How to Sell Broken and Incomplete Jewelry

Have you taken a look in your jewelry box lately? Do you have some earrings without backs? Maybe a few broken chains. Maybe a pendant that broke so the gemstone isn’t mounted properly anymore. Just like clothes get torn or worn, jewelry sometimes becomes broken, scratched, or otherwise unwearable. Sometimes, of course, the jewelry can be repaired. Sometimes, it’s beyond repair or just not worth the effort to repair it.

If you have broken or incomplete jewelry and you don’t want to repair it or fix it, what’s the next step? Just a few years ago, it seemed like late night television was filled with advertisements for gold buyers. You just gave them a call and they sent you a pre-addressed envelope. If you drove in the Greater San Diego Area or, for that matter, anywhere in Southern California, you saw “We Buy Gold” signs just about everywhere.

There are still plenty of those stores around but, thankfully, a lot of the fly by night pop-up places are gone. Let me tell you in no uncertain terms that you should never, ever, ever sell your gold to one of those places. That goes double for mailing your gold anywhere instead of going somewhere you’ll be seen face to face.

As much as possible, you should deal with a licensed jewelry buyer. Pawn shops can be good choices but keep in mind they make money by loaning on valuable items, not by buying them outright. Even the most honest pawn broker is likely to disappoint you with the amount offered. The business isn’t set up to pay a great deal for broken jewelry and what the industry calls “scrap gold.”

My recommendation is that you find a jeweler like me. When we buy gold and other jewelry, we either buy it to resell or to recycle the materials. Your broken gold necklace won’t be melted down as part of a bar of gold that sits in a safe. Our goal will be to use it on someone’s ring, brooch, or pendant. We’ll breathe new life into it, and that means we’re likely to be able to pay you more.

If you have jewelry you’d like to sell, give me a call. Or, just drop by my La Jolla showroom. You’ll be very glad you did.

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