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Checked jewel - Workshop jewelry - Gemmologist - Jewelry appraiser

Each piece of antique jewelry or second-hand jewelry that is presented for sale on the Bijoux Baume website or in our Poitiers store has been previously checked and verified point by point by several members of our team in order to guarantee you an accurate identification and a very precise jewelry expertise.

1st Checkpoint

Control of metals by our Jewelry Appraisers - Certified Gemologists

The constituent materials of a piece of jewelry are evaluated by 2 jewelry appraisers - Gemmologists who compare their point of view to have the most accurate, precise and complete jewelry expertise possible.

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Individually, each jewelry expert will check :

The constituent metals by checking and identifying the guarantee hallmarks, master hallmarks, signatures, numbering present on the frames...
The weight of the jewel weighed on a scale approved and controlled each year by the State. This scale gives the weight of the jewel to the nearest 100th of a gram.
The precise measurements of the jewelry: height, width, thickness, finger circumference for rings... The condition of the jewelry and the need for restoration or intervention by our workshop.

2nd Checkpoint

Control of precious stones by our Jewelry Appraisers - Certified Gemologists

Gemstones set in jewelry are not always easy to identify. Indeed, the metal settings that hold them make it difficult to access certain areas to observe. Two pairs of eyes of experienced gemmologists are therefore not too much to check each gem.

The points of control of each gem set are :

the nature of the gem
the quality
the provenance when it is identifiable with the gemological tools in our possession
the condition and the need for repolishing or replacement
the estimated weight when the gem cannot be loosened or the exact weight when it is removed from its setting.

For antique jewelry, if a gem shows significant signs of age, it may be necessary to dismantle and repolish it or simply replace it. We search for the ideal stone either in our stock or with our partner stone suppliers.

3rd Checkpoint

Control of the structure of the jewel by our Workshop Manager

Our workshop manager will examine the jewel from every angle and carry out the necessary work to put it on sale.

Each piece of jewelry will be meticulously :

Cleaned and polished, without being "stripped" because we preserve the patina of antique jewelry that gives it its inimitable charm
The claws that set the precious stones will be checked and reinforced if necessary
Restored with care and respect of the jewel if necessary.

Our workshop has many years of experience in jewelry creation, restoration of antique jewelry and jewelry transformation. It is therefore able to take charge of even the most complex interventions. We also sometimes call upon partner workshops that take care of certain specific techniques such as enameling, engraving, rethreading, re-cutting or polishing of gems.

4th Checkpoint

Period control and additional bibliographic research

The styles and periods are numerous and varied. Our knowledge acquired over time and the thousands of pieces of jewelry that have passed through our hands allow us to identify the periods, the artistic styles and sometimes the authors.

Thus, the sum of many small details identified on a piece of jewelry allows us to differentiate authentic antique jewelry from more or less antique copies.

We also have an important bibliography on jewels, precious stones, artists and great signatures on which we rely to confirm our diagnoses.

All this information collected is pooled and compared in order to bring you an expertise and a precise control of the jewel presented for sale on our site.

Thus, no bad surprise when you receive your jewel, it corresponds exactly to the description made on our site. The constitution and the period of each jewel is thus guaranteed by the certificate of authenticity which accompanies each jewel sold on our site or in our gallery of Poitiers and whatever its price and its constitution.

Other checks can be carried out if necessary and according to the jewel.

5th Checkpoint

Control by the Customs Office

In case of absence of a guarantee hallmark for precious metals and after verification of the nature of the metals present by the touchstone method or by electronic tester, it is sometimes necessary for the jewel to be re-punched in order to comply with the legislation in force. The Guarantees Office, affiliated to the French Customs, will be asked to verify the metals present and will repoint the jewel if necessary.

The French legislation imposes the following elements:

Any work in 18 carat gold with a metal weight of more than 3 g must obligatorily bear the 18 carat gold guarantee hallmark of the eagle head. The works of a lower weight of metal do not have thus obligation to coat this mark. Moreover, other hallmarks exist to guarantee the different metals and the eagle head is far from being the only guarantee of the quality of a metal.
Any work in silver - 925 thousandths of a weight in metal higher than 25 g must obligatorily carry the punch of guarantee of the silver 925 thousandths of the head of eagle. Note that the jewels of foreign origins can put on other punches in force in their country of origin.

6th Checkpoint

Control by one or more analytical laboratories

It is sometimes necessary to call upon one or more laboratories to analyze the gemstones present on jewelry.

This control will take place in order to confirm certain particular criteria of a gemstone such as its origin or the treatments it has undergone. This control can allow obtaining a laboratory certificate often necessary for gems of important size or exceptional quality.

The laboratory control also makes it possible to go further in the identification of a gem thanks to more advanced analysis tools but most often requires that the stones be removed from the jewelry. Thus, for antique jewelry, it is not always possible to dismantle the stones without damaging the structure and authenticity of the jewelry.

We work with several renowned French and foreign laboratories and are ourselves members of the gemology research center of the University of Nantes.

7th Checkpoint

Control by another approved jewelry appraiser member of the CNE or CNES

It is sometimes useful to have an additional opinion on a piece of jewelry. Being a member of the "Compagnie des Experts d'Art" (CNE) and the "Chambre Nationale des Experts Spécialisés en Objets d'Art" (CNES), we are fortunate to be able to call upon our colleagues to obtain an additional expertise on a particular piece of art that requires it.

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