Circa expands into professional services

New York--Circa, the New York-based company that buys jewelry and watches from the public, has a new division that purchases from professionals--such as jewelry appraisers, attorneys and accountants--and sells the pieces via tender at its main office.

The new Professional Services Division provides a venue for professionals who have been tasked with liquidating their clients’ jewelry and really don’t know where else to go, said Richard Tilles, a founder who left the company only to return to serve as president at the beginning of the year.

He said the division was born out of need expressed by appraisers, accountants, attorneys and others for a “more transparent” process for selling their clients’ jewelry.

Circa will keep the piece at their New York office, where various collectors can view it and place a bid. The bidding process for each piece will last two weeks, likely opening on the 1st and closing on the 15th of every month, Tilles said.

He said while the Professional Services Division will begin with just Circa’s New York office, it likely will expand to other offices and online eventually.

At the helm of the division will be Edward Lewand, a GIA graduate gemologist (GG), senior accredited member in gems and jewelry from the American Society of Appraisers (ASA) and a certified member of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA).

Lewand specializes in antique jewelry appraisals and has worked with attorneys on estates, trusts, insurance matters and copyright issues. He also consults with galleries and dealers in New York, has worked as an outside expert for the Internal Revenue Service and teaches “The Art of Appraising Jewelry” at New York University School of Continuing and Professional Studies. 

Tilles called Lewand “one of the foremost and respected appraisers in the country.”

In addition, news surfaced this week that Ralph Destino, the former chairman of Cartier Inc. and the Gemological Institute of America, has joined Circa as the senior international director of business development. 

Circa currently is headed by Larry Grunstein, who was the president and CEO of Citizen Watch Co. but retired in 2011. He joined Circa in late 2014.