Over our lifetime, we are bound to have gathered trinkets and jewellery from various relations as gifts on special occasions or to act as a memento for a milestone event like a 21st birthday or graduation. Alternatively, you may have been passed down jewellery from relatives over time or found items that you just can’t seem to place the origin of. As our collections amass they start to take up valuable space, and those who are having to move around a bit or want to live a minimalist lifestyle may wonder how best to make use of their old jewellery.
If you’ve found that you don’t have the space for old jewellery or want to utilise it in other ways, potentially to make some quick cash, consider the following tips;
Create Memento Pieces for Display
If you are someone that likes to get crafty or are looking for the perfect decor piece for your home, consider using old jewellery to create a memento display. For example, necklaces or bracelets can be threaded carefully into copies of old photos as a treasured and subtle memento piece. While a watch or cufflinks can be set into a box frame alongside a favourite photograph as a dedication to a treasured relative.
Sell or Reuse Gold
While gold is always fluctuating in value, it does usually maintain a high value per g and can be resold for near the original value or in some cases above the original value paid for the item. Gold is also a fairly versatile metal, in jewellery it is normally mixed with other metals to improve its strength but it can be easily melted down and recast for other purposes. Buying and holding on to gold while it is a low price and reselling when the price improves is a common practice, although tax responsibilities vary greatly. For instance in the UK, there is no tax on buying or reselling gold however those in the Islamic Faith have an expectation to pay tax on held gold, known as Zakat. Zakat Calculators for gold tax are usefully available to make contributions easier to correctly work out.
Recycling Costume Jewellery
Some jewellery, like costume jewellery holds little value and can sometimes be passed down in great amounts. While sentimental value is nice, the space it can take up can sometimes be frustrating, especially for growing families and those needing to downsize. Keeping one or two pieces that hold strong memories is good for revisiting later but the vast majority of costume jewellery can be donated to children, friends or family or to charity shops, where it can be utilised by someone else, rather than sit unused in a dusty jewellery box or drawer.
Incorporate Old Jewellery Into Wedding Displays
This isn’t an option that is always available but if you are getting married and have some treasured jewellery from a past relative that you would have loved to been involved in your special day. Consider using their old jewellery in your bridal bouquet, stitched into your wedding dress, used as a groom’s broach or clipped to shoes. To make something truly special and eye-catching consider finding jewellery similar or complementing to the central piece to create matching table displays, decorative pieces to accompany bridesmaids bouquets or to decorate the head table with.
Old jewellery, especially if it is special to you, doesn’t need to remain forgotten in a box for years and also doesn’t need to be sold on. Consider using it in a way that accompanies your day to day life that doesn’t need to include wearing it as intended. Some final ideas to inspire you to include making a bookmark, using pieces to decorate a phone case, making a jewelled wreath and decorating a photo frame.
