ordicio

Collecting guide

How to Collect Jewellery

Rings, necklaces, brooches and all other jewellery, fine and costume.

Jewellery collecting spans Georgian mourning rings, Victorian brooches, Art Deco diamond clips and signed costume pieces of the twentieth century. Marks, materials and period decide what a piece is, and good documentation decides what it is worth.

Getting Started

ordicio has two kinds of jewellery:

Watches have a category of their own. Collectors often focus on a period, a maker, a type of piece such as rings or brooches, or a material such as cut steel or Bakelite.

What to Record

Condition

Note worn claws, missing or replaced stones, repairs, solder marks, re-plating and resizing. For costume jewellery, plating wear and darkened foil backings (“dead” stones) lower the value.

Care and Storage

Store pieces separately in soft pouches or compartments so they do not scratch each other. Keep pearls and soft stones away from perfume and cleaning agents. Have claws and clasps checked regularly, and insure valuable pieces with a current valuation.

Mistakes to Avoid

Kinds of Jewellery

The Data Sheet for Jewellery

The 29 fields worth recording for jewellery, grouped as in the ordicio app.

Identification

Jewellery type Choice, or your own
Kind of jewellery.
13 choices
  • Ring
  • Necklace
  • Pendant
  • Bracelet
  • Bangle
  • Brooch
  • Earrings
  • Cufflinks
  • Tie pin / tie clip
  • Tiara / hair ornament
  • Parure / suite
  • Charm
  • Watch chain / fob
Signed by Text
Maker or house signature and stock number, e.g. Cartier Paris 01234, signed Trifari.
Maker Text
Person, workshop or firm that made the object; write 'attributed to' or 'workshop of' when not certain.
Period Choice
Period of the jewellery in the terms of the trade.
  • Georgian (c. 1714 to 1837)
  • Victorian (1837 to 1901)
  • Edwardian / Belle Époque (c. 1901 to 1915)
  • Art Nouveau (c. 1890 to 1915)
  • Art Deco (c. 1920 to 1935)
  • Retro (c. 1935 to 1950)
  • Mid-century (c. 1950 to 1970)
  • Modern (1970 to 2000)
  • Contemporary (since 2000)
  • Older / ethnographic
Date / period Text
When the object was made, as precise as known, e.g. 1876, c. 1890, 1920s, 2nd century AD.
Country Text
Country of origin or issue, by its usual English name (historic states as named at the time, e.g. Kingdom of Bavaria).

Materials

Metal Choice, or your own
Main metal.
  • Yellow gold
  • White gold
  • Rose gold
  • Platinum
  • Palladium
  • Silver
  • Gold-filled / rolled gold
  • Gold-plated
  • Base metal
Fineness Text
Fineness as marked, e.g. 750 (18 ct), 585 (14 ct), 950 Pt, 925.
Stones Text
Stones set in the piece with number, cut and weight, e.g. 1 old European cut diamond c. 0.8 ct, 12 sapphires.
Total carat weight (ct) Number
Total weight of the stones as marked or certified.
Inscriptions & marks Text
Signatures, labels, stamps, hallmarks, maker's marks and numbers, transcribed as they appear and with their position.

Measurements

Weight (g) Number
Weight of the object (without stand, frame or holder unless noted).
Length (mm) Number
Greatest length.
Ring size Text
Ring size with the system, e.g. EU 54, US 7, UK N.

Condition

Condition Choice
Overall condition in plain terms; domains with an established grading scale use that scale instead.
  • Mint / as new
  • Excellent
  • Very good
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor
Condition notes Text
Faults, wear and damage in detail.
Restoration & repairs Text
Restorations, repairs, replaced parts and cleaning, with who did them and when if known.
Certificate / expertise Text
Certificates of authenticity or expert opinions, with issuer, date and number.

Acquisition

How and when the object came into the collection.

Acquisition date Date
Date the object came into the collection.
Acquisition method Choice, or your own
How the object came into the collection.
  • Purchase
  • Auction
  • Gift
  • Inheritance
  • Exchange / trade
  • Self-collected / found
  • Commission
Acquired from Text
Seller, auction house (with sale and lot number), donor or place where it was found.
Purchase price Amount
Price paid including fees and premiums.
Provenance Text
Earlier owners and the object's history, oldest first, with sources (labels, invoices, sale catalogues).

Value

Estimated and insured value.

Estimated value Amount
Current market value as estimated.
Valuation date Date
Date of the current value estimate.
Valuation basis Choice
What the estimated value is based on.
  • Own estimate
  • Recent sales / auction results
  • Dealer offer
  • Catalogue value
  • Professional appraisal
  • Insurance valuation
Insured value Amount
Sum the object is insured for.

Collection record

Your own inventory data.

Inventory number Text
Your own number or label for the object, e.g. C-0042, as written on its label or album page.
Storage location Text
Where the object is kept, e.g. room, cabinet, drawer, album and page, box.

Standards and References

The data sheets follow the standards collectors, dealers and museums use:

Updated October 24, 2026