How to Make Unused Jewelry Useful
There is nothing more useless than a piece of jewelry that nobody wears. What a sad life for that jewelry that never sees the light of day. Let them be valuable instead. Here are two ways you can do that:
If your jewelry is “old” but still wanted:
Many of my customers come in with jewelry they never wear because their tastes have changed or it’s been handed down through generations. We look through the pieces and consider our options. It can be worth it to remodel old jewelry or restyle them into something new – see my post on what to do with old jewelry.
Diamonds lend themselves well to restyling. Even in the case of missing diamonds, I find the perfect match if it’s a good quality diamond.
Here are some examples using old diamonds in new ways:
Many times I’ve taken a single diamond, maybe one diamond stud was lost, or maybe a former engagement ring that is no longer being worn, and turned them into a pendant. A new setting for an engagement ring is a very popular birthday or anniversary present.
There all kinds of things you can do:
If your jewelry is “unwanted” and sellable:
Selling your jewelry is another option. Diamonds continue to command high prices and popular to sell, see my post on why people are selling their diamonds. Gold prices are now a little over $1200/oz.
My customers are often amazed at the value of the old gold jewelry they have laying around. Sometime it’s in the thousands of diamonds, and they just had no idea.
Even if the jewelry is broken or old, it can be valuable and bring in some cash. We usually only go down this route if we’ve ruled out remodeling or restyling it. I work with the best artisans in the business, if selling is what you want to do, I make sure you get the best price. We are always in the market for GIA certified diamonds.
That reminds me of a recent happy story of a customer:
About 20 years ago I sold a rather large diamond to a couple who was celebrating a big anniversary. A few years ago she called me with the very sad news that her husband passed away. She said she really doesn’t wear the ring much anymore so she was thinking of selling it and giving the money to her grown children. She brought me the diamond and I was was able to sell it for just about double what they originally paid of it. That money went a long way towards paying for her grandchildren’s college education. She got tremendous pleasure from that.
Jewelry sitting in boxes or bags for years and years or given to you as a gift but not quite your style, really deserve to shine and make a statement. Show me, I’ll help you make the most of it.
– Gary