Investing in Estate Jewellery

Why Invest Estate Jewellery?

Many people all over the world feel that old, used items are just a valuable as modern object, sometimes even more so. Some people find objects from bygone eras extremely fascinating, like first edition books, classic cars, stately homes, and Old Master paintings, and consider these to be beautiful, significant, and valuable.

In the UK, the British upper class is known for treating an old, patched, carefully tailored suit that once belonged to a great grandfather, as a prized possession. As the saying goes, “they don’t make them like they used to,” and it is frequently so true.

The same applies to estate jewellery. Apart from the exceptional beauty and sophisticated elegance of old pieces, there is something absolutely magical about jewellery that has a history attached to it and as a bonus, is also an excellent investment. 

Following are several excellent reasons for investing in estate jewellery:

Extremely appealing – there is a mystical, romantic beauty to antique jewellery that people who love and collect jewellery find irresistible. Antique jewellery that has been carefully handmade by skilled craftsmen is almost impossible to match these days. The exquisite attention to detail, delicate sparkle and techniques from days gone by are incomparable in today’s modern designs.

Excellent value – second-hand, antique, and vintage jeweller is VAT-exempt, so when you buy these pieces, the price you pay is automatically 20% less than what you would pay for a brand new, equivalent piece. In addition to this, no manufacturing costs are included in the price, so when you buy old jewellery, you are paying for the same quality materials and gemstones but nothing for the seller’s expenses.

In addition to this, many antique jewellery sellers are small businesses which sell from showrooms, stalls, or online, to reduce retail costs, which can be expensive. This shows in the prices of their vintage jewellery pieces.

It retains its value – buying a new are or modern jewellery is the same – you pay the new price, but as soon as it leaves the showroom, its value drops because it is now a “used” item. With vintage and antique jewellery on the other hand, the piece is already “used,” so the purchase price remains the same.

As with classic cars, antique jewellery is also always in demand and retains its value and will remain desirable and be collectables forever.

Better quality – most modern jewellery these days, is cast, unlike antique and vintage pieces, which were almost always handcrafted or sometimes, in the cases of newer vintage pieces, finished off by hand.

Not even luxury, bespoke modern pieces have the same level of quality excellence and workmanship that is regularly seen in antique and vintage jewellery. Jewellery in days gone by, was made by extremely skilled craftsmen who spent a long time making bespoke pieces for their wealthy customers. This resulted in the workmanship of yesteryear being way more refined than even the finest jewellery manufactured these days.

Environmentally-friendly – the mining of precious metals and gemstones needed for the manufacture of today’s jewellery, uses significant amounts of resources, which makes it impossible to produce jewellery that is environmentally-friendly. In other words, when you buy vintage or antique jewellery, you are actually helping to conserve the environment, rather than just a consumer.

During the civil war in Africa in the 1980s, conflict diamonds, also referred to as “blood diamonds”, came into existence. Diamonds used in jewellery made before this time, is unsullied by this badly regulated, unpleasant controversy.

The majority of vintage or antique jewellery dealers are one-man or small family businesses, so when you buy jewellery from yesteryears, you are supporting small business, and not large, wealthy corporations.

Estate jewellery is unique – unlike today’s mass-produced jewellery, each piece of estate jewellery was unique, so there is little chance of you finding a duplicate of the piece you have invested in. In fact, it is just about impossible to match two pieces of antique or vintage jewellery.

The thing is, just about every piece of antique jewellery will more than likely have been created by a skilled artisan as a one-off, for one of their elite clients.

Every piece of antique jewellery has a bit of history – when you buy antique jewellery, you are acquiring a romantic, mystical piece from another era, with a bit of a story attached to it. As the new owner, you will be playing a role in the next chapter of its history.

It’s authentic – jewellery created in the style of a bygone era is easy to come by and is almost the same as having a replica of a van Gogh on your wall rather than the genuine article. However, you have hit the proverbial jackpot when you buy a piece that was created during that time, by a craftsman using the materials and techniques of those days!

It is well made – if the piece of jewellery you buy is intact and in great condition, then the chances are good that it was extremely well made, with proper care, and will remain in that condition for years to come.

It’s a fashion statement – anyone can buy a brand name piece of modern jewellery, but it takes someone with personal style to hunt for and track down a piece of antique jewellery that you fall in love with at first glance!

The hunt is exhilarating! – the hunt is part of the fun of collecting and buying antique jewellery. It’s the knowing where to look and what to look for that is exciting! Finding out about old techniques and trends and getting to know all about the background of the different pieces is in itself an exhilarating, exciting experience! Finally finding that piece and buying it to add to your collection is like a dream come true!

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