Sell to Us · Estate Jewelry
Sell estate jewelry to buyers who read the signature first.
A gold scale cannot tell a Cartier from a class ring. Before we weigh anything, we look for the signature, the hallmark, the cut of the stones, and the way the piece was made. A signed Van Cleef & Arpels brooch or an Art Deco platinum ring can be worth many times its metal, and the only way to know is to look before the scale ever comes out.
We are the team behind Old 44 Vintage in San Juan Capistrano, and we buy estate jewelry across Southern California, at our Laguna Hills warehouse or at your kitchen table. Bring us one ring or the whole jewelry box, sorted or not. The evaluation happens in front of you, piece by piece, explained plainly, and if you like the number we pay cash on the same visit.
What we look for in an estate collection
Signed pieces
Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co., David Webb, and other maker-marked jewelry.
Period jewelry
Victorian mourning pieces, Edwardian platinum, Art Deco geometry, bold Retro gold from the 1940s.
Mid-century and modernist
Scandinavian silver, studio jewelry, and sculptural gold from the 1950s-70s.
Diamonds and colored stones
Old European and old mine cuts, sapphires, rubies, jade, and natural pearls, mounted or loose.
Whole jewelry boxes
The entire box, costume mixed with fine, unsorted; we separate and explain as we go.
One visit, explained in front of you
Estate jewelry in Southern California tends to surface at tender moments: a parent's house in Pasadena being emptied, a Newport Beach downsizing, a safe deposit box opened for the first time in decades. We work quietly. House calls are free and unhurried, and nothing leaves your sight during the evaluation. We explain what each piece is, which market it sells into, and why the number is what it is. Our offers reflect the real resale markets we sell into, laid out as we go. We are dealers and buyers, not licensed appraisers or gemologists, and we say so plainly. If a piece genuinely belongs at a major auction house instead of with us, we will tell you that too.
A Recent Find
A 1940s Levi’s Type 1 jacket, sold to us by a former dealer who knew exactly what he had. We paid $12,000 in cash, the same day.
How it works
Call us.
A real conversation about what you have, no forms, no waiting.
We come to you.
We look at everything, at your pace. We know what we're seeing.
Cash offer, same visit.
A fair price on the spot, or a full estate sale run for you.
Common questions
How do you value a signed piece like Cartier or Tiffany?
The signature is the starting point, not the whole story. Period, condition, rarity of the model, and original boxes or papers all move the number. A signed piece sells to collectors, not to a refinery, so we price it against what those collectors actually pay, and we show you the reasoning.
Do you buy single pieces, or only full collections?
Both. A single Victorian brooch or one good ring justifies a free visit, and so does a dresser full of unsorted boxes. We regularly buy collections where fine pieces hide among costume jewelry, and we separate the two in front of you rather than quoting one blended number.
Are you licensed appraisers?
No, and we will not pretend to be. We are dealers who buy for the resale markets we know, and our offers reflect real prices in those markets, explained in front of you. If you need a formal written appraisal for insurance or probate, that requires a licensed appraiser, not us.
Who buys old jewelry near me?
We do, anywhere in Southern California. We are the team behind Old 44 Vintage in San Juan Capistrano, we make free house calls, and we evaluate every piece in front of you before making a cash offer. One phone call to (949) 449-1255 is the whole process.
Know what it’s worth before you sell.
Our field guides explain how the market actually prices these things. No fishing, no hype: real ranges and the details that move them.
One call. We’ll take it
from there.
(949) 449-1255Mon-Sat 6 am-8 pm · Sun 8 am-5 pm
A real person answers, Monday through Saturday. Photos sent today are usually answered the same day.
Prefer photos? Text them straight to the same number · or send them here
Also from California Vintage Buyers