If Marie Kondo has found her way into your jewelry collection, you may be looking at it with fresh eyes, wondering what to do with those pieces that no longer spark the joy they once did (or maybe never did.)
If this describes your situation, you may be struggling with what exactly to do with those pieces. Sure, a shirt or a salt-shaker may be easy enough to just pitch out the door, but parting ways with old jewelry can sometimes be a bit more complicated.
Below you will find some tips on what to do when your tidying up hits your jewelry box.
Late husband’s wedding band converted into a pendant.
Change It Up.
Don’t let yourself feel limited by the form that a jewelry piece is currently in. Maybe you have a beautiful amethyst ring that you used to wear everyday, but now you just don’t consider yourself much of a “ring person.” Allow yourself to think outside the box to consider another form the piece might take on to be more functional. Are you currently into long necklaces? Have the stone in a ring reset into a pendant, or maybe even just buy a chain to thread through the circle of a ring.
Selling your jewelry for scrap isn’t wasteful. Many jewelers like ourselves only used recycles gold for their jewelry designs.
Turn It Into Cash.
For guidance determining value, visit a jeweler that you trust and who has a proven working knowledge of the current jewelry market. After having your pieces assessed, you can either seek out a quality consignment shop, or consider the option of selling them to the jeweler directly. An independent jeweler has the ability and expertise to provide you the most money for your pieces, especially if they are being purchased for scrap - which is why it’s important not to discredit things on the basis of being outdated, worn, or even damaged. Often, jewelers can offer you an even better value for the piece if you receive payment in the form of store credit or service (such as a new piece or repair or modification on an existing piece.)
Give It Away.
If an assessment by a jeweler determines that there is no significant monetary value to your piece but you still think someone could get enjoyment out of it, pass it along! Think back to how you felt as a kid or teenager playing in your mother, aunt, or cousin’s jewelry. Just because it doesn’t serve your style any longer doesn’t mean it won’t be a treasure to a niece, grandchild, student, or neighbor. If you can’t think of anyone to pass it along to within your own circle of companions, it might be a great donation to a teen club, family shelter, or thrift store.
Keep It!
We know, this is totally against the Kondo rules, but unless you have an extensive stash of jewelry that is spilling into other sections of your house, your collection is likely able to be contained in a fairly reasonable manner. Get rid of the pieces that easily fall into one of the categories above, but for those that you are wavering on, hold onto them in an organized way.
Fashion styles are cyclical, meaning that you can safely rely on the fact that pieces that seem out of date now will likely come back into style. And who knows? You may find your joy in the possibilities of how it could be used in the future, and in the peace of being prepared for that time.