Turn Broken Jewelry into Cash

© by Allison Dow; all rights reserved

With the price of gold up so high, you can make some good money on broken jewelry or scrap jewelry. You can find these pieces in many places. Sometimes friends and relatives even give them to me for free. Most people don't know what to do with a single earring or piece of salvage jewelry, so they will just give it to you.

I have even gotten these items for free at estate sales. If you point out an item is broken, they will often sell it to you for a few cents or give it away.

Ebay is another great place; I have seen large lots of earrings, necklaces and old jewelry sell for less than $5.00. You don't care if it's ugly, as long as it's gold and cheap.

You can buy the lot, remove the stones and separate out the gold and silver. You may end up with some great clasps and some gold and silver beads and pieces.

You can turn in the scrap to jewelry supplies stores and even some pawn shops. I personally use Rio Grande. First I remove any stones or non-metal objects. Then you need to separate your gold into 10K, 12K, etc. and they will even accept gold-filled items. They will accept sterling silver as well.

You can either read the assay marks or test the items yourself. I have some gold and silver test kits and they are very helpful. I have found that a lot of items aren't marked, especially older clasps, findings, and most beads.

It's really worth the effort, and a new twist on recycling. Happy Hunting!

Author Allison Dow's Estate Beads is a family-owned business that's the premier online shop for vintage beads and vintage jewelry, pendants, corals, Swarovski crystals and more. Allison says, "We search the globe for high quality, beautiful beads and jewelry made from the finest materials."

Return to top of Turn Broken Jewelry into Cash.

Related article: How Do You Sell a Used Wedding Ring?.

Learn more about Increasing Sales for Your Jewelry Business.

Return to Home Jewelry Business Success Tips home page.