Did you know that the jewelry industry is worth around 57 billion USD? Don't expect this number to fall anytime soon since people are always excited to buy and sell jewelry. After all, the big appeal of jewelry is that it's not only beautiful but also often very expensive.
So, if you have some old jewelry sitting around, why not do something with it? You might not like your old jewelry for various reasons; maybe it has fallen out of style or maybe you never liked the piece to begin with. Maybe you don't want to get rid of it because it holds sentimental or familial value.
Whatever the case, there are plenty of things to do with the jewelry you don't wear and this guide will walk you through the most popular options. To start off, let's take a look at one of the most popular things to do with old jewelry: sell it to a jewelry shop.
1. Sell Your Old Jewelry to a Jewelry Shop
Everyone loves making a little extra money, and when you sell jewelry, you can accomplish exactly that. However, selling your jewelry isn't as easy as walking into a jewelry shop and dropping off your items. If you want to get the most money out of your jewelry, there are several things you need to consider.
To get the most out of your money, you will need to find a good jewelry shop. You can find a good shop by looking online and searching for reviews of jewelry shops in your area. If a shop has bad reviews, you should steer clear, and if they have good reviews, you're most likely good to go.
Finding a reputable jewelry shop is important because otherwise, you could easily be scammed out of your jewelry. A good idea is to go to several different jewelry shops and see what the jewelers say about the price of your jewelry. Scam jewelers will try to offer you a much lower price than what your jewelry might actually be worth.
However, if several different jewelers say your jewelry is worth a given price, then your jewelry is most likely worth that given price. Keep in mind that the condition of your jewelry can greatly affect its value. If you try to sell gold jewelry that is covered in scratches and dents, you shouldn't expect to get as much as you originally paid for it.
You also might not get top dollar for your jewelry if it is currently out of fashion. While some pieces of jewelry never go out of fashion, others may appear tacky to modern tastes and therefore might not sell for very much.
2. Reuse Your Old Gemstones
When a piece of jewelry has gemstones, those gemstones usually consist of the majority of that jewelry's value. This is true for virtually any kind of gemstone whether it's a diamond, a ruby, or an emerald. However, the price of the gemstones can vary depending on not only their condition but their quality.
As when you sell silver or gold jewelry, any scratches or dents will affect the value. This is true for gemstones. Even though most gemstones are more durable than soft metals like gold, they can still pick up scratches or chips over time.
This is especially true if the gemstones have rough edges such as diamonds cut in the shape of a square. If you try to sell your jewelry at a shop and don't like the price that the jeweler offers you, you can instead consider reusing your old gemstones for a new piece of jewelry that you might wear more than your old jewelry.
For example, if you have a diamond on a ring that you don't like to wear or can't wear, a jeweler can remove that diamond and place it on a different piece of jewelry such as another ring or a necklace. You can keep or sell the remainder of your old ring.
Repurposing your old gemstones might be an especially attractive option for you if your old jewelry has sentimental value.
3. Trade Your Jewelry for Credit
Some jewelry stores might allow you to trade in your old jewelry for credit at that store. While you might not get physical cash when trading in your jewelry in this way, the store will allow you to buy another piece of jewelry based on the value of your old jewelry. The benefit of trading in your jewelry is that jewelers often offer you more in credit than they might offer you in cash alone.
If you always like having new pieces of jewelry in your jewelry collection, this is a great option. Not only will you be able to get rid of the old jewelry that you don't wear, but you can get one or even more pieces of new jewelry that you can wear for any occasion you desire.
4. Repurpose Your Jewelry
As mentioned before, there's the option to reuse the gemstones in the jewelry you don't wear and use them for another piece of jewelry. However, you can go even further than this option and repurpose jewelry entirely, including the metal as well as the gemstones or any other details.
A jeweler or jewelry designer can work with you to find exactly what you're looking for when it comes to creating a new piece of jewelry from your old piece. A designer might sketch out some designs that you might like or designs that you suggest. Then, the jeweler can melt down the metal of your old jewelry and carefully remove any gemstones.
The jewelry designer will be able to mold the new metal into your desired piece of jewelry so you have exactly the piece you want.
5. Melt It Down
If your jewelry is damaged or not in fashion, it can be hard to sell and get a good price for it. For that reason, you can decide to have the metal of your piece melted down instead of selling the jewelry whole. For example, if you have a ring made of silver or gold but no one wants to buy it, why wouldn't you opt to melt it down?
The benefit of this is that you are left with a pure metal mass full of possibilities. If you want, you can keep the metal as a sort of investment, especially if you plan on investing in more gold or silver (or any other precious metal) in the future. If you don't like the idea of keeping the metal mass, you can always sell it for its weight in gold or silver.
If you have any gemstones on your piece of jewelry, you can have a jeweler professionally remove them. Then, you can have the rest of the jewelry melted down without any issues.
6. Sell It at an Auction
You've already seen how you can sell your old jewelry at a jewelry shop, but sometimes you're bound to not be happy with the price your jewelers are offering you. If this is the case, selling your jewelry at an auction might be an attractive alternative. This is especially so if you think your jewelry might be very expensive, very old, or very rare.
More often than not, you can receive handsome amounts of money when selling high-quality or rare jewelry at auctions. While the auction will likely start at a price below what your jewelry might be worth, potential buyers will be able to tell right away if your jewelry is worth having. If so, you could receive a lot more money for your jewelry than any jeweler would ever give you.
7. Frame It
Maybe you don't wear your old jewelry but you still like it too much to get rid of it. Maybe you have a ring that is too small for you to wear or maybe you have an old broach from your grandmother that is too luxurious to wear out anyplace. Whatever the case, if you don't want to get rid of your jewelry but don't want to wear it either, you could try framing it.
Framing your jewelry is a great way to keep it safe without keeping it locked away in the dark where it only will collect dust. By keeping it as a decoration in your home, you can admire it every day and remember the memories behind it. Framing your jewelry is also very cheap.
You're not paying for any professional services (most likely). You can easily buy a frame yourself and put your jewelry behind a pane of glass and hang it on your wall whenever you feel like it.
8. Turn It into a Windchime
If you have jewelry that isn't very expensive or that you don't care very much about, why not turn it into something fun and enjoyable? Windchimes are great objects to add some ambiance to your home or yard. More than the tunes they produce, they are also very whimsical and attractive in appearance, especially so if they are made of jewelry.
Turning your old jewelry into a windchime isn't difficult. You can take the jewelry apart yourself or have a professional do it. Then, you can string together the pieces in any way you see fit to produce a very photogenic and musical windchime for your home.
9. Turn It Into Napkin Rings
When you throw a dinner party (or any kind of party involving food) you want your food to impress people. The first part of impressing people can start before the food even comes out when you add jewelry to your napkin rings. Most napkin rings are cheap, either made of paper, cardboard, or little rings of cheap metal.
However, imagine the look on your guests' faces if you had jewelry for your napkin rings. Having crystals or shiny metals enveloping your napkins before dinner even begins is a great way to impress your guests. Of course, using your jewelry for napkin rings is best if the jewelry isn't very expensive in the first place.
For example, jewelry made of sterling silver or various semi-precious stones could make great napkin rings. Jewelry made of gold, silver, platinum, or precious stones might be better appreciated in safer environments where they won't get damaged.
10. Turn It into a Bookmark
Turning your jewelry into a bookmark is a great option if you love to read or love having books in your house in general. Many people resort to using scraps of paper as bookmarks because it is more convenient, but what if you had a special bookmark made of jewelry on hand? You no doubt would use it more often than stray pieces of paper.
More than that, jewelry bookmarks can make great gifts. If you have an old piece of jewelry that you don't care to wear, there's nothing stopping you from taking it apart and turning it into a bookmark. After all, bookmarks are simple to make since they are nothing more than objects to keep your page in a given book.
However, the special thing about jewelry bookmarks is that, if your jewelry has sentimental value, you can craft the jewelry into an object that you can always keep close to you and that you can always keep in sight (and in mind). After all, if you're a bookworm that often keeps books by your bedside, your jewelry bookmark will never be very far away.
What to Do With Your Old Jewelry
By the end of this article, you should be full of new ideas for what to do with your old jewelry. Whether you'd like to sell it for some extra money or transform it into another sentimental object, the possibilities are endless for old jewelry.
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