Whether you want to buy or to sell jewelry or watches, the first step in figuring out value is to identify what it is, when and where it was made, and by whom. A maker's mark can help but if jewelry has hallmarks, this process is almost foolproof.

Serpents and wildlife motifs dominated the high-end period jewels on display at the Antique Jewelry and Watch Show in July, as more than 100 watch and jewelry dealers gathered in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Pavilion. Now in its seventh year and growing in prestige, the four-day event was open to the public and attracted around 3,000 private collectors and industry insiders.

The show opened two days before the massive trade-only JA New York summer show, which focuses on high-end contemporary jewelry.

Lovers of sparkle, mark your calendars. On November 16, 2014, a dazzling new exhibit will open at the Denver Art Museum, titled: Brilliant: Cartier in the 20th century.

Brilliant will feature 250 tantalizing jewelry pieces, wristwatches, and other decorative objects made by the luxury jewelry house between 1900-1975. Much of these rare and valuable Cartier pieces come from the private collections of luminaries such as Elizabeth Taylor, the Duchess of Windsor, Princess Grace, and other celebrities and royals.