Are you ready to sell an antique alexandrite gemstone or fine jewelry? Contact C. Blackburn Jewelers in La Jolla and tell us about your item. There are 3 ways to get in touch with us.
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C. Blackburn Jewelers of La Jolla is the best place to sell antique alexandrite jewelry in San Diego. Alexandrite gemstones are not as common as sapphires, rubies, and emeralds. It requires special expertise to understand alexandrite’s cash value. This is especially true of the antique cut alexandrite used in late 19th and early 20th century jewelry.
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Carl Blackburn of C. Blackburn Jewelers is one of the few fine jewelers in San Diego who has expertise in antique alexandrite jewelry, including highly sought-after Tiffany alexandrite and diamond rings, as well as loose alexandrite gemstones from the Ural mountains in Russia.
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Carl is a 2nd generation California estate jeweler with decades of hands-on experience with antique jewelry set with alexandrite, including rings, necklaces, and brooches. He also knows how to accurately appraise the value of alexandrite gemstones based on their unique color changing quality.
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Selling is Quick & Easy
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1. Give us a call at 858-251-3006 or send photos of your alexandrite or jewelry with a text message at 619-723-8589.
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Carl will answer all of the questions you have and arrange a convenient time for you to bring your item to our La Jolla jewelry store.
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2. Carl will examine your item, and share with you all he knows about your alexandrite. He’ll then provide you with a no strings attached cash quote.
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3. You can accept the cash offer and be paid immediately, or decline the offer with no questions asked. There is no pressure to sell your item(s) to us.
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I recently sold a lot of fine jewelry that I had inherited from my mother. I chose C. Blackburn because I wanted the pieces to find new homes, rather than be melted down or taken apart. Carl careful inspected and considered each piece before pricing it. He explained the quality of the gold in each piece, the techniques used to craft the pieces, and what went into his pricing. He appreciated the sentimental value of the items and actually had buyers in mind for several of them. I felt that he gave me a fair price the first time I came in, so I returned with additional items to sell a few weeks later. I’d highly recommend C. Blackburn for selling and buying estate jewelry.
I met with most of the Jewelers around La Jolla and no one was as knowledgeable or as helpful as Carl was to me. Carl Blackburn is a straight shooter and someone you can trust. C. Blackburn Jewelers will forever have my business and recommendation to all of my network for any future jewelry business.
Being at a downsizing stage of life, I decided to sell as much of my jewelry as possible, and luckily, I came across C. Blackburn Jewelers. I was scared of getting scammed and cheated. Carl had me sitting with him while he examined and evaluated my jewelry. He did not take it into a back room and tell me to return on another day.
He worked methodically and very professionally, answered all my questions, kept my expectations realistic, explained what he was doing as he worked. We also had a very pleasant conversation – he is down-to-earth, genuine, and friendly. I trusted him without hesitation. I was very pleasantly surprised by the outcome and felt I was very fairly treated. I was relieved that the process was stress-free, thanks to Carl’s very professional manner and his genuine friendliness. I recommend him highly, without reservation.
We had a wonderful selling experience with Blackburn Jewelers. We had about 50 pieces of jewelry from our mom’s estate to sell, and owner, Carl Blackburn, was so amazing. He was professional, courteous, and informative. Many jewelry buyers will simply put all the jewelry on the scale, deduct out the approximate ‘gem’ weight, and offer the ‘melt’ value less their percentage. Carl took time examining each individual piece, and kept a notebook with the details and his offer price. He verbally detailed each piece letting us know exactly how he derived his offer price. He was very transparent and fair. At the end of the appointment, we left extremely satisfied with our sale, and very pleased with the overall experience. I highly recommend Blackburn Jewelers for all of your jewelry sale needs.
The 4 Cs of diamond grading (Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight) are also used for appraising the value of alexandrite. However, one additional factor is included: Color Change.
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At C. Blackburn Jewelers we will analyze the quality of each of these five factors. In addition, we’ll assess any extra value that may be attributed to the emerald mine in which the stone was sourced (if identified in a lab report).
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Here is a quick overview of an alexandrite’s 5 Cs:
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Color Change: Alexandrite is renowned for its remarkable color-changing properties. The gemstone exhibits different hues under different lighting conditions, typically shifting between green in daylight and red or purplish-red under incandescent light. The intensity and quality of this color change greatly influence the gem’s value.
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Color Quality: The ideal alexandrite displays a vivid and saturated hue in both its green and red color ranges. Gems with a pure and strong color change, without undertones or grayish hues, are highly desirable and command higher prices.
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Clarity: The clarity of an alexandrite gemstone refers to the absence of internal inclusions or external blemishes. Gemstones with excellent clarity and minimal visible flaws are more valuable than those with noticeable imperfections.
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Cut: Most alexandrite gemstones are fashioned in what is a called a “mixed cut.” This cut creates a larger table and steeper pavilion to maximize the weight, while preserving the color change and color saturation.
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Carat Weight: As with most gemstones, the size or carat weight of alexandrite plays a role in its appraisal. Larger alexandrites are rarer and more valuable than smaller ones, assuming all other factors are equal. However, the gem’s quality factors (color change, color quality, clarity, and cut) carry greater significance in determining value compared to size alone.
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Other factors that can affect the value of your alexandrite include: color saturation (windows/zoning), treatments (such as fracture filling), damage to stone (chips, cracks, abrasions), origin of mine (for example, Russia), lab report (GIA or IGI), and branding (such as Tiffany alexandrite rings).
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Get started now. Find out how much your alexandrite is worth. Call 858-251-3006 to schedule an appointment or click on the button below to tell us about your item.
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Browse a collection of C. Blackburn Jewelers’ recent buys from sellers in San Diego County.