You and your siblings have inherited a collection of jewelry. Nobody knows what anything is worth. Different siblings want different things — one wants to keep grandmother's pearls, another wants to sell everything, a third lives abroad and can't inspect pieces in person. Nobody agrees on what fair means.
Get everything appraised and divide by dollar value. Or: everyone takes turns picking. Or: sell everything and split the cash.
"What does each person actually care about most — specific pieces, monetary value, or keeping things in the family?"
If dividing by monetary value: have key pieces appraised. Agree on a picking order. Each person picks pieces until their total value reaches their share. Compensate with cash for imbalances.
Start with a family conversation about what matters to each person. Document all pieces with photos. If some pieces are potentially valuable, get those appraised. Common approaches: rotating picks, value-based allocation with cash equalization, or selling everything and splitting proceeds. There is no one fair method — agree on the process before discussing specific pieces.
This is common and difficult. The sibling who wants to keep everything should understand that keeping comes with compensating others — either in cash or with other inherited items. If they can't or won't compensate, independent mediation may help. The goal is a process everyone can live with, not necessarily one everyone loves.
Only for pieces where value significantly affects fairness. If the collection consists of costume jewelry with a few gold pieces, appraise only the gold pieces. Appraising everything wastes money. Agree upfront on who pays for appraisals — usually the estate or split among all heirs.
