Has anyone ever sold a family heirloom?

[Sizzle]

There''s another thread where a poster is deciding how to address jewelry items in her will. It got me thinking, does everyone keep jewelry they''ve been left? I mean aside from remounting, and what not, has anyone ever sold or given away somehting that could be described as a family heirloom? I see it on ebay all the fime where people say "this ring belonged to my great grandmother" and they cash out a beautiful antique or loose OMC/OECs. I know this board is made of jewelry lovers, but we too fall on hard times of have different tastes. I wonder if the jewels are first offered up to other famly members for sale or if the entire family knows the recipient is sellling them?

 

[that_someone_special]

I''ve never sold anything other than the plat band that was attached to my g''mas setting. It was pretty damaged and was made only for that ring, so it wouldn''t have worked with anything else.

I don''t think I could sell anything else though. I have a few rings from her that are just damaged beyond repair, so I might reuse the stones in a new piece some day, but that''s about it.

It makes me sad seeing people selling OEC/ OMCs on ebay from their grandparents. I mean, if they need the money, then I''m sure their grandparent would WANT THEM to do it, but if it''s "just cause" It makes me sad. And then I want to buy it. So.. lucky me... I guess.

It''s all very personal though, and I am a pretty firm believer of keeping the jewels in the family.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

I would sell if I wouldn''t wear them and they were from someone I wasn''t close to, because someone out there might just love them. If they had belonged to someone I was close to, I would keep them, even if I didn''t wear them. I have my grandmother''s diamond band and it''s about 3 sizes too small for me (not sizeable) but it''s precious enough to keep, maybe pass on to my daughter.

DH''s sister inherited (well, took possession of) their mother''s rings and later decided that she didn''t care for them. One of them had been in her family for three generations.

DH asked if he could have then or even buy them from her so he could pass them on to his daughters but she refused because they were heirlooms. I totally understood, because I would have felt the same way. About a week later we found out that she had them broken up and turned into new pieces. It''s the one and only time I''ve seen DH cry.

 

[yssie]

Pieces in my family have lots of potential "homes" - it''s mostly luck that determined what ended up with whom, I think. I''d give something to someone else in my family who would appreciate it more before I could sell, it would be heartbreaking to have to part with something because I had no other choice. I have a big family, so someone somewhere would love it as it should be!

If something needed a recut or a reset or something I wouldn''t have a problem doing it - this doesn''t push my sentiment buttons.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Luckily I haven''t had to sell anything. Then again, the only "heirlooms" I have belonged to my mom and nothing is more than 35 years old. She gave me a lot of yellow gold jewelry that is broken and I''ve considered selling it all and using the funds to purchase other items, but would feel a bit guilty. Then again, though, the pieces are so ''80s that I cannot imagine that they''ll ever be back in style enough for future generations to appreciate.

I have her eng. diamond and did have that set into a necklace. She had removed it from her eng. ring and put it into an earring, and then when she gave me everything, I reset it.