| Hi Sharon,
I think I wrote several messages on the subject of appraisals before. There are various levels of appraisals depending on whether they are being appraised for insurance, buying, or selling purposes. One should also keep in mind what the local market is.
Sadly enough, when you intend to sell, all you really need are brand name clasps, boxes, and papers. The pearls themselves are an afterthought. In most cases that also applies to the appraisal process itself since most estate jewelers are not going to look beyond the clasp. Any marketing effort (cleaning, restringing, clasp upgrades, etc.) would be something to negotiate with a jeweler taking them on consignment. You (or your mother) would probably have to invest into cleaning and restringing if you were going to put them up for auction. If you know a celebrity, let the person wear it once and be sure to take a picture showing the clasp and the celebrity's face. That is usually the best value enhancer in our day and age.
Zeide  |