How Do Antique Dealers Acquire Their Jewellery?

  We all know that the best place to acquire genuine antique jewellery is from the antique dealer, yet we do not know how these stunning items of jewellery end up at the antique dealer’s premises. There are several ways antique dealers acquire pieces and here are some details on the origin of the antique dealer’s inventory.

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House Auctions

  It is often the case when someone passes away, to auction off all of the furniture and some personal possessions, which the antique dealer would likely attend, spending a few hours browsing the listed items, looking for a bargain. The dealer makes notes while inspecting and he or she will probably bid for certain items during the auction, yet would have a ceiling price per item. Sometimes their bid is successful and sometimes they are outbid by another dealer, who is also looking to make a profit.

 

Private Sellers

  

  Let’s imagine an investor wishes to liquidate some of their antique jewellery collection, they would usually approach a reputable antique dealer, who would make an offer based on a visual inspection of the item in question. In the event the seller needs to find cash in a hurry, they may be tempted to sell for lower than market prices and the antique dealer will take advantage in such a situation with a healthy cash offer. 

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 When you buy from a reputable dealer, you can rest assured the items are genuine. Indeed, the d ealer would know some things about the history of the piece, which adds to the attraction. A monarch could have once worn one of those intricately designed antique jewellery for sale - an antique necklace or a diamond engagement ring may have been once presented to an English Lady by a handsome prince. One of the main attractions of antique jewellery is the mysterious and often romantic history that comes with it.

 

Dealer To Dealer

  

  As you would expect, antique dealers do keep in touch and very often, they will trade pieces or sell if a dealer has a request to source a specific piece. A client might be looking for a very specific Edwardian necklace and their local dealer will circulate the request to the network of dealers in the hope that someone has this piece. Of course, the dealer would closely examine the item and if it is what their client is looking for, they would make an offer.

Jewellery Collections

  If an elderly woman passes away, the descendants might decide to put her jewellery collection on the market. They might wish to sell the entire collection as a job lot, or are happy to sell individual pieces and their local antique dealer might make an offer for the entire collection, if they feel there is a profit to be made.

 

Antique Fairs & Flea Markets

 

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  The antique dealer spends a lot of time browsing antique fairs and flea markets, looking for genuine antiques that are fairly priced. It is often the case where the seller has no idea of the value of a particular piece and ends up selling it for a fraction of its real value, which ends up as a huge mark-up for the purchaser.