In order for jewelry to be called antique it should be at least 50 years old, and more recently pre-owned jewelry is generally called estate jewelry and is sought after and cherished by people who love exquisite, one-of-a-kind adornments. Now, more and more people are discovering that antique and estate jewelry is often made better, and priced lower, than new jewelry. In addition, like fine art, antique and estate jewelry gains a special quality over the years from being cherished by its owners and admired by others. Over the past 200 years jewelry has come through interesting periods with their own styles.

All estate jewelry belonged to someone who wore it and for a variety of reasons decided that it was time to pass it on to someone else to cherish. Fine estate jewelry, hand-wrought from precious metals and gemstones never goes out of style. It maintains its value. The high level of workmanship, the creative skills of the craftsman, all add to the long-lasting value of estate jewelry.