How do you decide when to sell a piece of jewellery?

[Rhea]

Do you hold on to pieces for their sentimental value or because you think you might not be able to find something like it again?

 

[Circe]

I may be the wrong person to answer this, what with my not having sold anything (yet! yet! it's been a busy year!), but I have a pile of things I plan to list before the holiday. Some of them are pieces I just never got very emotionally attached to - pins given as gifts when I was way too young to wear pins, for example. Some are pieces that were never really my style - thank you, dear ex with whom I am on good terms for all the heart-shaped stuff, but ... no. And some are pieces I've just kind of outgrown - they're still lovely, but my taste has shifted enough that they just don't go with the rest of my things. I've gone way more vintage than I used to be, so a lot of my modern pieces are going up and out.

Why, Rhea, do you have pieces you're unsure of? I have a few I'm holding onto for value's sake - one heavy gold torc that I might sell the next time gold spikes, for example. But at the end of the day, if it's a thing you might want to sell, would you actually want to find it again anyway? Or would it be better to find something ... else?

 

[iheartscience]

I list items when I haven't worn them for quite a while and/or I would rather have the $. (Either to keep, or to put to another project!)

I'm a hoarder at heart so I think quite a while before I list an item. And even so, I've listed some things and then taken them down to think on it some more. DB only charges $1 a listing, so if I change my mind, it's no big loss!

 

[GreenBling]

I have lots of small items that i want to sell, only not sure i want to go through the trouble of taking photos, posting them, answering questions, mailing them overseas, etc... only to recoup very small amount of money.

 

[GemFever]

I think I'm an anti-hoarder, and periodically I have an impulse to "clean up" the stuff that I haven't worn in a while. Especially this happens when I wish I had funds for some other jewelry. But then I have to step back and consider whether I would be able to replace the item easily in the future, if I suddenly wanted to do that. Or if I have several versions of the same thing, then I could unload all but my favorite one. But so far the answer has usually been "no." Maybe because I don't have enough jewelry yet

 

[Phoenix]

Another anti-hoarder here. I do the same with jewellery as I do clothes, shoes and other stuff; but prob much less agressively purely because jewellery costs so much more. I have been culling my bling collection for the last several years, selling as well as giving a lot of my items away.

My rough rule of thumb is to sell something I've not worn or used for 1 - 2 years. This applies to almost everything. However, for jewellery, I have to think a lot harder. Uusually, the Q's I go through when I am considering selling something are:

- will I wear it again?
- will I miss it?
- will I be able to sell it at not too large a loss? And even if it's at a large loss, will it be better that I sell it than leave it lying around used and unloved and basically it's "dead" money.
- what other items am I eyeing/ what other things would I like (and this doesn't just apply to bling, I could for eg. sell some of my jewellery to fund an investment)
- will I regret getting rid of it? Inevitably, there *will* be regrets, but the main thing is will it be a large regret (ie. you wish you'd never ever sold it) or a small one (ie. you miss having it around but you know it was a smart thing to do)
- will someone else be able to enjoy the piece and appreciate it much more than I have?
- why do I have so many of the same or similar things? This would apply to multiple pairs of studs or stacking rings for example.

etc...

I have to honestly say I've gotten rid of some 20-30 pieces, and I think maybe I regret having sold/ gotten rid of 2-3 items. The rest I am actually ok with.

ETA: Oh one more thing, and this is an important one, if you can help it, don't sell your bling when you're strapped for money, as buyers would be able to "sniff" it out and low-ball you. This has never happened to me/ I've never needed to [tough wood], but I can imagine that this would be the scenario.

 

[missy]

Phoenix, that's a great list that you compiled!

Oh how I wish I could be an anti-hoarder when it comes to my jewelry! I have only ever sold old settings for scrap and that was because I absolutely knew I was not going to need them again and they held no sentimental value for me. However, I have many pieces that I just don't wear but I doubt I will ever sell them (though I should learn to never say never haha). First of all, it wouldn't make any real significant change in my financial life if I did so that's one of the reasons, but also I guess I am hoping my nieces will enjoy my jewelry at some point. And ofc, I tend to not want to get rid of anything- I guess I have tendencies of hoarding though I hope it never gets out of control because that ain't pretty! But I am not rich enough to have enough jewelery for that to ever happen haha.

Circe- looking forward to seeing what you eventually list for sale. I love your taste in clothes/jewelry!

 

[Rhea]

Thanks guys!

I'm undecided over a pair of earrings. They are my 1st pair of OEC earrings and I wore them for the first time yesterday while my larger ones were having a bath. They are comfortable for everyday, and I even forgot I was wearing them and slept in them. They are 0.71 total in white gold martinis. I took months, nearly years, plural, matching them. But alas, I now own 5.9-6.0mms and those are even better for everyday!

I have a couple of other pieces, but with those it's more the pain of taking photos and listing like GreenBling said than the internal debate of will I miss these, will I wear these again. They are sweet OECs and perfectly matched thanks to my months slaving over eBay!

 

[Midsommer]

Hi Rhea,

I tend to hold on to jewelry (perhaps because I don't have that much!) just for sentimental reasons. Now I'm on the "old cut" bandwagon I would consider letting MRB stones go....

However, I'm looking for smaller (0.5-0.75 ctw) oec studs as an 'everyday' piece and finding it hard to locate a decent pair here in Australia. Online I can find a few but I didn't really want a bezel. If you were contemplating selling your first oec studs, please keep me in mind.

 

[kenny]

Sell something if and when you want to.
It's that simple.

 

[makemepretty]

That's an easy question for me, I sell when I need the money! LOL That's the only reason I sell any of my pieces. I start with the newest things because they have less sentimental meaning. Next comes the thing that will sell the fastest for the most money. If I had my way, I'd never sell any of my jewelry, nor would I ever part with anything sentimental. I've never made an impulse buy or bought something I didn't love. I'm not rich enough to do either of those things. Last year got so bad that I actually had to scrap my very fist engagement ring for cash(it was a blue topaz, not worth much-except to me). But you know what? As much as I miss my jewelry, the one thing I've kept through the years is my husband, married 22 years this year. When I die, is anything I've ever owned going to be as special to someone else? Not really. People matter, things really don't.


I'm probably one of the happiest people you'd ever meet and one of the ones that has the least. There are people on this board that have tons of jewels but find something wrong with everything they buy or are constantly looking for bigger and better. As soon as I see a new thread with their "goody" I know before that thread has even ended, they'll be finding something to change or buy that's bigger. Did that item even give them any happiness? Just long enough for them to search for it and brag about it. How can something in a vault bring you happiness(they're not investing, they're just buying for fun)? I've heard of people who have too much time and money-I didn't realize that was possible till I noticed that the same thing happens year after year. I've been a member on this board for 8 years or more.

if you need the money(bad enough that there isn't a choice) sell it. It's just a "thing". Even though I always miss those pieces because each item has a reason and meaning to me. If you have too many pieces that don't mean much to you, then that's a different issue.

 

[isaku5]

Sell something if and when you want to.
It's that simple.

That used to be what I did; however, different times call for different measures. When gold was high, I sold many pieces that I knew I'd never wear again. I did that twice. Good results both times.

Now comes the more difficult decision: I still have many lovely pieces, but some of those I've promised to my daughter. Our relationship is often 'rocky' and has been since she ran away at 15. She got herself back on track and earned a designation in accounting. Great. She got 'sick' of that after a few years even though she was making BIG MONEY! It's her life so I stay pretty quiet.

Does she deserve these prime pieces or should I sell them? I had initially promised her my original wedding set as well; however, they were stolen and I now have a beautiful almost flawless set which we bought for our 42nd anniversary. She has a huge badly included set and seems to enjoy wearing it. Great. By default, and for numerous other slights, I just might sell it too.

 

[kenny]

Sell something if and when you want to.
It's that simple.

That used to be what I did; however, different times call for different measures. When gold was high, I sold many pieces that I knew I'd never wear again. I did that twice. Good results both times.

Now comes the more difficult decision: I still have many lovely pieces, but some of those I've promised to my daughter. Our relationship is often 'rocky' and has been since she ran away at 15. She got herself back on track and earned a designation in accounting. Great. She got 'sick' of that after a few years even though she was making BIG MONEY! It's her life so I stay pretty quiet.

Does she deserve these prime pieces or should I sell them? I had initially promised her my original wedding set as well; however, they were stolen and I now have a beautiful almost flawless set which we bought for our 42nd anniversary. She has a huge badly included set and seems to enjoy wearing it. Great. By default, and for numerous other slights, I just might sell it too.

Give them to her if you want to.
Sell them if you want to.

Only you can decide.

Even if you give them because you feel you are "obligated", or sell them since Gold is high ... still you are just doing what you want.

 

[isaku5]

Kenny, you are so right. It's my decision and mine alone what to do with my jewellery. It's kind of nice to be in that position.

She knows what she's done to drive us away and has never had the slightest inclination to say those two little words, " I'm sorry".

 

[Rhea]

Hi Rhea,

I tend to hold on to jewelry (perhaps because I don't have that much!) just for sentimental reasons. Now I'm on the "old cut" bandwagon I would consider letting MRB stones go....

However, I'm looking for smaller (0.5-0.75 ctw) oec studs as an 'everyday' piece and finding it hard to locate a decent pair here in Australia. Online I can find a few but I didn't really want a bezel. If you were contemplating selling your first oec studs, please keep me in mind.

Thanks for thinking of me! I'm having a harder time letting them go than I thought I would. They were my first real, grown up piece of jewelery that I bought for myself and I slaved over them for hours. I'm just not ready to let them go yet. I rarely wear them and they aren't particularly sentimental in that they didn't mark an occasion. But it's just not time to part with them yet. I hope that you find what you're looking for! Good luck!

 

[SB621]

usually I ask myself 3 questions:

-Do I wear it?
-Can I replace it?
-Will I pass this on to my children if I dont' wear it?

If the answer is no then I typically sell it. It took a lot to come around to this however....and it was a rather expensive learning lesson.

 

[Rhea]

Hey hey! I just figured it out! I read the post asking about selling my earrings a day ago. It took me a day to post a respond. I had the time and I was on PS, but I couldn't come up with an answer.

It doesn't matter if I wear them. It doesn't matter if I could sell them and use the money for something else. I just realised today that I usually look at them before I go to bed (I sleep with my earring tree by my head, facing it.) and I like them. I'll just know when it's time to move on.

 

[marcy]

I would never sell a piece of sentimental jewelry unless I desperately needed the money. Most of my jewelry has not emotional attachment other than my degree of how much I like it. I usually have a jewelry liquidation sale when I have my eye on another piece of jewelry. Recently I have reached a point where there is less and less I would part with even though I rarely wear 95% of what I have.

 

[Laila619]

It's time to sell when I'm no longer wearing the piece and my tastes have changed so I don't ever see myself wearing it again.

 

[Circe]

Oh, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE.

I am reviving this thread out of sheer frustration. I had just gotten a new eternity band I adore. And then I started a weight-loss bet with my husband.

The good news is, I'm down ten pounds. Yay!

The bad news is, my pretty new ring, which cannot be resized, no longer fits on any sensible finger. BOO.

What do you guys say ... keep, on the off-chance I gain the weight back? Or sell, and try to find one in the new size (or, whatever else might catch the magpie fancy, since these suckers are hard to find and I have no patience)?

ARGH.

 

[bunnycat]

Oh, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE.

I am reviving this thread out of sheer frustration. I had just gotten a new eternity band I adore. And then I started a weight-loss bet with my husband.

The good news is, I'm down ten pounds. Yay!

The bad news is, my pretty new ring, which cannot be resized, no longer fits on any sensible finger. BOO.

What do you guys say ... keep, on the off-chance I gain the weight back? Or sell, and try to find one in the new size (or, whatever else might catch the magpie fancy, since these suckers are hard to find and I have no patience)?

ARGH.

It's not the ruby one is it????

Argh- that's a hard one. (Congrats on the weight loss BTW!!!) Cause you don't want the weight back! But...a brand new ring??? WAAAH! Can they put sizing beads in it? (I don't even know if that's possible in an eternity ring....)

Otherwise, I'd probably keep my eye out for one that fits, and then sell the one that's too big, but not before...if that's financially feasible...

 

[Circe]

Oh, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE.

I am reviving this thread out of sheer frustration. I had just gotten a new eternity band I adore. And then I started a weight-loss bet with my husband.

The good news is, I'm down ten pounds. Yay!

The bad news is, my pretty new ring, which cannot be resized, no longer fits on any sensible finger. BOO.

What do you guys say ... keep, on the off-chance I gain the weight back? Or sell, and try to find one in the new size (or, whatever else might catch the magpie fancy, since these suckers are hard to find and I have no patience)?

ARGH.

It's not the ruby one is it????

Argh- that's a hard one. (Congrats on the weight loss BTW!!!) Cause you don't want the weight back! But...a brand new ring??? WAAAH! Can they put sizing beads in it? (I don't even know if that's possible in an eternity ring....)

Otherwise, I'd probably keep my eye out for one that fits, and then sell the one that's too big, but not before...if that's financially feasible...

Heheh, thanks, BC. No, thankfully the ruby band and the thick french cut band are find - now I just wear them on the middle finger of the left hand instead of the ring finger of the right. But my skinny-skinny french cut band slides right off my middle fingers when it's even a little cold, and it spins and wobbles when I try to stack it on my ring fingers. WHICH IS FRUSTRATING, given how long it took me to find one! It's the timeline issue that makes me worry about keeping it in reserve ... I mean, it could be years.

I'll have to see about the sizing beads, though ....

 

[Rhea]

It depends on what size you wear

Oh, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE.

I am reviving this thread out of sheer frustration. I had just gotten a new eternity band I adore. And then I started a weight-loss bet with my husband.

The good news is, I'm down ten pounds. Yay!

The bad news is, my pretty new ring, which cannot be resized, no longer fits on any sensible finger. BOO.

What do you guys say ... keep, on the off-chance I gain the weight back? Or sell, and try to find one in the new size (or, whatever else might catch the magpie fancy, since these suckers are hard to find and I have no patience)?

ARGH.

 

[Circe]

It depends on what size you wear

Oh, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE.

I am reviving this thread out of sheer frustration. I had just gotten a new eternity band I adore. And then I started a weight-loss bet with my husband.

The good news is, I'm down ten pounds. Yay!

The bad news is, my pretty new ring, which cannot be resized, no longer fits on any sensible finger. BOO.

What do you guys say ... keep, on the off-chance I gain the weight back? Or sell, and try to find one in the new size (or, whatever else might catch the magpie fancy, since these suckers are hard to find and I have no patience)?

ARGH.

Heheheh - it's a 7. I was a 6 when I bought it, and apparently, once I lost the water weight, woosh! back down to a 5 I went. I could technically wear it on my middle finger, I guess, but it's so think it doesn't look right to me hanging out on its lonesome, and none of my other stacking bands fit with it.

I know it's a #firstworldproblem, but ...

 

[JaneSmith]

Oh, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE.

I am reviving this thread out of sheer frustration. I had just gotten a new eternity band I adore. And then I started a weight-loss bet with my husband.

The good news is, I'm down ten pounds. Yay!

The bad news is, my pretty new ring, which cannot be resized, no longer fits on any sensible finger. BOO.

What do you guys say ... keep, on the off-chance I gain the weight back? Or sell, and try to find one in the new size (or, whatever else might catch the magpie fancy, since these suckers are hard to find and I have no patience)?

ARGH.

Congrats on the weight loss, I hope you are kicking hubby's arse!
I must admit to a little envy here, because how the hell do you go down one ring size after only 10lbs? I think my fingers are the last place I lose from!
As to the selling jewellery quandary, I'm of no help. I keep everything! I second the motion for sizing beads for you.

 

[Circe]

Congrats on the weight loss, I hope you are kicking hubby's arse!
I must admit to a little envy here, because how the hell do you go down one ring size after only 10lbs? I think my fingers are the last place I lose from!
As to the selling jewellery quandary, I'm of no help. I keep everything! I second the motion for sizing beads for you.

The wages of sin appear to have paid off - apparently, eating salty popcorn during your evening movie? Gives you a lot of bloated water weight to shed in the first weeks. And just in time for summer!

I am dieting like crazy and working out every day. My husband is just eating smaller portions. We're neck-and-neck. Men!

I'm going to look into the sizing beads, but I'd be nervous about attempting to size between one and two sizes with beads on a normal band. This one is only 1.3 mm wide, so I'm less than optimistic about it working for me.

 

[SB621]

Congrats Circe on weight loss!!!! I know how hard it is to drop the lbs!!! You rock!

I would wait a few more weeks to think about selling. I have lost a lot of baby weight over the last year (not as much as I had hoped) and once I was done loosing weight I gained a few lbs back almost right away. Not a big deal for my clothes but my ring size which had gone down a full 1.5 sizes then went back up .5 it was so irritating.

So until you weight settles and you are happy with what you are at - I personally wouldn't sell...unless of course you see something you can live without!

 

[Rhea]

I would love for you to sell it and me to be the buyer, but I vote for keeping it for a bit. I can't exactly explain why. I'm sure that you'll keep the weight off and I know that you have tons of other bands.