Old Jewelry - Worth More as a Gem or Antique?

[Rylee]

Can anyone tell me...

When seeking the value of old jewelry,

Is it usually worth more as an antique or a gem?

Should it be appraised by a jeweler or antique appraiser?

How do you find a reputable dealer?

How much do they normally charge for an appraisal?

Do they charge by the piece?

Any tips on how to tell what's "real" and what's costume? (Some pieces are obvious to me, others are not.)


Thanks for any info or help.

 

[MichiganKris]

This is really hard to answer. For antique jewelry (costume or real) the value depends a lot on the designer. You could be very surprised at how much some vintage costume jewelry is worth. You probably need to take the pieces to both an antique jewelry appraiser and a regular jeweler to determine the value.

 

[Gigi22]

I took some antique jewellery in to a shop where I have had some pieces made. I asked how much they would charge up front, and they were very happy to tell me their charges. If you need an appraisal for insurance purposes, be sure to check with your insurance company--insurance appraisals cost more because a photograph and a detailed description are required.
If you just want to know if the diamonds in a piece are real, there is a little machine that jewellers use to check diamonds. They may be able to check the diamonds in front of you, depending how busy they are.

 

[3boymthr]

I have a cousin who collects costume jewelry who says it definitely depends on the designer and the stones. And even if they are made with pot metal many of the older costume pieces have value in the stones as at one time (1930s and older) the stones were made with semi-precious stones like garnets and blue topaz as at the time they were considered to have little or no value.