*A Little Anecdote*

[AGBF]

This is just a little anecdote that I saw while reading the newspaper and wanted to share with you. It seemed like the kind of story Pricescopers would like to read, so I didn't want you to miss it. I suspect that this thread will the kind that shows (eventually) that 67 or 121 people read it and that 0 people responded to it. I do not think that that is because it was worthless, however. I hope that all the people that clicked on the link enjoyed the mild read. Nothing fancy or exciting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/opinion/sunday/time-to-sell-the-familys-gold.html?ref=opinion

Deb/AGBF

 

[Missy]

Thanks for sharing it Deb. I did enjoy the story.

 

[movie zombie]

interesting.

my thoughts are that one day he may regret having sold those items to be melted down. in this day and age it is becoming harder and harder for people to buy good jewelry. if his mother bought at $200 back when and he's still getting $1k or more for her pieces, well, i think its a pity the grandkids won't inherit them.

ah, well, each to their own........

 

[Missy]

interesting.

my thoughts are that one day he may regret having sold those items to be melted down. in this day and age it is becoming harder and harder for people to buy good jewelry. if his mother bought at $200 back when and he's still getting $1k or more for her pieces, well, i think its a pity the grandkids won't inherit them.

ah, well, each to their own........

That's true but the money might be put to better use for them now...
It's really hard to judge without knowing the individual's specific circumstances. I am with you though in that I would hate to melt down a beautiful piece whether it was to my taste or not. Tastes change as we all know here on PS LOL.

 

[MissGotRocks]

I think it just reemphasizes a conversation I had with my husband's 90 year old aunt recently. She has a 1+ carat diamond ring and doesn't know who to leave it to. She has one daughter (where it should rightly go) but she doesn't like her daughter's husband and is afraid it will fall into the hands of some of his children (by a first marriage). It's amazing to me that your possessions seem to bring more angst than joy at that stage of your life. My point being this: none of us can control from the grave what becomes of our possessions. We can have lofty thoughts of it all living through generations but the truth is, it probably will never mean as much to others as it has to us. The future generations may not be interested, may need money more than jewelry, or could leave it on their night table where a thief comes in and takes it. Jewelry is just like life - to be enjoyed to the fullest while we are here. Tomorrows are promised to no one. My children know what I would like to happen to my things but I'm realistic enough to know that those plans could go awry in generations to come. I won't know anything about it so will not try to hold anyone's feet to the fire over it!

 

[Missy]

I think it just reemphasizes a conversation I had with my husband's 90 year old aunt recently. She has a 1+ carat diamond ring and doesn't know who to leave it to. She has one daughter (where it should rightly go) but she doesn't like her daughter's husband and is afraid it will fall into the hands of some of his children (by a first marriage). It's amazing to me that your possessions seem to bring more angst than joy at that stage of your life. My point being this: none of us can control from the grave what becomes of our possessions. We can have lofty thoughts of it all living through generations but the truth is, it probably will never mean as much to others as it has to us. The future generations may not be interested, may need money more than jewelry, or could leave it on their night table where a thief comes in and takes it. Jewlery is just like life - to be enjoyed to the fullest while we are here. Tomorrows are promised to no one. My children know what I would like to happen to my things but I'm realistic enough to know that those plans could go awry in generations to come. I won't know anything about it so will not try to hold anyone's feet to the fire over it!

Well said and I totally agree MissGotRocks.

 

[rosetta]

I think it just reemphasizes a conversation I had with my husband's 90 year old aunt recently. She has a 1+ carat diamond ring and doesn't know who to leave it to. She has one daughter (where it should rightly go) but she doesn't like her daughter's husband and is afraid it will fall into the hands of some of his children (by a first marriage). It's amazing to me that your possessions seem to bring more angst than joy at that stage of your life. My point being this: none of us can control from the grave what becomes of our possessions. We can have lofty thoughts of it all living through generations but the truth is, it probably will never mean as much to others as it has to us. The future generations may not be interested, may need money more than jewelry, or could leave it on their night table where a thief comes in and takes it. Jewlery is just like life - to be enjoyed to the fullest while we are here. Tomorrows are promised to no one. My children know what I would like to happen to my things but I'm realistic enough to know that those plans could go awry in generations to come. I won't know anything about it so will not try to hold anyone's feet to the fire over it!

+1

I don't plan to worry about what will happen to my jewellery, or any other possessions, when I pass away. We've no control over it from beyond the grave and I like it that way. A gift is a gift and when I give my jewellery away, I hope the recipients do with it as they please. Though I would love to see it if one of them wears around every single piece all at once like a lunatic

 

[Missy]

Though I would love to see it if one of them wears around every single piece all at once like a lunatic

LOL, if you watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills they do it all the time!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Though I would love to see it if one of them wears around every single piece all at once like a lunatic

LOL, if you watch Real Housewives of Beverly Hills they do it all the time!

Ha!

 

[JewelFreak]

Nice story. I imagine he was right, his mother would want her jewelry to be used for her grandchildren's benefit. She couldn't wear it anymore. I used to fuss mentally over who would take good care of this or that family piece, then realized it's only stuff. When families have things passed down for a couple hundred years, it's just wonderful -- as a connection to history & the people who made their lives possible, and because hardly anyone can afford to buy those things for themselves. But if nobody wants to care for heirlooms, there's hope in their being sold to new owners who will love them.

The sad part here is that the pieces sound nice in themselves. When metal prices are high, much artistic gold & silver is destroyed because boors sell it for melt. I've read about museums & dealers holding back very historic or artistic items until prices descend, to prevent this happening.

--- Laurie

 

[luv2sparkle]

That is an interesting story Deb. I love old pieces like that, it is a shame to have them melted for scrap.

I won't worry either about where my stuff goes. I know one thing, it will all go to my only daughter. What she does with it will be up to her. She doesn't wear yellow gold and I do have a lot of that, but she is pretty sentimental.

 

[Amys Bling]

I think it just reemphasizes a conversation I had with my husband's 90 year old aunt recently. She has a 1+ carat diamond ring and doesn't know who to leave it to. She has one daughter (where it should rightly go) but she doesn't like her daughter's husband and is afraid it will fall into the hands of some of his children (by a first marriage). It's amazing to me that your possessions seem to bring more angst than joy at that stage of your life. My point being this: none of us can control from the grave what becomes of our possessions. We can have lofty thoughts of it all living through generations but the truth is, it probably will never mean as much to others as it has to us. The future generations may not be interested, may need money more than jewelry, or could leave it on their night table where a thief comes in and takes it. Jewlery is just like life - to be enjoyed to the fullest while we are here. Tomorrows are promised to no one. My children know what I would like to happen to my things but I'm realistic enough to know that those plans could go awry in generations to come. I won't know anything about it so will not try to hold anyone's feet to the fire over it!

+1

I don't plan to worry about what will happen to my jewellery, or any other possessions, when I pass away. We've no control over it from beyond the grave and I like it that way. A gift is a gift and when I give my jewellery away, I hope the recipients do with it as they please. Though I would love to see it if one of them wears around every single piece all at once like a lunatic

agreed. For some people, the cash is more important or needed than the jewelry/possession. To pricescopers, we enjoy jewelry and see the value in keeping inherited items- in tact for many reasons- others see them as objects that are replaceable, and the memories are what is kept.

 

[LaraOnline]

It IS a shame to see or hear of families melting down their old stuff... it's like melting down the family silver.
I don't have any family jewellery, but my mother does have some lovely silver that was passed to her from her m-i-l.
I remember eating from it when I was a child, visiting my Granny, and I hate to think she'd pawn it for relatively little.

As time passes, even 'lesser quality' items can become more interesting as they become more unique in the modern landscape... OEC diamonds, eg, may not have the 'precision sparkle' of modern designs, but they hold their own special appeal. I have a lovely amethyst bracelet, 9k rose gold wire bangle with a fairly large, but not best quality, amethyst...because it is from the 1890s, it is very special!

 

[Cehrabehra]

My daughter tells me she doesn't want my diamond but not to give it to son #1 because, and I quote, "He will just give it to some hussy". I told her if she doesn't want it - what does she care who ends up with it?

I'll just give it to her and have her sell it for a nest egg.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Cehra, there's a good chance she might change her mind later!

I have two girls and a new granddaughter (and who knows how many more will come along!), so my task will be dividing things up fairly for them all. I really only got one small diamond from my family, so I really wanted to leave some heirlooms to my girls and any granddaughters.

I thought the article was a little sad since he obviously wasn't selling to feed his kids. But I almost have to think that these pieces were like some of the yg pieceds I sold that none of my kids would have wanted anyway! In that case, it would be okay!

 

[LaraOnline]

It's strange, isn't it... the cultural imperatives surrounding our tastes for artistic things...
in Australia, yg is still socially accepted...it's my favourite...although I guess yes in the city wg would be seen to be a more sophisticated choice. But... it's so stark!
It's annoying to get online and check out all the fabulous US jewellery sites... and it's all in wg