How Antique Diamond Rings Are Valued (2024)

FAQs

Are antique diamonds worth anything? ›

Antique diamonds offer extremely good value for money compared with modern diamonds.

Engagement rings typically sell second-hand for 30%-50% of the original retail price. To get the best price for your diamond ring, it pays to sell to the experts. At myGemma, our team of GIA-trained gemologists buy engagement rings of all shapes and qualities with at least one stone of 0.50ct+.

The easiest way to determine the approximate resale value of a diamond ring is to deduct 30% from the original purchase price. There are other ways to achieve a more precise self-evaluation for your ring, which take into account market conditions, the cut of the diamond, type of precious metal, and consumer demand.

There are a variety of options. Some jewelry stores will buy jewelry, either for resale or for the value of the gemstones and gold or other metal. There are advantages to selling at a local jewelry store near you. At a local jewelry store, you can speak directly to those who will be purchasing your jewelry.

In most cases, the precise qualification is that the diamond be around since the 1930's. The value of a diamond is said to increase with age, so the older the diamond, the more expensive the diamond is said to be.

We recommend taking the piece to a jeweler to be tested. They will have professional tests that will determine whether your jewelry is real as well as the purity of the metal itself. A certified appraiser will be able to provide the value of the piece as well.

A piece of jewellery should be described as antique if it is over 100 years old. As jewellery passes over the 100-year age mark, it technically becomes classified as antique as opposed to vintage, but as we have learned already – it's common for the lines to be blurred, especially with unique engagement rings.

With antique and vintage jewellery the piece has already gone from 'new' to 'old' before you buy it so its purchase value remains the same. In the same way that classic cars are always in demand and retain their value, so antique jewellery will always be collectable and desirable and retain theirs.

A diamond's value is determined by its famous 4Cs: carat weight, color, cut, clarity. A value of a diamond is determined by an appraiser using these four dimensions while the value of a diamond ring adds the additional element of the quality of the band.

What do you do with old diamond rings? ›

The value of loose diamonds does not depend on their age, assuming that they are in good condition. The market value of any loose diamond will depend on the famous “4 C's”—cut, color, carat and clarity. If you purchased the diamond, you probably know its ranking.

Value. Most of the time, buying vintage and antique engagement rings offer more value than buying a new ring.

Because of changes in how diamonds have been valued, older stones may have warmer color tones than modern gems. Similarly, the cut of an older stone will typically be less precise, and cuts like the mine, rose, old European, and table cut are much more common in vintage rings.

Vintage rings usually are at least 20 to 50 years old not as old as antique rings. Antique jewelers consider these eras to include retro and late Art Deco era, and the mid centuries, the Fabulous 50s, the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s.

The term antique is generally applied to items at least one hundred years old; stones cut in the 1930s and 40s still exhibit antique cutting styles even if they're not quite one hundred years old, so can be considered vintage. It's a fair bet that almost all antique diamonds are also post-consumer.

Diamond price is reflective of size, quality and therefore rarity. The higher cut, colour, clarity and carat weight, the rarer the stones and therefore the greater the value of diamonds.

There are many different venues where diamonds can be resold, from auction houses and shops to pawn shops and jewellery stores. Ultimately, the value you obtain from reselling your diamond jewellery in any of the areas mentioned above is determined by the correct timing and market demand.