Selling Your Unwanted Jewelry
Selling Your Unwanted Jewelry
Everybody knows that people love jewelry. It doesn’t matter if it’s big and, in your opinion, gaudy, or if it’s subtle and classy. It doesn’t matter if it’s brand new or vintage. People love jewelry. But that’s not to say that all jewelry is loved.
Odds are, right now, you have a jewelry box that is full of pieces, some of which you wear often, and a lot of which you don’t. So why are you holding on to jewelry you don’t wear? Well, some unwanted jewelry has a lot of emotional power. For example, your grandmother’s favorite cloisonné pin that she always wore to family gatherings almost makes you smell her pumpkin pie. The string of pearls your mother wore to her senior prom may be unfashionably small and plain, but you still love them. Meanwhile, that engagement ring your ex-husband gave you may be worth a lot of money, but it’s just not something you’d like to see again. The fact remains that not all jewelry is wanted. Maybe it’s kind of old-fashioned and a bit ugly, maybe it brings back bad memories, or maybe you just need money more than bling. Whatever the reason, if you have jewelry, you likely have some jewelry that you no longer wish to have. So, the question becomes:
What do you do with the jewelry you don’t want?
You have a number of options, when it comes to unwanted jewelry. The first thought that comes to mind is to sell it to family or friends. Maybe you have a diamond tennis bracelet that you almost never wear. It occurs to you that someone may want to buy your bracelet. In fact, your cousin would love to have it. Of course, she might want to pay you back an unspecified amount “later”. You may lose your bracelet AND a branch off your family tree. So, maybe not.
Okay, going outside your family, you have a co-worker who is looking for a really nice anniversary present for his wife, and you still have that diamond tennis bracelet. There’s nothing wrong with it, in fact, it’s beautiful. You may very well be able to strike a deal and come to some mutually beneficial terms with your office mate. After all, selling a valuable item to someone you know eliminates the fear that you’ll be robbed, or worse. However, selling to someone you know can make it difficult to get the best money for the piece. Your bracelet is worth over $1000, yet your co-worker is offering $400. You are left with the prospect of finding a way to have a personal negotiation with a business partner, an interaction which can leave one or the other, or the both of you, feeling taken advantage of by someone you will have to see every day. Talk about awkward!
Okay, so maybe selling your bracelet to the guy in the next cube over isn’t the best idea. So, what else can you do? Well, what about Craigslist? You can reach a lot of people that way. You can charge what you want, and you can be a tough negotiator without any social consequences. Well that sounds great! Except… well, meeting a stranger to complete a high ticket cash transaction sounds like the opening of an episode of Law and Order.
All right, meeting a seller face-to-face isn’t the best idea you’ve ever had. So maybe you could sell your bracelet on eBay. The world’s largest auction site can be a great way to maximize your profit. Provided, of course, that you know what you’re doing, and you have an established seller identity. However, it can be hard to sell high-ticket items on eBay if you don’t have a strong history of successful transactions. Buying on eBay can be risky, and most people have a healthy skepticism when it comes to spending a lot of money. So if you don’t have a high seller rating, the appeal, and thus the auction price, on your bracelet will suffer.
Another option you might consider is to go to your local pawn store. Taking your bracelet to a store nearby can be easy. You will get your cash quickly, and safely. In most cases you will even be able get your item back, if that’s what you want. The word “pawn” is slang for a collateral loan. If you need cash quickly, and would like to get your bracelet back, going to a pawn store can be a great option. If, however, you would rather just sell your bracelet outright, perhaps a pawn store isn’t your best choice. Most pawn stores sell a variety of items, not just jewelry, and they may not have the expertise to properly value your piece, which can leave you with less money than you would otherwise receive.
So, your co-worker tried to low-ball you, your cousin can barely pay her rent let alone purchase your bracelet, Craigslist could be one step away from America’s Unsolved Murders, no one on eBay seems willing to trust you, and your local pawn stores are a no-go. By this point, you’re feeling frustrated, and just ready to sell your bracelet at the next opportunity. On your way back home, you see an advertisement for a place that bills itself as cash for jewelry. Hey, you think, that might just do the trick!
Selling your jewelry for cash may seem convenient, but it’s likely the worst idea you could possibly have. For one thing, such places will only offer you a percentage of the value of the metal in the jewelry itself, without regard to the value of the workmanship or of the stones. That means that you would get the same amount of money for a Tiffany necklace and a necklace from the chain jewelry store at the mall. And, to make matters worse, it can often be a serious challenge to actually get compensated for your piece, or to change your mind. Generally, cash for jewelry places are only interested in melting your piece for the gold or platinum, and they move quickly. It is all too easy to find complaints from people who changed their minds after getting lowballed, only to find that their piece had already been melted down and they were stuck with the inadequate payment.
At this point, you are ready to throw in the towel. You’ve read this post to get ideas for how to monetize your unwanted jewelry, and all you’ve read is what NOT to do. So, what SHOULD you do? Well, the best way to maximize the amount of money you get for your piece of jewelry while minimizing the stress is to work with someone who knows the value of your piece. You should find someone who is actually focused on jewelry, who has extensive knowledge of the secondary market, and who has a strong history of ethical business dealings.
You may not know of any good secondary retailers in your area. Fortunately, you can find anything on the internet by entering the right words in Google. You will get a lot of results, of course, some good, some bad. But one of the better ones that you’ll get will be Raymond Lee Jewelers in beautiful Boca Raton, Florida.
Raymond Lee Jewelers focuses on jewelry, including watches and diamonds. You will not find televisions or band instruments or toaster ovens. When you walk into Raymond Lee Jewelers, it doesn’t look anything like your neighbor’s garage, unlike many pawn stores. Because Raymond Lee focuses on jewelry, and employs experts in the field, you will get a more accurate appraisal and, ultimately more money.
//diamondsbyraymondlee.com/sell-jewelry/
Although Raymond Lee focuses on jewelry, they also buy watches and loose diamonds. You can find information about selling your watch to Raymond Lee by visiting their dedicated site at:
//diamondsbyraymondlee.com/sell-watches/
And you can find information about selling loose diamonds to Raymond Lee at:
//diamondsbyraymondlee.com/sell-diamonds/
If you’re not in Boca Raton, you can still do business with Raymond Lee remotely. You can give them a call at 1-800-329-4367 or use the contact form on their website. They will give you an honest assessment and a quick turn-around, if you would like to do business with them. Raymond Lee Jewelers is ranked as an A business by the Better Business Bureau and has a sterling reputation among secondary retailers.
If you sell your jewelry to Raymond Lee, you can rest assured that your transaction will be as professional, confidential, and as stress-free as possible. You can also be secure in the knowledge that not only did you get a fair value for your piece, but that it will find its way to another home, where it will be appreciated, even loved.