How much are crest rings worth? Asked Susan

Hi Maria, I inherited some crest rings from my dad. I didn’t know that he collected such rings that’s why I have no idea what they are and what value they have. I’m in posession of a very nice looking crest ring with stones (they could be diamonds), a bad looking one, a gold crest ring without stones and a silver crest ring. My mom mentioned that dad bought them many years ago and she is very sure that he spent a lot of money for them. Now I’m in hope that I can sell them for a good price. How much is a crest ring worth? And how much are old or damaged crest rings worth? I don’t want to sell them without having an idea of the value. Maybe you can help me, Maria?
Susan from Fort Collins in Colorado

Dear Susan, crest rings are more than just an ordinary piece of jewelry. A crest ring transports a special message or it should remember of a family or maybe crest rings honor extraordinary accomplishments. Whatever it stands for, a crest ring is a piece of history and sometimes an awesome memory. But not all crest rings show a high value because the value strongly depends on the demand. If the crest ring belongs to an unknown family or to an unknown person, you can’t expect an extremely high price and if the ring belongs to a very famous person or family, you can hit the jackpot. It really depends, Susan.
reDollar appraiser, Maria Tait

Susan wants to know, how much a crest rings worth?

Susan: I own some crest rings and I need some help. I hope that you can give me some more information about my rings. Some are very nice looking but for me it’s hard to imagine that they are valuable. My mom says they are and before I offer them for selling, I’d like to discover their value. I tried to make some very good photos for you which I sent you by email. Maybe they are helpful for you. How much is a crest ring worth? And is a crest ring easy to sell?

Maria: Your photos are very helpful for me and trust me, I could find out a lot for you. I personally like crest rings because they are contemporary witnesses. If they could talk, they would tell us most exciting stories. Susan, I would like to start talking about the value of your damaged crest ring. It doesn’t have a special value but it’s made of gold. You remember, I asked you to spot markings and you found a 10K hallmark. That’s a good sign and it tells us that your ring is made of 10K gold. There is no other value besides the material value. You also weighed the ring, what made it possible for me to find out the selling value. Based on the weight of 6.47 grams, your crest ring can sell for about $80. The condition does not influence the price calculation because for me, this ring is scrap gold.

Susan: You surprise me. Such a damaged ring can sell for 80 bucks?

Maria: Yes, thanks to the gold content. I see a commodity in this damaged ring and not a piece of jewelry. And because of the high gold price, this ring can sell for an attractive amount. In marked contrast to your nice looking crest ring with the stones. This ring is not a commodity. It’s a nice piece of jewelry and can be sold for more than just the material value. Maybe you are right and the stones are diamonds. There is no way for me to test this stones from afar. I need to have this crest ring in our laboratory to determine the authenticity. My workmate Alan is responsible for authenticity checks. He uses a diamond tester and a microscope to find out if the stones are real natural diamonds. But Susan, these stones are very small. I can see this just by looking at your photos. They don’t reflect a very high value but they make the comprehensive crest package more attractive. The crest shows an eagle, a dragon and a swan shield. I checked my database and there are no matching results to very famous family crests from the US or Europe. Well, there is no complete crest database existing and maybe your crest ring belongs to an interesting provenience but for me it’s very sure that it’s not an extremely special ring. But anyway, it’s a nice looking piece and based on your information marked as 18K gold. I guess that this ring would sell for about $300 and maybe for $400 if the stones are real diamonds. We would pay between $270 and $340, depending on the stones what means that we would pay about 30% more than just the material value.

Susan: That’s a nice value. So, my mom was really true. Do you have more good news for me?

Maria: Yes, there are more good news. Especially very interesting news. I found out that your other gold crest ring was made from the famous brand Tiffany and Co. It is marked as “TIFFANY 14K” what tells me that it’s a 14 karat gold Tiffany ring. It’s not very old. I think maybe 5 or 10 years. Sadly, because if you would have a 1950s or 1960s Tiffany crest ring, you would have hidden the jackpot. I have seen a 1950s Tiffany crest ring, garnet signet for $5,000. Even these days, Tiffany sells so-called signet rings. Tiffany engravers add a personal touch, crest or statement at the surface of the ring. But to come back to the value of your ring, I see a selling price between $450 and $550. Our company would offer between $380 and $430 for this ring. But remember, only because it’s a Tiffany ring and not because of a special provenience. It’s like with your other crest ring coming without a special belonging. But Susan, isn’t that a nice amount for only one ring? It has a value of about 50% more than just the gold price.

Susan: Mom is always right. Almost always (laughing). What about my last ring?

Maria: To be honest, your silver crest ring is not really outstanding. I asked you for markings because first I was in little hope to see a white gold ring but in fact it was as I thought. It’s marked as 925 what means that your silver crest ring is made of sterling silver. The value of silver is small what means that we see a ring, worth just a couple of bucks. I’m sorry but there are no better news for you.

Susan: That’s ok for me. I was in hope to sell them for some hundreds and I see that I reached my target. What do you recommend me for selling?

Maria: Susan, you own nice crest rings without an important historical message. You don’t need an auction house with international clients for selling. You can sell it to local gold buyers, if they are willing to pay you in my mentioned price range, or you sell your crest rings with our company. I recommend you to shop around in your home town for getting offers. If you don’t find a buyer, sell it to us. Don’t get me wrong, you can sell your crest rings also right now to us but because of fairness reasons I always tell my clients to ask around. I want that you get a feeling for the selling prices you can reach. I know that our company pays the highest prices but I want my potential customers to double-check my quotes. You can then appreciate my offers much more, when you know how much other buyers offer you. But go ahead if you want and sell them directly to our company, it’s a pleasure for me and the biggest thank you.

Susan: I don’t want to waste my time and I’m happy with your calculated prices. Furthermore, I tell you a secret. I already asked a gold buyer in Downtown and he wanted to buy all rings for 300 bucks. So, I know that your offer is very good.

Maria: You surprise me, Susan. But that’s good to hear. Very often, people ask our company for help after they got first offers from competitors.