Sell estate jewellery in Kelowna

Settling an estate usually means dealing with a mix of things at once: gold rings and chains, a few diamond pieces, a watch that stopped years ago, sterling flatware in a wooden box, and coins nobody has looked at in decades. Each of those is valued a different way, and most buyers only really know one of them. Because we buy gold, silver, platinum, diamonds and luxury watches, we can look at the whole collection in a single appointment and tell you what each part is worth.

Nothing is rushed and nothing is committed until you say so. You can sell everything, sell some of it, or simply leave with the figures and decide later. The estimate is free whether you sell or not.

Bring everything, exactly as it is

Do not sort it, clean it, polish it or repair it first. Broken chains, single earrings and unstamped pieces are worth exactly as much per gram as anything else, and the pieces people assume are worthless are the ones that most often surprise them. Tarnish does not reduce the value of silver, and a polish can cost you value on a collectible watch. Any money spent preparing pieces for sale comes out of your side of the transaction.

How each part of an estate is valued

Gold and platinum jewellery

Bought for its metal content. We sort it by karat, test it at the counter, weigh each group on a scale facing you, and price it against the market on the day. Condition does not matter. The full method is on our page about selling gold in Kelowna.

Diamonds and diamond rings

Graded on the four Cs with the loupe pointed your way. The centre stone, any accent stones and the gold or platinum setting are quoted separately, so you can see where the value sits. We also tell you whether a stone is natural or laboratory-grown, because the two trade in very different markets. More on selling diamonds in Kelowna.

Luxury and pocket watches

Valued on the movement, the brand and reference, the condition and originality, and the box and papers if you still have them. A watch that has stopped is still a serviceable machine, and missing paperwork changes the number without erasing it. Older pocket watches often have solid gold cases. More on selling a luxury watch in Kelowna.

Sterling silver and flatware

Inherited flatware is the most common silver we see. Sterling is weighed and priced by purity, plate is identified and handed back, and weighted knives and candlesticks are priced for their silver shell only. Incomplete sets and monograms are fine. If a complete set is worth more to a collector than as metal, we will say so. More on selling silver in Kelowna.

Coins and bullion

Gold coins, bars and bullion are bought by weight and content. Canadian silver coins dated 1966 and earlier are 80 percent silver, and some 1967 and 1968 coins are 50 percent. If a coin has collector value above its metal content, we will point that out rather than melting it past you.

Keep what matters, sell the rest

You are not obliged to sell everything. Many families keep one or two pieces for sentimental reasons and sell the rest. Some sell a ring's setting as scrap and keep the diamond to have it reset, or have old gold remade into something new for a family member through our jewellery manufacturing service. Both are common requests.

Selling locally or mailing it away

Online auction sites and mail-in buyers can work, but they ask you to ship the pieces away and wait for them to be assessed, and with an auction you do not know the final amount until bidding closes and fees come off. At our office, nothing ever leaves your sight. Everything is assessed in front of you, you get a figure before you commit to anything, and if you accept, you are paid cash on the spot, the same day. If you want a second opinion, take our figure and compare it: we guarantee to match or beat any quote in Kelowna and the Okanagan Valley.

Need a valuation for the estate itself?

A buyer's estimate is not an appraisal. If you need a formal written valuation for probate, insurance, a divorce settlement or a legal matter, that should come from an independent appraiser who is not buying the item. We do not do certified appraisals, because we are buyers, and we refer people to Stellar Gem Services, the only truly independent jewellery appraiser and certified gem lab in the Okanagan.

Your appointment

Larger collections and estates are best booked as an appointment so they get the time they need, though walk-ins are welcome. We are at Unit 301, 478 Bernard Avenue, ScotiaBank Building, third floor, Downtown Kelowna, BC V1Y 6N7, open Monday to Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM. Call +1 (250) 860-0096, or +1 866-872-0096 toll free. As licensed buyers we record every purchase against government-issued ID, so please bring your driver's licence or passport. If you are handling an estate on someone else's behalf, call us before you come in.