What would you do with inherited jewellery you don't wear?

[certainlycertain]

Four pieces that have mild sentimental value but have been sitting (expensively insured) in our safe for the past decade. DCs and partners don't want it (anti-mined diamonds) and they never knew the great grandparent it was passed down from. My Mum doesn't want it - she inherited it about twenty years ago, never wore it and passed it down to me.

Would you sell it? Keep it in case a DC or partner changes their mind? Have some of it remade into something else I won't wear?

Yes, the real deal. I have to have them valued (revalued) every year for insurance. I had them done by Bentley & Skinner last time and they were keen, which is what started me thinking about whether to sell. So I might go to them if I decide to proceed, although I suspect I could probably do better elsewhere.

We have a black tie event next weekend, so maybe I'll try blinging myself up and see how it feels!

Got to love Bentley & Skinner - I have a regular drool at the window whenever I walk past. If you take them there for a chat about sales then you could also pop in to the shops in Burlington Arcade that sell vintage jewellery and ask the same question.

I would sell them. They are a burden and you aren’t getting any joy from them. They probably meant an awful lot to their original owners when they were new but that doesn’t mean they need to be locked in a box in the houses of every descendent. They sound like nice, high quality, pieces that someone else will get a lot of pleasure out of and you can do something significant with the money rather than it just ending up going of bills etc. You can’t keep everything that was once important to other people forever.

Come and see meee!!

I’m a jeweller and jewellery designer for Wylde Jewellers, we are a small independent based in Bath, and we specialise in remodelling precious and sentimental pieces of jewellery into something new and beautiful and perfect for you! 💍 💎

What most people don’t realise is that when you sell jewellery you sell it for likely only 10%-50% of its insurance / retail value….

BUT if you remodel jewellery, yes you have to pay for the workmanship cost of having it remodelled, but then you retain the full value of the individual materials!

Our design appointments are free of charge and there are no premiums for having something made bespoke!

The cost of having something remodelled is often a lot less than buying new!! And you keep all the sentimental value too!!

@certainlycertain My insurance resets the value each year. Valuation costs are £££!

You could browse Grays Antique market for people who will buy from you or go to a valuation day with a big Auction house - they all have jewellery sales. There are some good auction houses outside London too who know their jewelry.

Don’t be sucked into remodelling. You really should not break up antique and collectable jewellery. It is not the same as buying new.

I have a friend who remodeled a 1930s marquise diamond ring that was set in platinum. It was reset, west to east, instead of north to south (if you get me) and set in a mix of yellow and white gold with a rub over setting. Truly horrible and spoilt a fantastic piece and diamond. Taste is something you cannot buy.

I'd have sold it a decade ago 😂

They used a specialist jewellery valuer, who made an assessment based on photos and descriptions

I'm surprised they have allowed you to have such valuable jewellery on a home insurance policy. I had to take out a separate jewellery policy as the amount was deemed out of sync with the house contents policy. It is costly. The sizes of carats you mention are valuable.

No, there was no issue with that. Any item valued at over £30,000 has to be specified, but anything under is lumped together and it's all part of the overall policy. The insurer is Ecclesiastical, if you're shopping.

I'd love to see the art deco bracelet. ❤️

Thanks I will have a look. Currently with Stanhope and previously T H March.

I had a quick look but for my 3 bed house the value of individual jewellery items is not enough for the items. Plus I'm not clergy 😂

So this is for house insurance or what? You said the jewellery was covered by it? I'm confused.

It covers our house and the contents of the house. The jewellery is part of the contents. I don't think that's particularly unusual? It was the same with our last insurer (Hiscox).

@clary No, it's for the house and all the contents of the house, which includes the jewellery. The jewellery increases the cost, but the bulk is the usual home and contents insurance.

@mypinkdogYou can insure expensive jewellery on home insurance. Generally very few companies will do it. You need high value ones. No one would ever insure paintings if they were uninsurable. There’s usually high cost and they do tend to assume you wear jewellery. Never had to keep getting mine revalued though. That’s another big expense. If you don’t like the jewellery op, auction or decent London jeweller who will sell it for you.

I'm sentimental, I wear both my grandmothers rings everyday, platinum diamonds and wedding rings, both about 100 years old, will pass them on to my granddaughters. But, if I didn't love them, I would be tempted to sell them and buy something special with the money.

I'm thinking you meant this for the OP? I do insure jewellery with a specialist insurance company as the value of it is disproportionate to the contents according to most insurance companies. It's covered for home but more importantly loss and theft if out of the house.

Unless you are living in a castle I would be looking at separating the two as that is a very high amount. Of course it depends on the value of the jewellery too.

I shouldn't have posted that as it's sidetracked from the point of the thread, but in short, we live in a large, listed house in London zone 1, and have some valuable art, furniture and musical instruments. I don't know how much specifically the jewellery adds to the total, but it's not disproportionate to the contents. When we're next up for renewal, I'll ask our insurance broker to look into separating the two

But back to the topic, it feels wasteful to just hold onto jewellery I am unlikely to wear.

@OhDear111 I think I've probably already overshared here, so am reluctant to post photos.

Blimey. How others live eh? Not being arsy @certainlycertain just a bit gobsmacked. Anyway maybe ask MN to delete that post?

I still think you should sell it if you just don't wear it – it might be add £££ to your insurance and for what? Make a plan to do something super with the money tho (as I infer it will be a tidy sum) – a spectacular holiday, some work to the house, a gorgeous piece of art that will bring joy to your day. All the best with it, genuinely.

It’s incredibly easy to collect items and then worry about insuring them! Fair enough about pictures of the items but I think you know what realistic solutions are if you don’t want to keep them.