Value/Fair Market/Resale

“Fair market value (FMV) is the price an item would fetch if sold on the open market, with both the buyer and seller having full knowledge of the item's characteristics and acting freely, without coercion”

Understanding what your Native American jewelry is truly worth can be tricky—especially when you're looking to sell. One of the most important concepts to grasp is fair market value (FMV), which differs greatly from appraised or retail pricing.

Many factors go into determining the value of Native American jewelry (especially vintage). The quality of materials/stones, the artist, age, desirability/market demand, etc.

 For example, a simple single Kingman stone 1970s era Turquoise ring is not as desired as a ring made by an award winning artist such as James Little. This is due to the boom of Native American jewelry made during the 70s - there are an infinite amount of those rings out there today. Versus James Little (Navajo) who uses high end materials and often works with gold - his unique one of a kind pieces can fetch thousands in retail settings.

It's important to differentiate between jewelry appraisals and resale/fair market prices. While an appraisal estimates the insurance and replacement value of your jewelry, the fair market price represents the amount you are likely to receive when selling it. Social media platforms are best for this which I have discovered after years of carefully watching and studying what is actually selling. Retail pricing usually takes a lot longer to sell (if at all) on these platforms. If you do own an actual store or want to explore retail pricing - please let me know specifically so I can suggest those values.

As a note, and golden rule in the industry, I do not make offers on your items. It’s a conflict of interest to price items and then try to purchase (in my opinion). I do my best to suggest realistic price points to get your items sold and pricing zones that will make you and your buyer happy.

Facebook can be notorious for being more challenging for selling higher end items due to high price points. If you do have items that I consider higher end and social media is not ideal or successful for selling - I can also suggest galleries/stores that consign and buy and or auction sites.