what a waste

[doreenjoy]

I've just gone thru my jewelry and found that I rarely wear many expensive pieces. It seems like such a waste of money. I will take a big loss on selling them, but having them sit around makes me feel so guilty.

Does anyone else have jewelry regrets? do you hold on to those pieces, give them away, try to sell them or what?

 

[Kitsunegrl]

I've only sold gold pieces. I tend to keep pieces with stones and use them to create new pieces that WILL be worn.
Right now I have twenty opals that I am thinking about making into in/out hoops. They started life as a tennis bracelet, but the gold was so flossy!

 

[doreenjoy]

I've only sold gold pieces. I tend to keep pieces with stones and use them to create new pieces that WILL be worn.
Right now I have twenty opals that I am thinking about making into in/out hoops. They started life as a tennis bracelet, but the gold was so flossy!

Thanks for the response.

I have some expensive, delicate art Nouveau pieces that aren't worth much either as raw metal or for the stones. It's depressing.

 

[MyDogTink]

I've only sold gold pieces. I tend to keep pieces with stones and use them to create new pieces that WILL be worn.
Right now I have twenty opals that I am thinking about making into in/out hoops. They started life as a tennis bracelet, but the gold was so flossy!

What a good idea. I have a YG bangle with 3 carats of tanzanite and diamonds. My wrist is tiny and the bangle spins. Therefore, I don't wear it, regret the purchase and thinks it's a waste. I considered selling it but was offered $300 for the gold. Jeweler said the tanzanite is heavy thus the reason for only $300. I decided to keep it. I like your idea of making earrings. Maybe if I make earrings out of the tanzanite I won't consider the purchase a waste.

 

[PeacefulMommy]

I have a few pieces that feel like a waste, mostly pieces that were popular with celebrities 5 or so years ago and have since fallen out of favor (i.e. Adina Reyter).

I list anything that I regret on eBay in order to fund new purchases.

I find that I think very carefully about a purchase after taking a loss...

 

[Harpertoo]

Ugh. I think I just have too many small gold Tiffany items. I'll hang on to them for my daughter, but I really don't wear delicate hearts, DBTY, or the other small pieces. I hate the way they clutter my box at home & sometimes it feels indulgent to have a safe deposit box with stuff I don't wear.

I used to give my pieces to my nieces, but then I had a daughter....and my nieces have also probably grown out of my hand-me-downs.

Do you think you'll ever regain interest in your pieces?

 

[HauteMama]

Do you still like the pieces? Perhaps you can intentionally rotate them so you wear them all instead of the same ones? Of course, if your tastes have changed or the pieces are uncomfortable, then that's a different story. I used to think I had too many pieces of jewelry until I forced myself to start wearing them, and now I find that I am excited again by things I thought I would never wear.

 

[skyqueen]

What a good idea. I have a YG bangle with 3 carats of tanzanite and diamonds. My wrist is tiny and the bangle spins. Therefore, I don't wear it, regret the purchase and thinks it's a waste. I considered selling it but was offered $300 for the gold. Jeweler said the tanzanite is heavy thus the reason for only $300. I decided to keep it. I like your idea of making earrings. Maybe if I make earrings out of the tanzanite I won't consider the purchase a waste.

Since Tanzanite is a soft stone...earrings would be the perfect option.
Do it!!!

 

[BreadnGem]

Do you still like the pieces? Perhaps you can intentionally rotate them so you wear them all instead of the same ones? Of course, if your tastes have changed or the pieces are uncomfortable, then that's a different story. I used to think I had too many pieces of jewelry until I forced myself to start wearing them, and now I find that I am excited again by things I thought I would never wear.

Agree. Perhaps you can try wearing them to see if you will fall in love with them again.

In the last 2 years, i've sold off quite a lot of old gold jewellery i don't wear anymore. Most of them were pieces i bought on impulse. Back then, I did not think through whether i would still like them further down the road and just bought them simply bcos i wanted something new at the time. I've learnt my lesson and in recent years, i try to think carefully before making a purchase, though sometimes, i still give in to my impulses

 

[muffkitt]

I get some pieces I don't wear any more, strip the stones and sell the gold. The money funds some of my newly designed pieces - rings or pendants. However, the workmanship/ labour cost is high and sometimes my jeweler says my old diamonds are not sparkly enough and will use better stones. There will be a cost to it but not as expensive as a brand new piece but it can still be costly.

 

[*schmoo*]

I sold a bunch of gold jewelry because I never wore them. I'm regretting it only because I took a huge loss on them. If I had those pieces, they'd still be sitting in a box, though.

 

[Zarina]

I've just gone thru my jewelry and found that I rarely wear many expensive pieces. It seems like such a waste of money. I will take a big loss on selling them, but having them sit around makes me feel so guilty.

Does anyone else have jewelry regrets? do you hold on to those pieces, give them away, try to sell them or what?

I guess I must be young at heart because my problem lately has been buying items that, while lovely, just don't suit me because they should be worn by younger people.......Sydney Evans had a trunk show on at Holt Renfrew in Toronto and I bought a tiny white gold dog bone pendant. I love my dogs SO much that, when I saw the dog bone, I was swept away. It looks silly on me --- bought the Anita Ko RG pyramid bracelet on impulse as well and regretted it. I sold the AK and will probably give the SE to one of my cousin's little girls.
I think it is wise to sell (if possible) and give away if not.....I have a few valuable pieces that I think I will give to one of local animal charities. They would be a good fundraiser in a silent auction.
I thought I would have learned to "look before I leap" by this point in my life....lol

 

[chicagocat]

feel empowered by your pieces, you have choices and it's a high class problem You can donate, gift, transform, sell... Choose a group of women you want to value: military wives, nurses, teachers, women living in poverty in the US, scholarship recipients, AIDS victims in other countries- whatever you like. List your items on facebook, a local newspaper, whatever- and ask for nominations for who to gift them to... I bet you'll feel a lot better about what you now think you regret.

 

[Harpertoo]

I guess I must be young at heart because my problem lately has been buying items that, while lovely, just don't suit me because they should be worn by younger people.......Sydney Evans had a trunk show on at Holt Renfrew in Toronto and I bought a tiny white gold dog bone pendant. I love my dogs SO much that, when I saw the dog bone, I was swept away. It looks silly on me --- bought the Anita Ko RG pyramid bracelet on impulse as well and regretted it. I sold the AK and will probably give the SE to one of my cousin's little girls.
I think it is wise to sell (if possible) and give away if not.....I have a few valuable pieces that I think I will give to one of local animal charities. They would be a good fundraiser in a silent auction.
I thought I would have learned to "look before I leap" by this point in my life....lol

I think it's really easy to get carried away at trunk shows & special events!
One year I ran the NY marathon and Tiffany was selling a commemorative charm bracelet and charms...of course in the euphoria, I ordered one. I'm certain I have never worn that bracelet! (And you have me reconsidering a SE evil eye bracelet I was thinking about.)
Thank you!

 

[katierose]

Another point of view. Maybe save that jewelry as an investment, as it could be worth as much or more in the future.

My aunt used to buy a lot of real jewelry, small inexpensive pieces that caught her eye, and some special expensive pieces. She used to pick up pieces from estate sales, jewelers, wholesalers, etc.
Anyways, her husband who was self employed, got sick and didn't work for over 6 months, and there was no income coming in. So she started selling off her jewelry, mostly the less expensive easy to sell pieces, and she did very well and was able to support the family, pay medical bills, etc. until he was back at work and earning money again.
She always brings this up, how jewelry can be a good investment, and how her jewelry supported the family, and they didn't have to empty out the savings account.