Like fine wine, pre-owned jewellery just gets better with age. Buying second hand jewellery means that you can choose from vintage collections and hard to find pieces that simply aren’t in production any more. When it comes to used jewellery in London, at Suttons and Robertsons, we enjoy connecting our customers with timeless and classic pieces from our four London stores.
Understanding Used Jewellery
As second-hand luxury jewellery experts in London, at Suttons and Robertsons we both buy and sell pre-owned jewellery, which means that we work with classic Cartier and Boodles pieces that we sell at prices that can’t be matched by first time sales. Some pieces that we see in our London stores have barely been worn, making them excellent value for money.
Buying pre-owned jewellery supports sustainability by reducing the need to mine for gemstones that have already been processed – after all, these stones have endured millennia; let’s let them shine for as long as possible.
Evolving your style
We all experience different phases during our lives, moving through styles and eras that influence us at different times. Choosing pre-owned jewellery allows you to identify your style – especially if current high fashion doesn’t speak to you. Vintage jewellery can reach as far back as Boodles early days, over two centuries ago, or it may be late-1990s Tiffany. Browsing pre-loved jewellery collections lets you find your niche.
Accessing the big brands
Our experts have an in-depth knowledge of luxury brands, such as Tiffanys and Van Cleef and Arpels. Our four London stores are home to fabulous ranges from the biggest jewellery brands in the world, with a selection of pieces from different collections that include Elsa Peretti by Tiffany and Cartier’s Panthère.
Our experts will explain the significance of the design and the production secrets behind the pieces – such as Tiffany’s six claw setting for their solitaire diamond rings – and help you to begin your collection or grow the second-hand jewellery pieces that you already have.
What to look for in Used Jewellery
When exploring second hand jewellery in London, there are some key areas that bear closer inspection. While a knowledgeable jeweller, like Suttons and Robertsons, will know what to look for, there are some checks that should be made when buying pre-loved jewellery, especially in a busy market place like London.
Check the authenticity of pre-owned jewellery
Quality jewellery, used or otherwise, should be stamped with a hallmark or stamp to show the quality of the precious metal. Silver jewellery will be stamped with 925, the Tiffany standard, while both yellow and white gold will be marked 9ct (375), 14ct (585), 18ct (750) or 22ct (916).
High quality diamonds
Diamonds are measured according to 4Cs – Carat weight, Clarity, Colour and Cut. Implemented by the GIA, or the Gemmological Institute of America, and adopted globally, the 4C’s are used by jewellers the world over to ascertain the quality of a stone.
Carat Weight – The ‘carat’ is how much a diamond weighs, with 1 carat equal to 200 milligrams.
Clarity – Clarity refers to the absences of inclusions, or imperfections present in the diamond. A diamond with very few inclusions is considered ‘flawless’ and very rare.
Colour – As with clarity, the less colour a diamond has, the greater its worth. The GIA’s colour grading starts with the letter D and runs all the way to Z, which has a noticeable colour.
Cut – A diamond’s cut is what creates its ‘sparkle’, as the cut catches the light. When measuring the cut, the following will be assessed:
- Brightness – external and internal light reflection
- Fire – how the stone throws white light into colours
- Scintillation – the patterns of light and dark within the stone
Certification is critical when it comes to identifying the provenance of used jewellery. While not all pieces will come with papers and documentation, you would hope to see certificate of authenticity. All paperwork relating to the original purchase is worth seeing as it starts to tell the story of the jewellery. Original brand boxing is also a good-to-have.
Ask the experts
As experts in buying and selling pre-owned luxury jewellery in London, Suttons and Robertsons will help you explore our used jewellery collections. Specialising in luxury high end jewellery, we have an extensive range of bracelets, earrings, necklaces and rings of all settings. Alongside a host of timepieces from the best Swiss watchmakers in the world, you can peruse pieces from Cartier, Boodles, Tiffany, Graff, Bulgari and Van Cleef and Arpels.
