Declaring Jewelry in an Inheritance: The Steps to Follow

Once the initial shock has passed, the administrative machinery kicks in. Here, in order, is what concerns jewelry — and what you can prepare without delay.

Step 1: Gather and inventory

Before anything else, bring the jewelry together, wherever it may be: at home, in a bank safe deposit box, or with a relative. Photograph each piece and note what you know about its origin. Also look for associated documents: invoices, laboratory certificates (GIA, IGI, HRD), jewel cases, previous appraisals, and above all insurance policies — these can set a floor value, as explained on our page insurance and declared value.

Opening a bank safe deposit box after a death follows a specific procedure: the bank freezes the box, and its opening is generally done in the presence of the notary, with an inventory. Allow for this delay in your schedule.

Step 2: Have the value established

This is the step where we come in. The appraisal must reflect the market value at the date of death, piece by piece. Two options are possible: an inventory drawn up by a bailiff or a notary, who may enlist an expert; or a written estimate by a market professional, which you then submit to your notary.

In both cases, what makes the document solid is the precision of the description: metal and fineness, weight, weight and quality of the stones, signature, period, condition. A line such as “lot of jewelry: €15,000” is hard to defend; a detailed list is not.

Step 3: The inheritance tax return

The return is filed by the heirs, in practice almost always through the notary handling the case. Jewelry is included under personal property, separately from household furnishings — recall that the 5% allowance does not cover them.

The deadline is six months from the death occurring in metropolitan France, twelve months for a death abroad. In case of delay, the tax authorities apply interest of 0.20% per month, plus a surcharge of 10% beyond twelve months, increasing to 40% after an unheeded formal notice.

The mistakes we see most often

• Forgetting pieces “of no value”: costume jewelry does not interest the tax authorities, but scrap gold, broken items, and old watches do — and they can sometimes amount to several thousand euros.
• Using the insured value as if it were market value: it is a replacement cost new, structurally higher.
• Selling before having everything appraised, and then having no written trace of what left the estate.
• Waiting until the fifth month to start: between the safe deposit box, the appraisal, and the notary, six months pass very quickly.

Updated July 24, 2026 — rates and allowances may change with each finance law.