Is this the right time to sell your jewelry?

Do you have what the market wants?

This post is not about having to sell your jewelry. I hope no one is ever in that position. But if you have decided that you no longer want some piece of jewelry that you own, the question is how well the market is paying for it.

With the holiday season approaching, now is the best time to think about what your jewelry might sell for. It is estimated that jewelry stores sell up to one-third of their annual volume in the November/December period. This is often your item’s best shot.

So, what do estate jewelry buyers want right now? You need to know which market you’re talking about — someone in the jewelry trade or an ultimate consumer. The former is buying for resale, while the latter is buying to wear and enjoy. The ultimate consumer is buying your item either in the private secondary market (directly from you) or the second-hand retail market (in a retail store, pawn shop, at auction, etc.).

The most basic trade level is based on your item’s intrinsic precious metal price — that is, its scrap value. This changes all the time through any given day. At nearly $3,400 per ounce for 24-karat (as of 8/11/25), it is very close its historic all-time high of $3,500 in April.

This means that if your jewelry is in poor condition, of mediocre to poor quality (the sort that is often bought new at national chain jewelry stores in malls), or whose style is terribly out of date — think “just plain ugly” — now is the time to scrap it.

What if you have great jewelry?

Even if your jewelry passes the tests of high quality and good condition, you still need to think about its style. The classic example is a big diamond brooch made in the 1950s. No matter how beautiful or fine, big formal diamond brooches are almost never worn. You would expect to wait a very long time, maybe years, for a sale to an end user. Or you could decide to settle for a price based on less than wholesale for the diamonds plus intrinsic metal value.

On the other hand, some jewelry commands interest from both trade and consumer buyers. This includes Art Deco, which was made from about 1925-1939 — followed (in approximate order) by Victorian (1800s), Mid-Century (1950s-1980s), Retro (1940s), and collectible contemporary.

Edwardian (early 1900s) and Art Nouveau (late 1800s-early 1900s) jewelry might rank higher if there were more of it, but neither period lasted long, so not much of it was produced.

Another category of great jewelry has a “famous name,” such as Tiffany, Rolex, Mikimoto, or many designers whose pieces gain recognition — some known to the general public, like David Yurman, and others only to a few collectors, like the French artist/jeweler JAR. (Search his name online to see his remarkable creations at auction.)

If your jewelry is somewhere in the middle (neither the best nor the worst), you can investigate markets like Facebook Marketplace or eBay. (For a list of types of markets, see my blog here.)

Here is what I tell everyone: The most money you can hope to get comes from seeking out the best ultimate consumer as your buyer. This can take a long time. If you do not wish to spend this time and effort, a broker like myself can assist you.

What about diamonds?

Over the past couple of years, the diamond market has faced perhaps its greatest crisis in history. This began with robust sales during COVID, which led to oversupply when consumer spending on travel and other “experiential” luxuries resumed in the ensuing recovery. Diamond demand was also hurt by the slump in China’s economy.

By far the most dramatic development has been the tidal waves of lab-grown diamonds washing over the diamond market over the last five years or so. As their prices reach lower and lower levels, they siphon off demand for natural diamonds.

The middle to low end of the diamond market — first-time diamond buyers for weights under two carats of average to poor quality — has been especially challenged. Why buy an imperfect natural stone when you can buy a much larger, finer one for 10-15% of the cost?

As with everything in the jewelry world, “bigger and better” suffers less during downturns and is the first to recover. This year, wholesale prices of finer, larger stones have improved. This results in higher trade offers for your diamond if it meets this description.

Other factors you need to know: the diamond market has turned away from square shapes like “princess” and towards elongated fancy shapes (those other than round). At the moment, oval is the most popular shape, and for the first time in many years, there is strong demand for marquise. Market observers say demand and prices for some fancy shapes are outperforming rounds.

[A huge unknown is the new 25% tariff on goods imported from India, set to rise to 50% at the end of this month. Because 90% of all diamonds are cut in India, this barrier will make imports impossible and dry up inventories in the U.S., which will likely increase the value of diamonds already in this country.]

Do colored stones sell?

I rarely see colored stones of great value in the jewelry people bring me to sell. This is because there isn’t much of it. Many owners have high hopes, but it usually disappoints them.

But the value of truly fine-grade colored stones that weigh enough only goes up over time. At that point, a prestigious origin (e.g., Burma ruby and sapphire, Colombian emerald) and the absence of treatments such as heat or fracture-filling are very important.

A report from one of the major gemological research laboratories aids in achieving the highest prices possible for such stones. I can oversee this process for you.

If you have jewelry you’re considering selling and would like to learn more it, I offer a Broker’s Price Opinion to explore its saleability and ways go about getting it sold. For a full description, please see my web page here.