I am talking to two attorneys. They contradict each other. Trying to decide which one to hire.
I would look for someone with background In taxation of estates.
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FYI - For some homeowners, this could be an option. It is something that I (or husband) will consider if spouse dies while we are still homeowners.
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Definitely find a Tax atony who does Trusts.
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I got a box of jewelry, some of it probably worth $$, from my mom when she died and it just sits here; I don’t know a jeweler or trust just walking in to a chain store like Kay’s off the street; we don’t live in a wealthy area so the options are limited. So it just sits on my dresser. It’ll probably go to the kids when I shuffle off this mortal coil. They can find a dang jeweler.
You can call Kay jeweler’s or any other jewelry store and ask if there is a certified gemologist on staff and if it’s possible to make an appointment. You will NOT leave the box there- you will sit there and half an hour later, you will know what in the box is 14K gold, what is 18K, if the diamonds are real or crystal, etc. They may not have someone full time, but likely a regional manager who IS certified shows up once a month or so. The person will look at every piece with a loupe or magnifier to see if it’s a signed piece, if the stones are cracked, etc.
Once you know what you have, you can decide if it’s worth shipping the pieces that could be valuable to a reputable place and they can make you an offer to purchase it. There are several places that will look at photographs and give you a general idea, then a firm offer price once they see the piece. You are not obligated to sell if you don’t like the price.
I have a friend who is taking her dream cruise vacation, courtesy of her long dead mother’s engagement ring (from a short-lived marriage- not my friend’s dad). The ring was ugly and ginormous- my friend always thought it was fake. But it wasn’t fake, and the check came quickly, and she’s spending January in the Western Caribbean.
YMMV…
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I called our local jewelry store, and for $35/hr they will look at the whole pile, and tell us what has value and what does not. Any sale to them is deducted from the fee. She did say it would be best to bring it in on a weekday when they are not busy.
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That sounds great. It should give you some peace of mind that you are making informed decisions. $35 well spent.
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@blossom and @greenbutton - thanks so much for the idea; I had no clue these jewelers would do this.
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There are beautiful costume pieces that may look “real”, and may be gorgeous- but would fetch $20 on Ebay. Then you can figure out what to do with them. It’s worth paying a bit to learn what you have.
My mom had a much beloved brooch which she thought was jade and gold, definitely an antique, given by a family member who had been to Japan back when that was a super exotic “OMG” trip. In fact- it’s costume- gold plated, some rando green carved rock. I wear it all the time because hey- enormous sentimental value, but I’d get $10 for it at a yard sale so why not enjoy it? I figure the price I paid for a professional’s eyes on a huge box of jewelry is what I’d pay at Chico’s or Ann Taylor for a piece of costume jewelry- and this one has history!!!
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So true! I love how you think.
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Yeah, my mother was a Home Shopping fanatic, so I expect that most of the “semi-precious” jewels are complete garbage. But some are set in 14k so that’s worth something. And there is my grandmother’s wedding set, from the 1920s, which I expect is worth a bit. No sentimental value for me (or her)…
My mother has a box of Kennedy half dollars and a few other coins. There are also a few silver dollars in with the sterling flatware. Someday when I have time I’ll take them to the coin shop and figure out if they are worth anything or just worth 50 cents or $1.
Haven’t found those million dollar bearer bonds yet. Have found yarn stuffed in every nook and cranny in her house. Clearly more than a enough yarn for a lifetime as she couldn’t knit it all.
I’m cleaning one room at a time, starting with the kitchen. Yes, there was yarn in the kitchen.
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We took all my in laws’ coins & silver to a very reputable coin dealer. The coins were worth more sold as silver, as was everything that was actual silver (some things MIL swore were silver were actually silver plated). It added up to more than anyone would have paid for the silver flatware, bowls, etc. No one wants those anymore, it seems.
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I took some silver items to consignment shop for review a few months ago. They said near the holidays there is a demand for some things… like the silver creamier/sugar set (small enough that I may keep for the kids) and silver ice bucket. I’d of course need to polish it up first (for the review I just took as-is). For quick re they looked at similar items on ebay, stating that of course the requested ebay price is often not met.
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Are they sterling silver or silverplate?
In our neighborhood, we have two families who have ice buckets. If anyone needs one…we just borrow.
The ice bucket was wedding gift from a college student, so I silverplate. The creamer/sugar set is from my mother (maybe grandparents), but I think also silverplate.
The tea sets I’ll need to have appraised someday. I think my mother said the older one is sterling silver, but that sounds not right for my depression era grandparents.
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Do you see 925 or sterling stamped somewhere on the pieces? If so, that will let you know if it is.
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I highly recommend never giving silverplate as a gift to anyone you care about. 
I’m stuck with a silverplate set of, er, silverware, that I have to drag out every time the MIL comes to Thanksgiving or Christmas. The work involved in getting it presentable was incalculable. And a few years ago I couldn’t get it clean anymore. It was only used twice a year; I don’t know if it was crappy to start with or if I’d done something to make it worse. At any rate, it was no longer fit for company. But the years of angst over the dang silverplate - augh.
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A little off topic…but the key to having silver or silver plate that doesn’t need excessive polishing even if you use it only once a year…is a GOOD quality silver box. We only use ours a couple of times a year and it just needs a wiping off. No polish….and this was true with silverplate as well. BUT I think the box my silverplate is in cost more than the silverplate.
Getting back to the topic…I wish I had known more about what my parent really had before she died. Much of it must have been squirreled away because I never knew some of it existed. We moved this parent to our town less than a year before she died. If I had known about some of this stuff (e.g. two punchbowls), I never would have moved it.
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