Recycling Your Jewelry 101
by Dano McCarthy, Estate Buyer

I think one of the greatest joys in life is reaching into the pocket of a freshly washed pair of jeans and finding a crisp, rolled up $20 bill. Nothing is better than free money. Oh sure, you can look past the surface and realize that this was money earned, and just temporarily misplaced. But the thrill of forgetting about that cash and then reuniting with it, you have to admit that’s pretty fun. Now imagine finding $200 in that pocket. How about $500? Geez, what would happen if you reached into your pocket and found $1,000? Now the chances of that happening are pretty remote, mostly because if $1,000 is missing, the drywall is getting ripped off the walls until that cash is recovered safe and sound. Yet most people, yes most of us, have hundreds, even thousands of dollars lying around the house, just waiting to be recovered. No, it’s not in the form of balled up twenties hidden in your clothes, but it could be in old unused jewelry.

Remember that chain that was so cool in 1986, but won’t even fit around your neck now? You haven’t thought about it in years, and yet there lies a couple hundred bucks of newly found cash. (It’s probably over in that drawer next to the class ring that you haven’t thought about since the last reunion.) OK, I’ll give you a little time, go take a look and see what you can come up with.

With the advent of the Internet and its ever-increasing permeation into our lives, a countless list of collector
groups have formed that are interested in strange and obscure items. To give you an example, I have a Seiko diver’s watch that I bought when I was 18 years old (hey, I was young and a Rolex was expensive, even back then); the watch is your basic model automatic, day-date, black face, heavy duty waterman’s watch. Pretty much standard issue to anyone who surfed, sailed, dived, swam, or just needed a watch that would stand up to the elements; they were as common as VW Bugs back in the ‘70s. But here we are, 35 years later and there are collectors out there looking for old Seiko diver’s watches. Sure, you might laugh, but how many old Bugs do you see still driving around? Turns out my old watch is worth about $50. What does this mean to you? Well, my job is to know this stuff; I’m supposed to be the expert here, knowledgeable about collectable value in even the most unusual items.

Now that you’ve gone through all your drawers and jewelry boxes, picking out the stuff that has obvious value, go through and take a second look. Gather it all up. Then take the most important step of all, bring it to Leo Hamel Estate Buyers.

A friend once told me that the best time to sell something is when you have a willing buyer. And right now, today, Leo Hamel Estate Buyers is a willing buyer. While other formerly busy stores’ employees are standing around empty showrooms, listening to the crickets chirp, we have realized that to stay viable in this tough economy, you have to work at the things that are currently strong. The metals market right now is strong. Like other commodities, gold has fallen victim to increased energy costs. Did you know that to get a 1 ounce yield of pure gold you have to dig up over 250 tons of rock? The energy costs, plus the use of toxic chemicals and the proper disposal of them, makes the cost of mining and refining gold astronomical. But recycling gold uses a fraction of that energy. The economical and environmental savings attained by you for recycling your old jewelry is nothing short of commendable. By selling back that old nugget necklace with the love horn attached to it, you will not only fill your pockets with cash, but it will put you that much closer to saving the world. You’re a saint, I tell you, you really are. But not all jewelry gets melted down and reissued as $50 Eagle gold pieces. The cool stuff gets lovingly repaired, polished and reborn as a beautiful estate piece. Remember what I said about the Internet creating collectors of even the most obscure items? The taste for jewelry varies greatly from person to person. That platinum bracelet might not have floated your boat, but someone else will think it is the most beautiful thing they have ever seen. What could be better than having your old watch, ring, or set of silver flatware live on in someone else’s home? I guess you could consider it a possession transplant. Next time you are in either our Solana Beach or Old Town locations, be sure to check out the estate cases. It’s a history lesson in jewelry. And you just might come across something that brings back so many good memories for you, that you must have it.

So, there you have some of the reasons to sell us your old watches, jewelry, sterling silver or collectables. Not only will you rustle up some much needed extra cash, but you will be helping the environment and giving someone a new family heirloom. Everybody wins!

Recycling Your Jewelry 101 by Dano McCarthy, Estate Buyer

Recycling Your Jewelry 101
by Dano McCarthy, Estate Buyer