Unvault uses AI to value vintage jewelry and heirlooms instantly

An inherited ring with a worn hallmark and a darkened shank can now be photographed, measured and priced in about 60 seconds. Unvault is pitching that speed as a way to turn household jewelry from a drawer-bound asset into something closer to a live financial account.

Launched in October 2025, the platform says it uses AI trained on manufacturing data to analyze dimensions and weight from photos, then authenticates pieces before issuing a final offer. The company says it has already drawn more than 35,000 users, completed over 100,000 valuations and tracked more than $70 million in jewelry. It also says its fees run 15% to 20%, a narrower spread than the 30% to 70% it associates with the old model.

That pitch lands in a market where gold has been swinging sharply. Bloomberg reported a major March selloff before dip buyers stepped back in later that month, a reminder that the value of a bracelet or brooch can move with the metal underneath it. In that kind of environment, instant pricing has obvious appeal: a quick estimate can tell a seller whether a piece is worth listing, holding or rethinking.

Nidhi Singhvi, Unvault’s founder and chief executive, has framed the problem as one of neglect as much as liquidity. She told CBS News that people have jewelry sitting in drawers, do not know what it is worth and leave it “completely idle” and “completely untracked.” In a March 17, 2026 interview with Fashionista, Singhvi described the company’s ambition as the “Robinhood for jewelry,” and Unvault has gone further, casting the market as a potential $1 trillion liquid asset class built from jewelry boxes turned digital portfolios.

For owners of vintage pieces, that is both the promise and the risk. AI can be useful when the question is basic: approximate weight, material, stone type and a rough resale range. It is less persuasive when the real value sits in the details that photographs flatten, such as a period mount, a hand-cut stone, an original clasp, a repair from another era or a maker’s mark that changes the story. An old brooch can be priced quickly; it cannot be fully understood quickly.

That matters because secondhand jewelry is riding a broader resale wave. ThredUp’s 2025 Resale Report says online resale accelerated in 2024 and that consumers are turning to secondhand as prices rise. Statista estimates global luxury watches and jewelry revenue will reach $165.48 billion in 2026, with the United States accounting for about $97 billion. In a category this large, the winners will be the platforms that can prove their numbers, not just their speed.