Jewellery in wills

[SingaporeSlinky]

I’ve been having a search online but getting a bit confused with how this works.

My aunt told me in passing that she had her mother’s wedding ring (my grandmother’s) and as she has no children, wants it to pass to me. How does this get described in a will? Will she have had to include photos or just a description?

What happens if the executor of her will can’t find the item, or decides to keep it for themselves and claim it’s missing? Does the solicitor have to trust that the executor is telling the truth and I get nothing? Would the description have to include hallmarks etc? Just wondering how anyone prevents another family member from taking the actual item, and replacing it with a random piece of jewellery- so ‘my mother’s gold ring’ but I end up with a random new gold ring as the executor wants the family heirloom.

I believe specific items can be distributed before things like property are sold. Would a solicitor send them or the executor? And are they posted or does the person receiving them have to collect with I.D.?

Many thanks.

The description in the will needs to be sufficiently detailed to allow the executor to identify the ring. No special language is required, just a clear description. The description does not have to include hallmarks but can do so if that is necessary to ensure that the ring can be identified correctly.

If the executor can't find the ring, I'm afraid that's hard luck. However, if they take it for themselves they have committed a criminal offence.

I'm not clear what solicitor you think is involved at this point. Unless the executor is a solicitor, or the executor appoints a solicitor to help administer the estate, there won't be a solicitor.

How items such as this are distributed is up to the executor.

My gran decided to pass on items of jewellery and other stuff while she was still alive so there could be no doubt about who was meant to get it.

Thank you both.

@prh47bridge I’ve been told a solicitor is involved, I assume to sort the estate as there is now a house to clear and sell and divide the proceeds between other beneficiaries. I don’t think I am one of them, but the ring is important to me and I’m just worried I may end up with a random piece of jewellery rather than the one belonging to my grandmother, and that I’d never know. Of course it would be fraud, but I suspect lots of people end up with vultures circling. I don’t want to end up looking after and treasuring what I believe to be a family heirloom (for sentimentality rather than monetary value, I don’t think it will be valuable at all), when really it’s just a random ring.

@RaraRachael a great idea. But when my aunt mentioned it, I sort of glossed over it because I didn’t want to have an awkward conversation or start asking questions in case it seemed crass. I just thought it was lovely that I would one day end up with a ring my grandmother had owned. I won’t go into the specifics, but I’m starting to worry that the executor might not be as trustworthy as my aunt had hoped. And I’ve never been named in a will before so have no idea how these things work.

It is not necessary to use a solicitor to clear the house or divide the proceeds of the house sale. All that is needed is a solicitor to deal with conveyancing. However, the executor may have appointed a solicitor to help them administer the estate.

If you don't know what the ring in question looks like, I'm afraid there is no way anyone other than the executor will know if you've been given the correct ring unless it is described in the will in sufficient detail to confirm it is the right one. If probate has been obtained, you can get a copy of your aunt's will from the Probate Registry (assuming you are in England or Wales) and see what it says about the ring.

@SingaporeSlinky I can understand if bring a difficult conversation. Fortunately mg gran was very pragmatic about it. I'm so glad she did as the executor was my XH who would deliberately have given it to someone else or sold it then claimed it wasn't among her stuff. I got her beautiful engagement ring- just waiting to be asked so I can wear it although it would be a lovely dress ring.