Often Asked Questions About Selling Your Jewellery

What types of jewellery does Bentley & Skinner buy?

• Bentley & Skinner buys a wide range of new and second hand jewellery including gold, platinum and diamond items, dress rings, diamond engagement rings, gold signet rings, gold bracelets, brooches, earrings and diamond studs, necklaces, gold chains, pendants and lockets, tiaras, jewelled objets d’art, Russian works of art, Fabergé, silver items and much more.
• We buy jewellery from all periods, antique to modern, contemporary, vintage and estate. We highly value 18th, 19th and 20th century jewellery: jewels from the Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian eras. We also purchase Art Nouveau and Art Deco jewellery through the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and up to the present day.
• We buy loose diamonds and precious stones: rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls, aquamarines, amethysts and topaz and all other semi-precious gemstones as well as old gold, platinum and silver.
• Bentley & Skinner buys jewellery signed by renowned makers such as Cartier, Lacloche, Boucheron, Chaumet, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany, David Morris, Castellani, Giuliano, Philipps and Faberge. Although this list is not exclusive, signed pieces are highly collectable and carry an enormous premium which we are happy to reflect in our offers.

How do Bentley & Skinner value jewellery offered for sale?

When Bentley & Skinner assesses your jewellery for sale, we consider the weight and finesse of the precious metal, the value of any diamonds, precious gemstones, and pearls. We take into account the age and craftsmanship of the item, its condition and its collectability in order to offer you the fairest price.

Why should I sell my jewellery to Bentley & Skinner and not at auction?

• One might think that a public auction would be the best way of ensuring the highest price for your jewellery. However, today’s Buyer’s Premium at 30% inclusive of VAT charged by the auctioneers means buyers reduce their bids accordingly. In addition, sellers are charged with saleroom commission, insurance and illustration fees. Taken together, this means that if your jewellery does sell in the auction for which it was submitted, you might only recover a little over half of the true value of your property.
• From the date that your jewellery has been consigned to the auction house, it might take up to three months for the first suitable sale and at least a month thereafter until you are paid.
• Another disadvantage of sale by auction is that if the piece does not reach the agreed reserve price, fees will still be payable.
• You might need to wait again for many months to re-submit your jewellery to another sale, and the reserve price might be lowered the second time round as the piece has already been exposed and will therefore be less desirable to a potential buyer.

Our Advice

If searching for “sell jewellery near me” or “sell jewellery in London” don’t visit the nearest premises suggested for the sake of convenience but visit us in Piccadilly to obtain the best possible price.

Hatton Garden is often thought of as the centre of London’s jewellery business, but we would strongly recommend you to consult us first before accepting an offer there.