I was on a trip to New York City recently and wearing my affiliate hat I contacted Judy Herbst at Worthy and asked if I could visit. They’re located on West 37th Street in Manhattan – no big, fancy offices (does anyone have those anymore?). I stepped off the elevator and there they were: the people who answer phones when you call to ask about selling your jewelry.
Judy gave me a tour showing me through each step of their operation. As you can imagine, with so many valuables security is very controlled with video surveillance, so they know exactly which piece of jewelry came out of which box and who was handling it.
I’ve been working with Worthy for almost two years now, so I thought I was quite familiar with their services but talking to Judy I still learned a few things.
First, Worthy now accepts all precious stones, not just diamonds. That means if your ring has a sapphire, an emerald or a ruby, Worthy will now take it.
Next, once a stone is around a 1 carat weight, Worthy will send the stone out for a valuation by GIA®. That’s the world’s leading gemology lab. What this means for you is that you’ll have an independent grading report that states the scientific characteristics of your diamond. This unbiased grading report let’s you know exactly what you have and is used to set the value. By reviewing the grading report, along with the professional images Worthy takes of the items, potential buyers also have an assurance that the stone they’re purchasing is worth what they think it is.
This is a big deal and it creates a clear distinction between selling your ring to your local jeweler and selling your ring at auction through Worthy. When you go to your local jeweler, they are looking to buy the gemstone so they can sell it to another customer or a wholesale buyer. Your local jeweler wants to pay as little as possible for the stone because that will mean a bigger profit for them. And without the GIA valuation you don’t know if what they’re offering is a good or a bad deal.
With Worthy your interests and theirs are aligned. They sell your stone at auction to buyers who have been carefully vetted and pre-approved buyers. The more your stone goes for, the more commission Worthy makes AND the more money you make. That’s a win-win.
Another piece of news Judy shared with me was that Worthy is now handling all types of jewelry: earrings, necklaces, bracelets and even watches. Obviously, these watches are not the department store brands but rather the higher value brands like Cartier, Breitling, Baume & Mercier, Rolex … This new expansion means we now have a way of selling inherited valuables which we know we’ll never wear but are too valuable to just give away or are too hard to find a local buyer for.
Maybe it’s time for you to search through your jewelry box and those inherited items you have tucked away? Wouldn’t it be nice to have some $$$ to pay off the holiday spending? Give Worthy a call today and be guided through the process.