Would a 33 year old appraisal value show appreciation or decline?

[AnnK]

I have a 33-year-old appraisal for some cultured pearls in perfect condition, double strand, 26 inches, lovely diamond and pearl clasp. I wonder if there’s a general trend that would indicate that they would be valued for less now, half as much. I let them go for that to a jeweler and I may have been …. too transactional, too impulsive. She had me convinced that pearls are not popular anymore, but she loved the clasp. Any opinions would be very interesting to me. Thank you.

 

[Pearl Dreams]

The appraisal was most likely for replacement value. That isn't the price a jeweler would pay you, because she has to be able to mark it up to make a profit when she sells it.
One buys at retail, but sells at wholesale.

I can't answer you about appraisal values of pearls over time, but second hand pearls tend not to hold the value they had when new. But gold prices are definitely up compared to 33 years ago, and if the pearl and diamond clasp was gold, she may have felt the value was largely in the clasp. Perhaps she didn't think her clientele would be very interested in your specific necklace, but might buy it for the clasp. It may not be so easy to sell a two-strand necklace of 26". A single strand of 18" would be more universally desirable, I would think. So this may all have entered into her calculation when she offered you the price she did.

I disagree with the idea that pearls aren't popular any more. Pearls are timeless. They have always been loved, and will always be loved-- by women, certainly, but increasingly also by men.

In any case, what's done is done, and now you have some money to spend on whatever you like!

 

[CortezPearls]

I agree wholeheartedly with @Pearl Dreams
And pearls are amazingly POPULAR today...they have always been popular, but now they are even more so, and current prices are reflecting it.

 

[pearlgirl12]

I agree wholeheartedly with @Pearl Dreams
And pearls are amazingly POPULAR today...they have always been popular, but now they are even more so, and current prices are reflecting it.

I find it amusing that pearls are "on trend" because I've loved them for sixty years, ever since my grandmother let my 5-year-old self parade around her house in a diamond-clasped double strand. I wore fakes until I was earning enough to buy my first "good" Akoyas. My office mates referred to me as 'Queen Mum" and "Audrey" (Hepburn, ofc) as if I came from another era. I never cared. Now we see NBA players, Kpop artists, and men's & women's fashion magazines where pearls are THE accessory. I guess the rest of the world has caught up to us these last few years. This past weekend a local barista was staring at my chest. Having been on this earth too long to be shy, I asked him if he was alright. I never expected him to say, "I'm so sorry, it's just that I love your pearls." They were metallic Edisons, but he also remembered some crazy baroque iridescent flameballs from the week before. I'd be lying if I said this isn't fun.

I never expect to recoup my $ investment in pearls. The truth is that most shops have little actual pearl knowledge/high-quality inventory. But I also haven't wanted to sell anything. Grandma's double strand (now single opera length) plus her retro pearl brooches are all about sentimental value (even though there is gold value). Of the pieces I've bought I'll enjoy their beauty and uniqueness until I'm ready to redesign them (that first strand of Akoyas became a double bracelet years ago, and the leftovers were combined with raw ruby beads for something funkier) or to gift them to cousins or close friends who will appreciate them (there's a list!).

 

[CathyKeshi]

Well said, pearlgirl12; I agree!