A signed period jewel, an important diamond, a stone of provenance, a natural pearl necklace, a family collection: for major pieces the house offers a private route — examination by appointment, a firm offer, same-day payment and complete discretion. In Paris at 22 rue Drouot; in London at 100 Hatton Garden.
An important piece is not sold like an everyday jewel. It calls for a trained eye — Ariel Altmann is a gemmologist by training and a dealer on rue Drouot —, a reading at the day's international prices, and a setting in which nothing becomes known: neither the piece, nor the price, nor the family. That is exactly what the private route offers, a few steps from the Paris sale rooms, and now in London, by appointment at 100 Hatton Garden.
From the first exchange to the payment, you deal with the same person — the one who examines, decides and pays.
By telephone, WhatsApp or e-mail. A few photographs and the existing documents — certificates, invoices, cases — are enough for a first opinion within 24 hours.
By appointment at 22 rue Drouot in Paris or at 100 Hatton Garden in London; at your home or your bank for a collection. The piece is examined in front of you — signature, hallmarks, stones, condition — and never leaves your sight.
Based on the real characteristics of the piece and the international market of the day. It is explained to you line by line, and commits you to nothing.
Once agreed, by bank transfer, whatever the amount. The offer accepted is the sum received: no commission, no fees, no consignment, no waiting for a sale date. We press no one; when agreement is reached, the piece is paid the same day and leaves for another life — in other hands, sometimes in another country.
Your photographs are neither published nor passed on. Remote appraisal, in detail · Selling from the UK and Europe
The house buys for its own account — it takes nothing on consignment. That is what makes a firm offer possible, including for pieces worth tens or hundreds of thousands of euros, paid the same day.
Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels, Boucheron, Sterlé, JAR, Verdura, Belperron, Boivin and the great houses — signed and numbered period pieces whose signature reads. Signed jewellery.
Solitaires of weight, old cuts and modern cuts, with or without a certificate; the examination of the diamond, carried out in front of you. Sell a diamond of three carats and more.
Kashmir sapphire, Burmese ruby, Colombian emerald, and every origin the great sales are made of, read and documented by the house. Precious stones.
Strands and mounted pieces of natural pearls — to be distinguished from cultured pearls: their markets have nothing in common. Natural pearls.
Assembled collections, divisions between heirs, estates: inventory piece by piece, in liaison with the notary or solicitor if you wish. Estate jewellery.
No catalogue, no publication, no uncertainty of the room. The certainty of a figure, the discretion of a transaction between two parties — and payment the same day.
For certain pieces the sale room makes sense, and we will tell you so. But decide with the figures in front of you: fees, timing and guarantees of both routes, line by line. The two opinions can be taken on the same day — we are a few steps from the Paris sale rooms, and the London rooms are close to Hatton Garden. Auction or dealer: the figures.
A jewel signed by a great house or from a sought-after period, a diamond of weight, a certified stone of provenance — Kashmir, Burma, Colombia —, a strand of natural pearls, or an assembled collection. In a word: the pieces whose sale deserves a dedicated setting.
The public sale is a legitimate route: it can create international competition. The private route answers other priorities — immediacy, certainty of the result, total confidentiality — and removes a risk particular to major pieces: an unsold lot in the room is public, and the market remembers it.
Yes. No catalogue, no publication, no price made public. The examination is private; the transaction stays between the house and you. The discretion of families is the rule.
By bank transfer, immediately, once the agreement is concluded — French law does not allow cash for this trade. The offer accepted is the sum received: no commission, no fee is deducted.
Yes — in France, in London, and within Europe for a significant piece. A first opinion is given on photographs within 24 hours, before any travel is decided.
Yes. The house receives in London by appointment at its office, 100 Hatton Garden, EC1N 8NX, in the jewellery quarter. Write first by WhatsApp or e-mail with photographs; the appointment is fixed around the house's visits.
A passport or identity card — French law requires a dealer to record every purchase and the identity of the seller — and whatever you have on the piece: certificate, invoice, earlier valuation, auction catalogue entry, box. None of these is essential, except your identity document.
To a dealer who buys for its own account. Altmann Collection receives by appointment, examines the piece in front of you and, if you accept the offer, pays the same day. The piece is neither exhibited nor put up for public sale.
Verifiable facts, reviewed in October 2026. For a specific case, the appointment settles the matter.
A piece that fails to sell at auction is “bought in”, in front of the whole market, and the result circulates. Sold privately, a piece is never exposed: its pedigree stays intact.
A seller is paid by bank transfer or cheque: French law does not allow cash for this trade. Expect a dated purchase document, and nothing deducted from the figure agreed. French law requires a dealer in precious objects to record each purchase and the identity of the seller. Bring a passport or identity card: it protects you as much as us.
By appointment at 22 rue Drouot, Paris 9e — Monday to Thursday 10 am to 7 pm, Friday 10 am to 3 pm — and at 100 Hatton Garden, London EC1N 8NX, around the house's visits.
A first opinion on photographs within 24 hours, then a private appointment in Paris or London.
Request an opinion+33 7 81 11 49 29