THEY were once handed down through the generations from mothers to daughters, treasured heirlooms to be kept and coveted.

But now families are cashing in on their antique jewellery as amid a spike in insurance prices, changing fashions, and banks turning their backs on the traditional safe deposit box.

Auctioneers Bonhams says that a treasure trove of items more than £70,000 has been put up for sale in the past three months as Scots seek to sell once-prized possessions.

During its 'Jewellery in June' campaign, the auction house has seen a steady stream of people bringing in valuables to be appraised, at a rate of up to 30 a week.

Nathalie Rodwell, Head of Bonham's jewellery department, said that many are unaware of the exact make-up of what's in their jewellery box, and are keen to find out what it would fetch on the open market.

She said: "It's a mixed bag because some people do not know what it is worth or they have been told it's been handed down from great grannies and it is worth 'X' amount.

"Some times people are pleasantly surprised because it's worth a lot more than they thought and they used to play with it as children or whatever, and sometimes the price can be a little lower.

"I had someone come in the other day with a piece of what they thought was costume jewellery with a paste gem because the setting wasn't very good quality. But actually it was a diamond, and on that premise we valued it at £2,000."

The Herald: BBC Antiques Roadshow filming at New Lanark. Pictured is presenter Fiona Bruce...   Photograph by Colin Mearns.28 July 2016..See story by Mark Smith.

Insuring Jewellery is a costly business, with firms demanding premiums based on what the item would cost to replace exactly, rather than what it would sell for on the open market.

It is for this reason that some banks have been phasing out the storing of jewellery on their premises.

Ms Rothwell said: "Banks won't store jewellery anymore, and a lot of people can't afford the insurance premiums. It's been happening over the last couple of years and it's just because insurance costs so much.

"We had one woman whose jewellery was only insured while she was wearing it, so say for example she went out gardening one day and left it on her bedside table, it wouldn't be insured."

Former nurse Catherine Jamieson, 70, recently enquired about selling on some of her jewellery, including pieces which had been handed down from her grandmother.

She said that parting with items which had been in her family for so long was not as hard a choice as she thought it would be.

She said: "It would have been a few years ago, which is why I have kept it so long. But I think you keep things thinking the next generation will want them and they don't.

"The problem is finding an occasion to wear them, and then finding them when you do have an occasion because you have hidden them away."

"For years we had them in a bank in town, but if you needed them you had to get yourself into town days before and remember the key and then take it all back again."

Ms Rodwell added that the decision to sell formerly treasured possessions often came down to simple practicality. She said: "Its mainly heirlooms which are brought in to be valued. With auction, it's the 'three Ds' - divorce, debt and death - which set things in motion, usually. So it can be a bit sad.

"The thing about jewellery is that while you can spit up an estate, you can't split up a diamond ring. If you have one item it's best to sell it at auction and split the proceeds. For some people it can be a wrench, and I find it hard because I'm quite sentimental in my own life.

"For some people it can be tricky to part with jewellery. We had a man in whose wife had passed away a year before and he said he could remember buying the jewellery with her.

"We would never pressurise anyone into selling anything."