Buying old jewelry?

[Mila]

Is it worth buying used and old jewelry that is real gold or silver? I was thinking of picking up stuff I see at yard sales and on ebay and just holding onto it. I know it has "melt-down value" but I am not sure how much one could realistically get from selling this kind of stuff to be melted down. 

[Damon]

For sure, especially if it's made of gold or silver. I believe gold and silver on its own is quite high in price at the moment. So you may have something there. But, I would still get the jewelry checked out. Because some of the jewelry could be worth more than what it's worth in gold or silver.

[James]

Anything can be worth it if you can buy it at a low enough price. If you have knowledge of what things are "worth" in that market place there will be money to be made. You are correct even if the jewelry was worth nothing it can be melted back down and turned into bars or other pieces of jewelry. The key as with any business is to buy low and sell high. 

[Scarlett]

I want to piggyback off this and ask... Has anyone invested in jewelry in and of itself? I have heard of people buying different items with different stones and their value increasing over time. It seems like a solid investment if you know what you are doing. 

[Stacey]

On 9/9/2021 at 7:53 PM, Scarlett said:

I want to piggyback off this and ask... Has anyone invested in jewelry in and of itself? I have heard of people buying different items with different stones and their value increasing over time. It seems like a solid investment if you know what you are doing. 

My mother's friend started a collection back in the '80s and likely has over 50k in jewelry at this point because a lot of the stones went up in value since then. So I think it can be a great option if you are educated enough on stones. 

[Scarlett]

On 9/10/2021 at 8:18 PM, Stacey said:

My mother's friend started a collection back in the '80s and likely has over 50k in jewelry at this point because a lot of the stones went up in value since then. So I think it can be a great option if you are educated enough on stones. 

Does she still buy things now? I am curious where she shops. I would imagine you have to have good connections or you end up paying higher prices! I wouldn't trust places like QVC for stuff like this. I got a $300 ring once from them, they said it was valued at $900 and I took it into sell it a few years later and the jewelry laughed at me. He said it isn't even worth him buying it.

[Stacey]

On 9/15/2021 at 1:29 PM, Scarlett said:

Does she still buy things now? I am curious where she shops. I would imagine you have to have good connections or you end up paying higher prices! I wouldn't trust places like QVC for stuff like this. I got a $300 ring once from them, they said it was valued at $900 and I took it into sell it a few years later and the jewelry laughed at me. He said it isn't even worth him buying it.

Yeah I think she does. I am not sure all the spots she shops but I know one is a UK based jewelry place called "Gemporia". They use their own mining so you don't pay for the huge mark-ups you would in the US.