Spoleto Designs

Name: Spoleto Designs
Address: Dallas, TX, 75056, US
Telephone: +12144940646
Price range: $$$

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Spoleto Designs

Estate, Vintage & Custom Jewelry

Guidance for estate, vintage, and fine jewelry decisions

Online and by appointment only

09/09/2026

I was talking with a friend in Portugal about my work and she mentioned something I hadn’t really considered—that in her experience, jewelry was sometimes passed from mothers to daughters as a form of financial security. But the part that stuck with me was that the privacy around it could be completely intentional.

Jewelry is personal, portable, and discreet. A woman could pass something of value to her daughter without it becoming part of the family’s larger conversation about money.

I see a lot of inherited collections with almost no documentation—no inventory, little appraisal history, no record of where pieces came from or what they meant. I used to think of that as a problem to solve. But now I wonder if sometimes that missing paper trail was actually the point. Privacy that served one woman well becomes a mystery for her daughter, which is its own kind of problem.

It’s made me care even more about capturing the stories alongside the pieces themselves, not just the objects.

08/07/2026

Most people don’t think much about their jewelry until life forces the question: an inheritance, a move, a divorce, retirement, a parent downsizing, an insurance review. Suddenly you’re asking what you actually have and whether any of it is valuable.

The first step is understanding the collection: what’s actually there, what each piece represents, and what your options are, before any decisions get made.

Our role is to help people get that clarity: what they have, what it’s worth, what it means, and what their choices are. After that, whether they keep it, redesign it, sell it, or pass it down is entirely their call.

07/29/2026

One question I hear a lot is, “Why did I get two completely different values for the same piece of jewelry?”

The answer is usually pretty simple: they were created for different purposes.

A value for insurance isn’t the same as a value for an estate. Neither of those is the same as what a piece might realistically sell for today.

That’s why I always tell people not to get too attached to a number until they understand what that number actually represents.

Melissa Scarani, G.G., FGA, ASA put together a really helpful graphic that explains the four primary appraisal value types. It’s a great reminder that context matters just as much as the valuation itself. Thanks, Melissa, for letting me share it.

This is also why I spend so much time encouraging families to understand what they have before making decisions. An appraisal is incredibly important, but it’s only one part of the picture. Knowing what’s in the collection, how it’s documented, whether it’s properly insured, and how it fits into an estate plan are just as important.

Jewelry is often one of the most meaningful assets a family owns. It deserves the same thoughtful planning as everything else.

Graphic created by Melissa Scarani, G.G., FGA, ASA and shared with permission.

gemology_resources

07/27/2026

We are excited to share that we were recently featured in Newsweek discussing a topic that’s at the heart of what we do at Spoleto Designs.

As America experiences the largest wealth transfer in history, most conversations focus on stocks, real estate, and business interests. Jewelry is often overlooked, even though it can be one of the most financially valuable and emotionally significant assets a family owns.

Too often, important decisions are made before anyone truly understands what they have.

Whether jewelry is being inherited, documented, insured, redesigned, shared among family members, or eventually sold, the first step should always be understanding the collection itself.

Thank you to Newsweek for including our perspective in this important conversation.

Read the article here:
https://www.newsweek.com/americas-124-trillion-wealth-transfer-brings-focus-to-jewelry-assets-12238721

💎💜

07/26/2026

Collection Diaries | Part 20

Cabochons. Faceted gemstones. Modern design. Vintage influence.

The best collections aren’t built around a single style. They’re built around pieces that are impossible to forget.

📸 Serena Cavanaugh

07/23/2026

Collection Diaries | Part 19

Every collection teaches me something.

One of my favorites in this group is the blue-green sugarloaf cabochon tourmaline. Unlike a traditional faceted gemstone, a sugarloaf cabochon has a smooth, domed top that highlights the depth of color rather than sparkle. As the light moves across the surface, the tourmaline shifts between rich shades of blue and green.

Another ring caught my eye because of its beautifully engineered openwork gold basket. The setting allows light to pass through the transparent gemstone, creating reflections that become part of the overall look. It’s a great reminder that a well-designed setting can be just as important as the gemstone itself.

And then there’s the final ring. The brown stones have wonderful life and character, but I can’t confidently identify the gem. That’s actually pretty common. Color, cut, and mounting can all influence how a stone appears.

It’s one of the many reasons I enjoy this work so much. Every collection offers something new to study.

📸 sjcav6 Serena Cavanaugh

07/21/2026

Collection Diaries | Part 18

Color. Texture. History. Personality.

Every piece brings something different.

📸 sjcav6 Serena Cavanaugh

07/18/2026

Collection Diaries | Part 17

Old or new doesn’t matter.

If you love wearing it, it belongs in your collection.

07/17/2026

Collection Diaries | Part 16

Some pieces become favorites.

Others remind you of a person, a place, or a moment.

That’s how collections grow.

Address

Dallas, TX
75056

Telephone

+12144940646

Website

http://Www.spoletodesigns.com/

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