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Is EraGem Vintage Jewelry Right for You?
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Want to buy a vintage ring or in love with a retro style?
Then EraGem might be an excellent choice for you.
This company is the premier online seller of pre-owned, estate, vintage, and retro jewelry. We’ll look closely at what they have to offer and wrap up our EraGem review with some final advice.
Let’s get started!
About the company
Weston McDonald and Michael Magnotti started EraGem in 2006.
As you might guess from the name, EraGem sells jewelry from different historical periods, from the mid-1800s to the present day.
But this isn’t just the “vintage style” jewelry you’ll find from most jewelers. At EraGem, these pieces are a product of their time and are built with quality that’s withstood generations.
EraGem is based in Bellevue, Washington, but sells around the world. They have a showroom in Bellevue that’s open by appointment only.
While most customers might assume EraGem buys jewelry at estate sales, this isn’t usually the case. They’re purchased directly from family members most of the time.
Source: EraGem on Instagram
What kind of jewelry can you find at EraGem?
Most online retailers have a list of jewelry to choose from. Once you buy a piece, they simply manufacture more to keep their inventory stocked.
EraGem is different. Every piece you’ll find on the website is unique, and once it’s sold, it’s sold. I’ll explain the general categories of jewelry you can see, but if you’re looking for a specific piece, you’ll have to check what’s available right now.
First, all jewelry at EraGem is fine jewelry. It will be made of silver, platinum, or gold—either yellow, white, or rose gold.
Most pieces have a precious gemstone like a diamond, emerald, sapphire, or ruby. But they also have a large selection of pieces with semi-precious stones like morganite, tourmaline, opal, moonstone, and others.
Source: EraGem on Instagram
The most common piece of jewelry is by far their selection of rings. EraGem has a massive antique engagement ring and wedding ring selection. They also sell decorative rings, including masonic and pinky rings for men.
Their collection also includes necklaces, bracelets, earrings, brooches, cufflinks, and watches. Each piece comes with an explanation of what it’s made of and its approximate year.
While most pieces aren’t from a particular designer, you can find genuine vintage pieces from luxury brands like Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, Van Cleef & Arpels, and more.
Most of the pieces at EraGem cost around $2,000-$10,000. They also offer complimentary resizing with each purchase.
Is EraGem jewelry good quality?
It can be hard to determine from a website whether or not a piece of jewelry is of good quality.
But the great news with EraGem is that for every piece, the answer is yes. Not every sapphire engagement ring or gold wedding band will last for generations.
If you’re buying a vintage or estate piece from EraGem, you can rest assured that it will last a long time afterward.
As I researched EraGem, I did come across one possible question about the quality of the jewelry. All the third-party certificates come from the North American Gemological Laboratory in Bellevue, Washington.
Source: EraGem on Instagram
The NAGL is a tiny appraisal shop with just three employees on LinkedIn. There’s nothing wrong with being a small company, but name recognition means a lot when it comes to gem certification.
We’ve written before about the difference in quality between different laboratories. GIA is the most widely respected, but they only grade gemstones—not entire pieces of jewelry.
Is the best vintage jewelry appraisal service a small company only two miles from EraGem headquarters? It seems unlikely.
Given that jewelry appraisals are notoriously inflated to about twice the real value, you should know you’re not getting a “steal” when EraGem charges 80% of the appraisal price.
Overall, the pieces are very high-quality but don’t rely too much on their third-party evaluations.
What do EraGem reviews say?
EraGem has excellent reviews.
The Better Business Bureau gives them an A+, the highest rating possible. On WeddingWire, the brand has 4.9 of 5 stars out of 37 reviews.
And their showroom in Bellevue has 5 of 5 stars on Yelp, based on 35 reviews.
I’ve written many reviews of jewelry brands here at Blush and Bar, and those are staggeringly high ratings. The EraGem team seems to put customer satisfaction first.
The final word on EraGem
If you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry—especially an authentic retro or vintage piece—look no further. EraGem has what you’re looking for and more.
You can find a vast selection of unique estate and vintage pieces with history and quality.
While their certification and appraisals don’t leave me confident they offer the best price, the team seems knowledgeable, and the pieces are priced reasonably for authentic vintage items.
If I were buying vintage jewelry, EraGem would be my first stop.
THE BLUSH AND BAR PROMISE
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