The Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry brand was literally built on love. In 1895, Alfred Van Cleef, the son of a lapidary and diamond broker, married Estelle Arpels, the daughter of a precious-stones dealer. A decade later, the couple opened the first Van Cleef & Arpels boutique in an elegant Paris neighborhood.
The jewelry brand gained global attention with its proximity to the swanky Hotel Ritz and eventually garnered the adoration of royals and A-list clientele, including actress Grace Kelly, who received a suite of pearl and diamond Van Cleef & Arpels pieces as a wedding gift from Prince Rainier III in 1956.
The brand and its iconic clover-shaped enamel pieces adorned with gemstones and diamonds have been worn by famous faces including Elizabeth Taylor, Cameron Diaz, Reese Witherspoon, Mariah Carey and Kate Middleton. The Duchess of Cambridge wore mother-of-pearl and yellow gold earrings and matching necklace from the Magic Alhambra collection to the 2020 BAFTAs.
Today, the Van Cleef & Arpels brand still represents enduring beauty and value, which is good news for those who have invested in one of their timeless designs. According to luxury resale site TheRealReal, Van Cleef & Arpels is the top fine jewelry brand in terms of resale value. In particular, Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra designs sell for an average of 86% of their original price, and 90% of pieces sell within 30 days.
Our No. 1 recommendation for selling Van Cleef jewelry is Worthy.com, an online jewelry marketplace that will auction your item to hundreds of qualified jewelry buyers.
Worthy is our top choice because:
- B+ Better Business Bureau and hundreds of positive customer testimonials
- Worthy has been featured in reputable publications including the New York Times (twice), Crain’s New York Business, Washington Post, Entrepreneur, Reader’s Digest, Woman’s Day, and others
- Free FedEx shipping
- Insured for free by Lloyds of London up to $100,000
- Free GIA lab report with every sale
- Auction platform helps push prices to market highs
Read our Worthy.com review to learn more about our top choice for selling jewelry and watches, or get a free Worthy estimate now >>
Worthy only accepts diamonds that are .7 carat or larger and jewelry that will sell on its marketplace for at least $1,000. If you have smaller jewelry, or silver, gold, gemstones or silver flatware, we recommend A+ BBB rated Diamonds USA.
Or, continue reading on selling your Van Cleef jewelry:
- Where to sell Van Cleef jewelry
- How to sell Van Cleef jewelry
- How much is Van Cleef jewelry worth?
- FAQs about selling Van Cleef jewelry
Where to sell Van Cleef jewelry: 5 ways
As evidenced by its top-ranked resale value, demand for Van Cleef jewelry is high, but not all resale venues will get you the same payout. For example, many online jewelry buyers will only offer the scrap-materials value of your piece. That might work if you just wanted to unload a gold bracelet from your early 20s, but for a piece of fine jewelry from Van Cleef & Arpels? Not so much.
Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry can also be sold on eBay and via online consignment stores, but fakes are being reported. This could affect how much your authentic Van Cleef items sell for.
Sell back to a jeweler
Some jewelry stores will pay money for your fine jewelry and resell the items as estate or antique jewelry, or resell the item to another retailer to make a profit. Van Cleef & Arpels does not buy back its jewelry.
Before you decide to sell, make an appointment for an appraisal of your Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry. Once you know the value of what you have, a jeweler will be less likely to lowball you on the price. Worthy provides free GIA or IGA lab reports, along with estimated sale prices, that can help you understand the value of what you have.
Selling to a local jeweler is a fine option if you need cash quickly, but you will likely leave money on the table because of the high overhead costs of brick-and-mortar jewelry stores. Online jewelry buyers like Worthy will typically pay more because they have greater competition and more incentive to do so.
Sell on consignment
Another way to sell Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry is to find a local consignment store that deals in fine jewelry. Bring along your appraisal to help the store owner set the highest price possible.
Some consignment shops pay upon acceptance, but others pay only when the item sells (which could take time).
Some online consignment shops, such as TheRealReal, will accept Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry.
Sell at a pawn shop
Like selling to a local jewelry store, pawn shops might get you a fast payout, but you likely won’t get back the full value of your Van Cleef jewelry. Worthy offers 24-hour payments when your item sells.
More to the point: A pawnbroker might not understand the luxury value of your Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry. Due to the brand’s storied reputation and high resale value, a pawn shop or pawnbroker is not the best place to sell Van Cleef jewelry.
Sell at an auction
At a jewelry auction, your pieces sell to the highest bidder. Both Sotheby’s and Phillips auction houses are willing to put Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry on the block in live or online auctions, depending on the value and whether or not your item has a documented provenance of interest to collectors — such as proof it was owned or worn by a celebrity. Most auction houses take a month or longer to send payment once your item sells.
Sell to a professional jewelry buyer online
Worthy.com consistently fetches high prices for jewelry with its auctions because of its large pool of buyers from around the world.
And not just any buyers: Worthy only works with vetted professional buyers in search of beautiful jewelry. These bidders understand value, and they’re willing to pay for it.
We like Worthy because:
- For an estimate, all you need to do is describe your item(s) and upload some pictures.
- Worthy has a B+ rating with the BBB and a score of 4.6 (out of 5) stars on Trustpilot, based on more than 3,500 reviews.
- Worthy gives a free Gemological Institute of America (GIA) lab report for each item.
- You get to choose a minimum price you’re willing to accept for your jewelry.
- Worthy pays for shipping, handling and insurance, which means it costs you nothing to get started.
You can also sell your Van Cleef jewelry to an online gold and diamond jewelry buyer like myGemma, formerly WP Diamonds, which is one of the oldest and most reputable. Check out our myGemma review here.
How to sell Van Cleef jewelry online
The best way to sell Van Cleef jewelry online is by visiting Worthy.com. As noted above, Worthy attracts a global clientele of discriminating buyers who understand the brand’s value.
The company makes it super simple to sell Van Cleef jewelry:
- Go to Worthy.com.
- Enter your contact information, describe the piece(s) you want to sell and upload a few pictures. Worthy will do a market analysis to determine trending market prices.
- Receive a trackable FedEx mailer (usually within one day) and mail your jewelry. Don’t worry: It’s insured for up to $100,000 by Lloyds of London.
- Worthy will photograph your jewelry, have it professionally graded at the GIA lab and put it up for auction.
- Watch your offers come in via Worthy’s live auction viewer tool. Approve the final bid, and your money will be sent through PayPal within 24 hours or by check — your choice.
How much is Van Cleef jewelry worth?
How valuable your Van Cleef jewelry might be is determined by factors like:
- Condition (even a tiny scratch that you can barely see could affect resale value)
- The age of the piece
- The jewelry’s rarity
- The popularity of your piece’s particular style
Worthy reports a “strong” market for Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry. Recent pieces have sold for more than $50,000. You can get a sense of what your Van Cleef jewelry might be worth if you check auctions and past sales of similar pieces. Here are a few examples of Van Cleef jewelry that sold on Worthy in recent years:
Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra 18k gold pendant necklace: $1,950
Watch Van Cleef & Arpels Alhambra watch in 18k white gold: $3,918
Vintage 1950s Van Cleef & Arpels couscous emerald and diamond bangle bracelet: $23,914
Van Cleef & Arpels Magic Alhambra Bracelet, 18K yellow gold chain bracelet with four gold/diamond/porcelain charms: $8,278
Van Cleef & Arpels round-cut diamond and platinum stud earrings: $10,500
FAQs about selling your Van Cleef jewelry
Is Van Cleef & Arpels real gold?
Yes. Van Cleef & Arpels uses an 18-carat gold alloy, which equates to 75% gold. The other 25% is alloy metal, which improves the hardness and durability of the finished jewelry product. This kind of alloy is also referred to as 750 in the millesimal fineness system, which denotes the purity of the gold in the material.
All gold works from Van Cleef & Arpels are stamped with an eagle’s-head mark to certify their purity.
Does Van Cleef have resale value?
If you want to sell Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, you’ll be glad to know that these beautiful pieces hold their value.
According to jeweler and appraiser Kevin Zavian from this episode of Antiques Roadshow, Van Cleef & Arpels is in demand:
Van Cleef & Arpels was ranked as the top fine jewelry brand in terms of resale value by luxury resale site TheRealReal. Van Cleef & Arpels’ signature Alhambra designs reportedly sell for an average of 86% of their original price, and 90% of pieces sell within 30 days.
Bottom line: Where is the best place to sell Van Cleef?
Overall, the best place to sell Van Cleef jewelry you no longer want, including items from the Van Cleef Alhambra collection, is Worthy. Get a free estimate now >>
Have more luxury jewelry to sell? Check out our guides for selling the following brands:
Yes. Van Cleef & Arpels uses an 18-carat gold alloy, which equates to 75% gold.
If you want to sell Van Cleef & Arpels jewelry, you’ll be glad to know that these beautiful pieces hold their value.
