Selling inherited jewelry to pay inheritance tax

This is a situation we encounter every week: heirs receive valuabless jewelry, but must pay inheritance tax in cash. The estate is there; the cash flow is not.

Why the issue almost always arises

Inheritance tax is due at the time of filing the declaration, i.e. in principle within six months of death. Yet the assets transferred — a flat, jewelry — do not transform into liquidity at the same pace. When the estate contains few bank accounts and many assets, heirs must find the money elsewhere.

Selling part of the jewelry is often the quickest and least painful solution: faster than a property sale, less burdensome than a loan, and usually without major emotional consequences when the pieces are ones no one wears.

Before selling: three precautions

1. Have everything appraised, including what you plan to keep. One can only sell well what one knows the value of, and the notary will need a value for everything.
2. Check the agreement of the co-heirs. Until the estate is shared, jewelry is held in common ownership: selling requires the agreement of all co-owners. See our page on co-ownership and sharing of jewelry.
3. Inform your notary. The timing and form of the sale have effects on the declaration: a public sale within two years of death sets the value retained, which is not the case with a private sale to a professional.

Auction or direct purchase?

Both approaches are legitimate; they simply serve different needs.

Auction sales can best valuemuseum a rare, signed, or historical piece, when there is time: allow several months between inventory, sale, and settlement, and deduct sales costs.

Direct purchase — our business — offers the opposite: an immediate firm offer and payment on the same day, with an invoice. This is the route chosen by most heirs pressed by the tax deadline, or who want to settle co-ownership without waiting.

We have no vested interest in pushing you either way: if a piece clearly belongs in the auction room, we will tell you — we maintain good relations with several Parisian auction houses.

What we purchase in an estate context

Certified or uncertified diamonds, signed jewelry (Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari, Boucheron, Chaumet, Chopard…), antique and family jewelry, colored stones, pearls, scrap gold, and heterogeneous lots. We examine everything, including what seems worthless: surprises exist in both directions.

How it works

Come without an appointment to 43 rue Beaubourg, with the jewelry and, if available, the certificates and the ID of the person selling. The appraisal is done in front of you. If the offer suits you, payment is immediate and you leave with an invoice — a useful document for the estate file. If it doesn't suit you, you leave with your jewelry and the written estimate, free of charge.

Updated on July 24, 2026 — rates and allowances are subject to change with each finance law.