Hi Trezeline, I'm with you that absorbing positive values is more important than prizing possessions, but could it be that you don't see your children valuing the things that are precious to you now, but that they would do so after your death - not because of their value as such, but because they were yours?
My parents have many beautiful pieces but I wouldn't feel comfortable expressing overt enthusiasm for any of them as it seems to me that there is a fine line between appreciation and coveting, and I wouldn't want to give the impression that I feel a sense of entitlement to these things, as while my parents are living, indeed even after their death, it's up to them how they distribute their belongings. I would like them to feel that they can sell whatever they need or want to, without feeling guilty of depriving the next generation; and that they are free to pass them on to whichever of their children or relatives they wish on their death.