When my parents downsized to enter assisted living, I was left with everything my brothers didn’t already select, including my mother’s jewelry. My parents have since passed away. In addition to my mother’s jewelry, my mother also was in possession of her MIL’s jewelry (my paternal grandmother).
My grandmother’s jewelry - let’s just say, she had a very “bold” style! I showed it to my D, who is a fashionista, and she couldn’t imagine herself wearing any of it, unless styles really change! A lot include semi-precious stones, like jade and corral.
I can’t imagine any nieces wanting or liking any it. Of that generation, my daughter is the only one who ever dresses up or is into fashion. My grandmother died before most of her great-grandchildren were born, so they don’t really have any memories of her.
Do you or do any of them want to re-fashion any of the pieces into something they might like and wear, such as a simple pendant with one or more of the jade pieces (for example)?
We will likely face a similar decision soon as I believe must if the “stuff” in my mom’s safety deposit box is gaudy and not the taste of any of us. She never wears it, so no sentimental attachment either.
Mom died a couple months ago and I have all her jewelry with me right now. Only have one brother - he doesn’t have any children and his wife is least interested in my mom’s jewelry. However, I do plan to sit down with him sometime with the box and come up with some monetary compensation if he wants that.
Mom gave my D a ring that D loved. She gave it to her last year, telling her she’d prefer to give things away when she was alive. D wears that ring on a chain, remembering her grandma. I thought that was the best way to do things - unfortunately, she never did get around to doing it with the rest of her stuff.
Ugh. H is visiting his mom, and I encouraged him to ask her to write down who gets what in terms of jewelry. She got really mad and told him she hadn’t allocated any of her jewelry for the grandkids. Yes, she did, but she is apparently really losing it. H will just give his S everything, which is fine … but once upon a time, his mom did have a plan for who got what. H just waited a few months too long to try to get her to write it down. H isn’t going to take anything that isn’t specifically stipulated in the will after his mom dies, because he doesn’t want any problems with his S. He figures it’s not worth it.
About 12 years ago, my husband’s childless aunt died… and the husband opted to give me her jewelry. There was a pearl necklace and some gold chains (and gold ring w/o diamond… I assume it was sold or went to his family). Also a whole lot of costume jewelry, much of it from Avon. For a year I was too sad to even open the box. But eventually I bought a jewelry armoir. I wish we lived closer to the extended family because I’d like to share with the little ones who have since grown up.
My mother gave me almost all her jewelry many years ago, with her big jewelry. Most is just sentimental value. Also some from her mom. I need to share with my sister (who did get some more valuable things years ago, with my encouragement). But we also have to go through a BIG collection of vintage pins. A few are family items, but most are from the years that mom was buying/selling thought Etsy.
There are a lot of pretty vintage pins that are heavy and awkward to wear. Any hints about where I could buy some kind of pin-backer (to prevent “tipping” - pinning into bra strap does not always work)? Or better yet, some kind of method/adapter to wear a pin as a necklace?
This is a pendant that used to be a pin. My mother inherited the pin from her best friend who passed away quite young and Mom made it into a necklace. I always loved it and told her that was the only piece of her jewelry that I wanted when she died. It’s hard to see in the photo but the “petals” are a beautiful dark blue enamel over gold. My sister and my niece will get the rest of the jewelry, which is fine with me. I’m not a jewelry wearer as a rule. But this one is a keeper!
Started a different thread but was redirected here.
Given the talk on the engagement ring thread about the trend of young folks preferring lab diamonds, will offspring even want mined diamonds at all? I mean, that’s what I have and what my mother had.
When buying new my S and his friends are preferring new lab created diamonds. Price is one factor and the environmental/ethical issue is another. However they don’t seem to mind at all being given older mined diamonds! My S is getting a lab created stone for his engagement ring but for the wedding ring is using my mother’s wedding ring that has five mined diamonds in it. She was married 70 years so they love the idea. We talked about him taking the diamonds and having them reset in a ring she would like but she said she wanted the ring just as is and using it as a wedding band. I have my Aunt’s ring and my engagement ring I wear and those will go to my D even though I have a feeling they will just be lost once she has them.
My son bought his lab created ring from Blue Nile. He “forgot” I had offered him my mom’s diamond earrings, each 1 ct. His wife is very environmentally aware, a vegetarian, a social activist.
so, those earrings have still not been worn by me, even tho my sister tells me to.
I have two vintage engagement rings sitting in my closet - my grandmothers and my mother in law’s. My own diamond is vintage, created by resetting a diamond that my husband’s grandfather had in a men’s ring. I would hope that my daughter (if and when she got engaged) would use one of these diamonds. It is a shame to not have them reused.
I am in a situation where a family member passed away unexpectedly and I have all of her jewelry. And it is a lot. My parents are antique dealers and I can tell that a good bit of it is very valuable…if you can resell it. It is all sitting in a box on my bedroom floor right now, and I am kind of overwhelmed by it. I showed it to my stepmother over Thanksgiving and she called it “the dragon’s hoard” - we are talking multiple strands of pearls, multiple diamond tennis bracelets and earrings, all sorts of semi-precious stones, lots of heavy 1980’s gold chains…plus there are more pieces in a safety deposit box. My relative passed away unexpectedly-and had been in Florida for the last few years, unable to come home to this state due to Covid. So her jewelry here was completely crazy - the good stuff mingled with costume. She was a really sweet lady, no kids, and liked to treat herself. I need to figure out of I can just resell the gold and then figure out what to do with the rest. It is sad, because there are so many fabulous things but - that is just not my life! Especially now, with the pandemic. I haven’t dressed up and been to a cocktail party in two years. Heck, I haven’t even left the house to go to work! So there’s not much occasion for me to sparkle. I’m not sure I have any advice except that I really do wish we’d had the time to sit together and go through all of this stuff, so that I knew if something was her mom’s or grandma’s or if there was a special memory attached. What SHE would have liked me to keep, considered special.
That is a hard situation - are there other family members or friends that might like a piece? Maybe consider keeping one or two things that you MIGHT use - a string of pearls for example - and as a memory?
While I’m sure you don’t want it cluttering your bedroom forever, maybe take a little time or thought to who might want it, who you could trust to tell you value, etc. Do you have a high end consignment shop in town (antique or clothing) that might sell some of it for you? Can the stones be turned into something more practical or usable for your life?
After my husband’s childless aunt died, the uncle gave me all her jewelry. A few pieces are valuable, but most is Avon etc. We were so sad to loose her that it took me a year to even open the box. Then I bought a jewelry armoir, with mostly her her jewelry. I’ll let some nieces look through it when the visit this winter and start taking some.
My mother’s jewelry box I keep separate. And then there is a BIG collection of vintage pins (hers, her mother’s plus other from her Etsy buy/sell hobby). Can anybody recommend a good chain/system for wearing heavy pins and brooches as necklace? I’d like one, and it would be fun to give one to sis too when she picks pins for herself.
