Myths, Misconceptions, and the Truth About Estate Jewelry

As a jeweler that specializes in buying and selling estate jewelry, we know that there’s a lot of confusion out there about estate jewelry. For example, people often wonder: is estate jewelry is the same thing as vintage or antique jewelry? Is estate jewelry good quality? Or bad quality? What exactly is estate jewelry? To help clear up some of the confusion surrounding estate jewelry, we’ve put together this simple guide to understanding estate jewelry. Read on to learn what estate jewelry is (and what it isn’t) as we address all the most frequently asked questions about estate jewelry.

So, what exactly is estate jewelry? “Estate jewelry” is simply a fancy way of saying “pre-owned jewelry.” A piece of jewelry doesn’t have to have come from an estate sale to be estate jewelry. Additionally, a piece of jewelry doesn’t have to be a certain number of years old to be estate jewelry. Any pre-owned piece of jewelry is estate jewelry, no matter which term you choose to use to describe it.

Estate jewelry is not the same thing as vintage or antique jewelry. However, estate jewelry can also be either vintage or antique jewelry, depending on how old it is. Estate jewelry is any pre-owned piece of jewelry, so it can come from any era. But jewelry must be a certain number of years old to be called vintage or antique. Vintage jewelry is any piece of jewelry that is 20 or more years old, while antique jewelry is any piece of jewelry that is 100 or more years old.

So while estate jewelry is not, by definition, vintage or antique jewelry, estate jewelry can be vintage or antique depending on the year in which it was made. You’ll often find many gorgeous vintage and antique pieces in a selection of estate jewelry (such as our own). But know that the term “estate” does not automatically mean a piece is vintage or antique.

It’s a very common misconception that estate jewelry is “unlucky” or that it comes with “bad energy.” However, we certainly don’t think this is the case. Estate jewelry is simply pre-owned jewelry and there are many reasons people decide to sell their jewelry. The most common reason people sell their jewelry to us is that they simply no longer enjoy wearing it. Or, they may have inherited a piece of jewelry that is beautiful and valuable, but just doesn’t suit their personal style. So instead of holding on to a piece of jewelry that will never get worn, people simply sell it so they can put the value of their jewelry toward something they would enjoy, like a vacation (or even just another piece of jewelry that they like more).

While some estate jewelry may have been sold because of a the end of a relationship, we personally don’t think this says anything about the energy of the jewelry itself. Just because someone else may have had a bad experience while they owned a piece of jewelry doesn’t mean that the next person who owns it will have the same experience. You can make many beautiful new memories while wearing a gorgeous piece of estate jewelry that brings you joy.

Some people think that estate jewelry is always bad quality, while others think that estate jewelry is always good quality. The truth is that estate jewelry can be any quality, since “estate” simply means “pre-owned.” We will say, however, that quite often the jewelry you’ll find sold as estate jewelry is good quality. This is because most people don’t go through the trouble of trying to sell pre-owned jewelry that isn’t fine jewelry. And, then, any reputable estate jeweler wouldn’t want to purchase pre-owned jewelry that isn’t beautiful and finely made, since they wouldn’t be able to re-sell it.

Of course, not all estate jewelry is made equally and not all jewelers have the same standards for what they carry. But please know that at Jackie Abraham Jewelers, we have very rigorous standards for what we choose to put in our jewelry case. Every piece of estate jewelry we carry is inspected down to the finest detail. We inspect the beauty and quality of a piece’s materials, craftsmanship, and design before we even consider adding it to our estate jewelry collection. Then, we carry only beautiful, precious, and well-crafted pieces that we strongly believe our customers would adore.

There you have it: the answers to our all the frequently asked questions about estate jewelry! We hope that this guide has helped our readers understand more about what estate jewelry is (and isn’t).

Since estate jewelry is simply pre-owned jewelry, it can come in so many forms. To get an idea of just how gorgeous and unique estate jewelry can be, visit Jackie Abraham Jewelers. We specializing in buying and selling stunning fine and estate jewelry and have a particular passion for antique and vintage pieces. Our selection of uniquely beautiful jewelry includes jewelry that spans the eras, including pieces from the Art Deco Era, the Victorian Era, the Retro Era, the Art Nouveau Era, the Edwardian Era, and other time periods throughout history. To see our full selection of estate jewelry, visit our jewelry showroom in Bay Harbor Islands. Or, to see a selection of some of the jewelry we currently have in stock at our jewelry store, view our Jewelry Page.

Also, note that we do buy jewelry in addition to selling it. If you have an estate piece you’re considering selling, come in to our showroom for a selling appointment. We buy a wide variety of fine jewelry made from materials such as yellow gold, white gold, platinum, rose gold, diamonds, and gemstones. We’re interested in purchasing many types of finely made pieces. Some examples of pieces we frequently purchase include fine necklaces, fine bracelets, diamond rings, gemstone rings, diamond engagement rings, non-diamond engagement rings, antique or vintage engagement rings, fine lockets, cameo jewelry, brooches, wedding rings and wedding bands, and more. While we do have a particular interest in buying certain signed jewelry (such as jewelry by Tiffany & Co and Cartier), we also specialize in buying unique heirloom, vintage, and antique jewelry. So if you have a piece that is not from a notable jewelry designer, please note the we also consider quality, jewelry design, materials, and historical value when we purchase jewelry.