to earrings, people sell their jewellery for various different reasons. Here we look at stones you find in jewellery and the precious metals jewellery is made from.

Diamond Rings. Who doesn’t love a diamond ring? Whether it is mounted on platinum, gold or 18 carat white gold, diamond rings are always popular. The most common diamond rings we see are mounted on 18 carat white gold, but platinum is the one people really go crazy for. When it comes to diamonds, what makes the diamond ring so desired is of course the size and clarity of the diamond itself. The bigger the diamond the more it is worth, especially if the diamond goes above 1 carat in size that is when you see the value of the diamond jump up. Clarity of the diamond is also important, the clearer the diamond the better the quality it is. It is quite common to see in a diamond an inclusion, this comes across as a little black speck or mark within the diamond itself. An inclusion is a bit like a birthmark, it is formed from the extreme heat and pressure when the diamond is formed. How big the inclusion is and the location of the inclusion can also affect the value of the diamond ring. However just because the stone may have an inclusion doesn’t mean that it won’t be desired and sell well.

Of course, there are other stones that are popular at auction. We see rubies, sapphires, emeralds and pearls in our auctions. Whether they are set in a necklace, earrings or a ring they always look the part. As with any gemstone the quality of the stone itself is what makes it attractive the clearer the quality and lesser the inclusions the better the stone is. You can get different shades and tones of sapphires, rubies and emeralds and the more colour they have the better quality of stone they are. Pearls perhaps have a stigma around them as being a bit old fashioned, however that appears not to be the case at auction as we are seeing an upward trend in people buying pearls.

Jewellery is set in a range of different precious metals including gold, silver, platinum and sometimes even palladium. Gold is currently sitting at the highest price it has ever been, so it really is a good time to sell your gold at auction if you no longer love the piece. There are different types of gold such as 9 carat which is the more affordable gold to the 18 carat gold which is what you see perhaps engagements rings or necklaces made from.

Then you have platinum, this tough precious metal has a silver-white finish to it and due to the metal density itself it is a good metal for jewellery that will be or has been handed down generations. We see a number of rings that were perhaps inherited from an ancestor made from platinum and the quality of the ring is just as good now as it was when it was made many years ago.

Jewellery is a subject that I could keep talking about as there is so many different variations that people are looking for. I haven’t even mentioned amber jewellery which is another stone that is popular, especially if it is a piece of butterscotch amber but that can be another conversation piece.

What’s left to say is only if it has inspired you to sell any unloved pieces of jewellery at our auction, why not contact us to find out your piece of jewellery’s value. You could be surprised at its worth and be part of our 500^th auction.

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