Blog: buying jewellery online – insider guide

Something lustrous for the New Year? We've been bringing together a new collection of Vintage Cultured Pearls - called Vintage Pearl. Each necklace is individually chosen for characteristics such as Pearl lustre, uniqueness and charm.

We think it’s time to embrace the word recycled. Recycled used to mean toilet paper – rough toilet paper! These days recycled means ideal, sustainable and noble.

As a company, we have been recycling fine jewellery since 2011. We buy items made by distinguished jewellery houses like Cartier and Tiffany & Co. We then service and polish the items so that they look new or nearly new. Our engagement rings are always sold in “Proposal Ready” condition which means what is says!

As we do not support manufacturing at its source – our items are already made and do not require much in the way of additional resources. We are practically carbon neutral!

Pre-owned, second hand, recycled used to mean second best. We think that idea has been turned upside down. As we all seek to make the planet a better place to live we must embrace recycling in all its forms whether it’s paper or jewellery.

We are proud to sell recycled fine jewellery and we think you’ll be proud to wear it.

Cartier as investment? Can we expect that our Cartier jewellery purchases will increase in value?

Since its founding in 1847 the Cartier name has been synonymous with luxury. "Cartier is the King of Jewellers and the Jewellers of Kings" said Edward VII, more than 100 years ago. A brand with such fine pedigree, standing the test of time for more than 150 years should be looked at with more seriousness than just a purveyor of fine jewellery.

We have found that since Bloomsbury Manor began in 2011 the price of pre owned Cartier jewellery has markedly increased. We are looking at rises of 20-30% particularly across collectors pieces such as Panthere, C de Cartier, Bamboo and Trinity. There are more modest increases from the more well known Love collection. The slightly rarer collector's pieces are more rare and demand is strong from people wanting to invest in a piece which is both wearable and likely to increase in value. The Panthere range has been fashionable since the 1930s, King Edward VIII's consort The Duchess of Windsor was a keen fan. The collection has never been out of fashion as far as we are aware! C de Cartier, Trinity and Bamboo have all evolved over time and customers are both interested in vintage and current designs.

With Global financial uncertainty becoming constant background noise we would counsel that a solid investment in a tried and tested asset class would be wise. With dwindling supply and demand increasing we foresee that any Cartier collector's piece bought now might be worth 20% more in 5 years.

How can anyone resist?

Here are some investment pieces.

Disclaimer: The views expressed here are no guarantee of future growth.

 

 

So, you're thinking of popping the question or maybe you just have? The thing is, you have an idea but you're not sure about the pitch. You know why you think it's a good idea to go down the pre-owned route but you're not sure how to approach the subject. You need help. You need some good points. Here are a few:

1. You Get a Bigger Diamond.

"You know the money we would have spent buying a brand new ring? Well we can put that into buying a bigger and better stone. Now isn't that a good thing"?

2. It's Sustainable!

Recycling applies to engagement rings too. It's environmentally friendly and wastes no new resources. Mining is a very resource heavy industry so you can feel better about your engagement ring being more green.

3. Diamonds are already around 2.5 billion years old.

Did you know this? Diamonds were created billions of years ago. The majority between 1.5 and 3.5 billion years ago. What's another few years added on to that?

4. When you polish and service you get "Proposal Ready".

If you buy from a company like Bloomsbury Manor Ltd you can rest assured that you will be receiving a ring that deserves the name "Proposal Ready". Once we polish and service a ring, to all intents and purposes it looks brand new.

5. You get the same returns policy.

Both us and Tiffany & Co offer 30 day returns.

 

For a conversation about your engagement ring needs please call us on 0207 692 5103 today.

 

Could this Valentine's be the one that dreams are made of? If you are thinking of proposing or you are looking for the perfect ring for yourself why not imagine the absolute best. A Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond weighing 2.54 carats, offset by a dazzling bright white diamond band. The discount to RRP on this phenomenal piece is the stuff only dreams are made of. This ring would cost in the region of £180,000 today at Tiffany & Co. It is being offered by us for £75,000.

The most valuable jewellery in the world is also the rarest. This is not a coincidence. Since the beginning of time human beings have cherished the rarest commodities. Would gold be so valuable if our rivers ran full of it?

Every year Tiffany & Co puts together an exclusive collection of gemstone jewellery. This collection "Colours" travels the world and comprises of one off pieces. Tiffany's renowned gemstone department curates a collection of large, unparalleled stones to be set in the finest settings, in which to display unique fire, scintillation and presence.

You might imagine that one off jewellery pieces are expensive. They absolutely are! Our unique Tiffany & Co Spessartite Garnet Earrings made for the 2009 Colours Collection were originally sold for £40,800!

They are available from us for just £11,700 and are sure to be a future investment. If you are more generally interested in the Colours collection it is touring right now and pieces are available in Harrods, London to view. There is a similar pair of rubellite earrings available for £41,000.

For enquiries about these earrings please contact us on +44(0207) 692  5103.

 

Making sure your Pre-owned ring is in "Proposal Ready"TM condition.

It's that time again! If you're thinking of buying pre-owned Cartier, Tiffany & Co or Bulgari jewellery for a significant other this Christmas then of course you have come to the right place. 

We were wondering about how to make our gift offering a little better. Obviously we cannot send your item ready gift wrapped otherwise you wouldn't be able to inspect it!

We decided the best thing to do would be to send out a stylish gift bag with tag and smart stickers to seal it. That way you can inspect the item, pop it in the bag, seal it up. 

Please let us know if the item you are purchasing is to be a gift and we'll make sure you receive a gift bag.

Jean Schlumberger was arguably Tiffany & Co's most important designer. His talent with colour and enamel proved to be an instant hit with wealthy, well-heeled women. Many of his designs from the 1950s onwards are still in production today, with his 'Jackie' paillonne enamel bracelet being the most famous example. 

Perhaps more than any other of Tiffany & Co.'s designers, Jean Schlumberger pieces not only hold their value, but tend to increase in value over time. His jewellery is highly collectable amongst the well-healed connoisseur.

With a firey orange spessartite garnet weighing 6.71ct at its centre and an additional 2ct of scintillating white diamonds, in a classic Schlumberger setting, this piece is sure to delight the wearer or collector. Please see the ring here or call 0207 692 5103 for more details.  Please note that this ring is re-sizable by Tiffany & Co. Currently size 5 (J 1/2 to K).

The molecular structure of Aquamarine, a type of beryl of which Emerald is another variety, is perhaps not as beautiful as the gemstone itself, but is nonetheless interesting. It seems amazing that a basic combination of Beryllium, Silicon, Aluminium and Oxygen can create such sensational stones.

In the flesh beryl presents in hexagonal crystals. Colours include red, green (Emerald), blue and yellow. Normally free from inclusions, aquamarines are cut into largish stones to emphasise the clear blue green hue. 

The birthstone for March is said to keep sailors safe at sea. Aquamarines certainly can transport you to a vision of oceanic serenity.

If you have a March birthday coming up, why not pick a mesmerising 4.26ct Tiffany & Co Oval Aquamarine ring with baguette cut diamonds? And be transported to the Caribbean or Maldives in the glint of an eye.

Which Investment? Shares, gold, pensions? The idea of an investment is not a complex one. We buy something and hopefully its value increases. But not necessarily.. when we buy shares or pensions even the small print tells us that the value of our investment can go up, as well as down. What if you could buy something now that would increase in value and you could wear it whilst you owned it?

Luxury pre-owned jewellery, can fit the brief and a growing number of savvy women are realising that they can have their cake and eat it by buying stylish pieces they know they can hold and sell on later on for profit. The price of new jewellery always rises. Labour, marketing and other overheads all contribute, as well as the fact that luxury items by definition cannot become cheaper. It does not make sense however, to invest in new items. It typically takes 30 years to recoup the value of a new item because so much of the RRP goes on the company’s overheads.

This is where pre-owned luxury jewellery comes into its own. The value of carefully chosen preowned designer high jewellery (platinum, gold) is often more than that of the metals and gemstones. But without the hefty overheads of the brand to pay for you are left with the items' real value. As the price of new designer jewellery rises so should that of the pre-owned. It can even weather the storms of the gold/platinum markets as it's value is propped up by the brand.

So, if luxury designer jewellery is such a good buy why don’t we hear more about it? The truth is that it’s an opaque market where 'value' isn’t clear. You need reliable dealers with a good instinct for what will make a good future investment. Brands such as Tiffany & Co., Cartier and Bulgari will always hold their value, but within those brands there are certain pieces, which carry more investment potential than others. You also need to know how to sell. If you hold for 5-10 yrs the original seller may buy your item back for more than you paid - can you imagine that happening anywhere else? If not high end auction houses are an option. If you buy new jewellery you might wait 30 years to recoup the original asking price. But with pre-owned branded jewellery you could be looking to making a substantial profit on the price paid after as little as 5 years. If you’re really lucky you could buy something that becomes the next super coveted piece. In the meantime you get to have a lot of fun wearing it.

If you would like to talk to us about jewellery for investment please call us on +44 207 692 5103 or email info@bloomsburymanor.com and we’ll be happy to give you our considered advice.

1. Ask questions. A good seller will reply promptly and articulately. Bad English = bad jewellery!

2. Only buy from sellers with with a no quibble returns policy.

3. If you're in any doubt use a free authentication service such as ours. We can certainly tell you if we see something suspicious.

4. Pay with Paypal or a Credit Card so you're protected in case anything goes wrong.

5. Compare identical articles with another seller. Do the signatures and hallmarks match? Remember it is better to do this with more than one other seller as you could accidentally find yourself comparing your item against a fake!