A Guide to Selling Jewellery at Auction
Global reach ensures that your jewellery is presented to individuals who value its craftsmanship
23/09/2025
There are many reasons to sell your antique jewellery. You may want to reduce the size of a collection, handle an inheritance, or dispose of some pieces that you have simply fallen out of love with. Selling these pieces can release cash, create a new chapter for your pre-loved jewellery, and give you the wherewithal to purchase some more!
While the range of selling options may be somewhat confusing, auctions offer a host of advantages over other sales methods, and present an exciting opportunity to connect sellers with collectors, dealers, and private buyers across the world, all of whom will share a passion for fine jewellery.
Cartier Kashmir sapphire and diamond flower brooch
What is Your Jewellery Worth?
Dawsons take pride in helping our clients at every step of the selling process, starting with a complimentary and obligation-free auction valuation.
Whether conducted in person at our Maidenhead showroom, in our Hampstead valuation office, or online, these consultations provide a clear understanding of your jewellery's market potential. Our expert team will consider factors such as provenance, craftsmanship, gemstone quality, and historical significance to determine an accurate assessment so you can make an informed decision with complete confidence.
As a reputable auction house, Dawsons will provide accurate valuations based on the actual market value of your jewellery. The jewellery market can be a volatile one, based on gem and metal values, as well as fashion trends. Previous insurance values for your piece can be misleading, and Dawsons’ experts will help manage your expectations according to the current market. For example, our Jewellery Team value certified diamonds using diamond trading network intelligence such as the RapNet Price List, a daily updated list of average and best asking prices based on diamonds currently for sale, and the Rapaport Weekly Market Comment, a global round-up of the diamond market and its variances.
If your jewellery is suitable for one of our monthly auctions, we will give you a value estimate and a reserve price. This provides a range of selling prices the piece is likely to achieve. The reserve price is usually at the lower end of this range and indicates the price at which the item will not be sold if bidding is not sufficient. It is worth noting that bidding can exceed the upper estimate range, which happens when there is competitive bidding in the sale (something our dynamic in-house marketing helps entice), pushing hammer prices up.
Kutchinsky three-stone diamond ring
Expertise at Dawsons
Dawsons’ expert Jewellery Team has decades of experience evaluating and marketing fine and antique jewellery. Our specialists are all highly qualified, whilst Dawsons is a member of SOFAA (The Society of Fine Art Auctioneers), ensuring that it operates with integrity and professional excellence.
In some cases, further investigation beyond in-house testing of your jewellery will be necessary to determine its true value. For independent laboratory testing of stones and pearls, our team would obtain certification from GCS in Bond Street, and De Beers for the certification of diamonds. Whilst if a coloured gemstone requires a second opinion regarding its origin, as in the case of Kashmir sapphires, we would obtain certification from SSCF in Switzerland to provide customer and industry reassurance.
Late Victorian diamond garland necklace
Marketing Your jewellery
To be confident that your jewellery is viewed by as many potential buyers as possible, a reputable auction house like Dawsons can give you access to a huge international client base, providing a global reach that simply isn't possible elsewhere.
Dawsons dynamic in-house marketing team create innovative social media posts to promote items we are selling at our auctions, while our website regularly attracts over 50,000 visitors for each sale. Fine sales are broadcast live across multiple auction platforms to a global audience of over 10 million active bidders for maximum exposure and to ensure increased proven competitive bidding. Our innovative in-house marketing direct to buyers all over the world ensures that we achieve the highest returns for our clients.
Selling Jewellery at Dawsons
Antique and vintage jewellery often tells an intriguing story that is difficult to quantify in a standard retail setting. Auctions celebrate these personal histories, highlighting the individuality of each piece and positioning it within an expertly curated and visually captivating catalogue that appeals to discerning buyers.
If you are ready to part with your antique jewellery, Dawsons provide a seamless and supportive experience from initial appraisal to the final sale. If your item is valued between £300 and £2,500, we invite you to use our free, tracked, and fully insured postal service. For items valued at over £2,500, we can arrange a personalised and dedicated collection service.
Our team handle everything from client communication to post-sale logistics, ensuring a stress-free process for sellers… We are proud to achieve outstanding results for our clients—often far exceeding expectations!
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Are you considering selling any jewellery?
Dawsons can access a global audience of more than 10 million known bidders, and secure the best price.
Contact an expert Jewellery Valuer today for confidential sales advice, we would be delighted to help: