So, what is the best thing to do with jewelry after a divorce?
Advice from your jeweler: Remake it.
I know, I know -- bad juju. BUT, hear me out.
You loved the ring once. Loved the parts, loved everything about it.
Or, maybe you didn't. You secretly hoped for a re-design that never came.
Either way, that doesn't really matter now.
Your ring is always going to be more valuable to you than it ever will as a discount item on the used market -- and let's face it -- there's no other way to market it. I sincerely don't mean that to discount the beauty or quality of your ring, it's just the reality that is selling anything that is used.
Think of if like a car -- it loses value the moment you drive it off the lot. Similarly, years of wearing it reduce what someone else is willing to pay, when they can easily go buy a new ring that hasn't been worn (and doesn't have that juju).
As a jeweler, I can't sell a second hand ring for the same price as a new one either -- no one would be willing to pay the price for something that isn't unworn.
Now, you could possibly find a buyer for a price you're ok with if you have time to wait. Typically this sale is most easily made to a friend or family friend, or someone that is socially invested in you, knows you, and trusts the price you've set. That just seems to be the way it goes.
What about material value, you might ask?
More bad news: this is your worst option. Pawn shops and scrap jewelry dealers only make money if they give you the lowest possible price, and they'll buy any gold at any condition because they are just going to send it off to be refined for cash. Diamonds are often under-valued or not valued at all, because you can't send those off for refining like you can gold.
Will a jeweler buy it?
In all honesty, it's not likely. It would have to be purchased at an under-market price for the jeweler, and it would have to be something they know they can resell quickly and easily. Industry secret: we have loads of stones already, sitting in our safes, sometimes accumulating for years. One more isn't as attractive as you might think, especially when we also have loads of diamond dealers on standby, eager to sell us something that is exactly to whatever specifications we provide.
OK, enough of all the BAD news, and on to the GOOD part.
What you have now are raw materials: Valuable raw materials that would save you a ton of money on a jewelry project if you were starting from scratch and had to buy them new. You have stones that are beautiful outside of how they're set, and gold that can be melted into anything you can dream of. Your rings can enter a remaking process and come out the other end looking brand new, totally different than what you had before, and more beautiful than you could have ever imagined.
Make Yourself Something Fresh!
Some of my redesign clients over the years have cried when they saw their new piece. Some of them have squealed in excitement, and some of them are simply shocked, and cannot believe that the pieces were birthed from their 'old' jewelry. I've never had a client not fall in love with their new piece(s), and sometimes even more-so than they would have if we'd have started from scratch. Call it a cathartic rebirth kind of thing.
(This custom ring was not actually a divorce piece, but you get the idea!)
Make Pieces for the Kids or Grandkids!
Other clients have chosen to take their pieces apart and make new pieces to distribute to their children or grandchildren, knowing the parts and pieces will have value to them that they may not longer hold for themselves.
Pass The Diamond Down
Have a son that will one day need to buy a diamond? Save the ring for him to redesign later, or make yourself something with the gold and let the diamond pass down.
And, if none of these are your style, this next one just might be:
Beat the Living Crap Out of your Old Wedding Rings!
I've witnessed a true, obvious, undisputable, truly therapeutic physical release of tension watching a client bang on her gold rings-in-process-of-being-remade with a hammer. So much so, that I actually offer this as a special class, full of fire and melting and all kinds of hammers, if you want this experience. Want to pretend it's your ex's face, or lawyer? Go for it -- I'm here for you.
It's not quite the same as my custom process, as you can't make everything, but there's SO MUCH you still can do as a beginner. You're welcome to torch and hammer to your heart's content, and I'll guide you to leaving with a beautiful new piece that has truly been transformed. Think of it as the jewelry version of the "burn the dress'!
If you want to know how to get in on this class -- shoot me an email to set up a time to chat about your pieces! Not local? That's OK too! Make it a full on self care weekend and treat yourself to what Greenville, SC has to offer. If you're here, chances are you probably need it.
All in all, if you've landed here, you have a decision to make.
My personal opinion as a jeweler and a witness to so many successful redesigns is this: Don't let a little bad ju-ju convince you to make a seriously bad deal by giving those beautiful gems and gold away for less than they're worth.