Worthy
New York, US · Founded 2011 · 109 employees on LinkedIn · 5 known investors
Worthy operates an online luxury auction marketplace that connects sellers of jewelry and other valuables with professional buyers to obtain market value for their items. It handles physical evaluation, authentication, and detailed listing of items, presenting bids to sellers who can decline if unsatisfied.
Also known as Worthy.com
Investors · 5
Also in the syndicate · 2
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Worthy operates an online marketplace for buying and selling pre-owned luxury goods, including diamond jewelry, brand-name watches, colored stones, gemstones and precious metals. The platform is positioned as an unbiased selling channel that lets private individuals auction high-value items to a market of pre-approved, committed buyers, with the aim of achieving market value for sellers. Items are graded and authenticated by the company before sale, so that professional buyers receive well-described, professionally authenticated inventory sourced directly from the public.
The company frames its market opportunity as "re-commerce" for privately held high-value jewelry, arguing that U.S. households collectively hold over $1 trillion worth of polished diamonds and that recycling and repurposing already-mined stones will become increasingly important as new gem-quality supply is depleted. Worthy is headquartered in New York City, where it built out its grading labs, and maintains an R&D facility in Israel. As of October 2015 it employed 40 people and stated plans to grow headcount by 50 percent over the following year.
Founding story
The company was founded in 2012 by Ben De-Kalo, who serves as CEO and frames the opportunity around U.S. households as the world's largest effective "diamond mine," with the future of diamonds lying in recycling and repurposing already-mined stones.
Business model
Worthy runs a two-sided marketplace: private sellers consign high-value luxury items, which Worthy grades and authenticates, and pre-approved professional buyers bid for them through an auction process, giving buyers a steady stream of deals matched to their business needs.
Revenue is generated through the marketplace, where the company auctions consigned pre-owned luxury items from private sellers to pre-approved business buyers.
Traction
Since launch the platform had processed thousands of items and powered over $90 million worth of estimated merchandise as of October 2015, with 40 employees at that time.
Latest developments
In October 2015 Worthy announced an $8 million Series B round led by Carmel Ventures, a member of the Viola Group, with proceeds directed toward U.S. marketplace expansion and product innovation; Carmel co-founder Shlomo Dovrat joined the board of directors.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Described in 2015 as an online marketplace for pre-owned luxury goods addressing the resale of privately owned high-value jewelry, diamonds and watches, a segment where individual sellers have limited convenient alternatives.
Worthy combines an auction marketplace with guaranteed in-house grading and authentication, offering private sellers a route to a competitive market of vetted business buyers rather than a single-buyer offer.
Technology
The company operates an online auction and selling platform supported by in-house grading laboratories at its New York headquarters and an R&D facility in Israel, with guaranteed item grading and authentication built into the transaction flow.
Go-to-market
Worthy acquires items directly from private owners through its online platform and matches them with a pool of pre-approved business buyers, and planned to use its 2015 funding to broaden its marketplace presence across the U.S.
On the supply side, private individuals and households owning diamonds, jewelry, watches, gemstones and precious metals; on the demand side, pre-approved business buyers and jewelry trade professionals sourcing pre-owned inventory.
Geography
Headquarters in New York City with an R&D facility in Israel; proceeds from the 2015 Series B were earmarked for expanding marketplace presence across the United States.
History
Worthy was founded in 2012 by Ben De-Kalo. In the year before October 2015 it built out its New York headquarters, upgraded its grading labs and invested in operational and technology infrastructure, adding senior hires including president Peter C. Schneirla, COO Gil Gadot and head of evaluations Roy Albers, previously head of evaluations at Tiffany & Co. Having previously raised more than $8.5 million, the company announced an $8 million Series B in October 2015 led by Carmel Ventures, whose co-founder Shlomo Dovrat joined the board.
Compiled by commissioned research from 4 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 4
launches, deals, and filingsWorthy announced an $8 million Series B round led by Carmel Ventures, a member of the Viola Group, with participation from prior investors including Dr. Meir Barel (founder of Star Ventures) and Eddy Shalev (founder of Genesis Ventures). Proceeds were designated for U.S. marketplace expansion and product innovation.
$8M source ↗
As part of the Series B investment, Carmel Ventures co-founder and general partner Shlomo Dovrat joined Worthy's board of directors.
Over the year preceding October 2015, Worthy expanded operations including the build-out of its New York headquarters, upgrades to its grading labs, and investment in operational and technology infrastructure.
Worthy added Peter C. Schneirla as president, Gil Gadot as COO and Roy Albers, formerly head of evaluations at Tiffany & Co., as head of evaluations.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 4
primary sources listed
- Worthy Raises $8M in B Round led by Carmel Venturesprnewswire.com · web
4 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Worthy do?
- Worthy is an online marketplace where private sellers auction pre-owned luxury goods such as diamonds, jewelry and watches.
- Who are Worthy's investors?
- Worthy's investors include NFX, OTV, Viola Ventures.
- Where is Worthy headquartered?
- Worthy is headquartered in New York, US.