§ 704.040.Jewelry, Heirlooms and Works of Art

This is a short section with a single rule: jewelry, heirlooms, and works of art are exempt to the extent the debtor's aggregate equity in them doesn't exceed $8,725. Equity beyond that combined ceiling can still be reached by a judgment creditor.

Note the word aggregate. The cap applies across all the jewelry, heirlooms, and art a debtor owns together, not $8,725 for each category or each item. A debtor with a valuable ring and a family heirloom clock adds their equity together against the single $8,725 limit.

This exemption works differently from § 704.020's household-effects rule. There, the test is necessity for daily living, with no dollar ceiling. Here, necessity doesn't matter — jewelry and art are protected up to a fixed dollar amount regardless of whether they're used day to day.