Getting rid of ex-boyfriend jewelry: Cash, closure, and sweet satisfaction

A few weeks ago, I wrote a short post about the return of gold prospecting; the rising value of gold has inspired would-be miners to pan for the precious metal, file prospecting claims, and generally do their best to re-create California's 1849 gold rush. Gold fever has even worked its way into suburbia, where gold parties have made it possible to convert one's own jewelry into cold hard cash, even as one sips wine and munches on cheese and many people are selling their collections of gold teeth and bridgework.

Of course, the problem with gold parties is that selling one's old gold jewelry by weight fails to take into account the artistry of the metalwork or the value of any jewels, which can greatly increase the price of a trinket. Besides, gold parties aren't all that useful if one has non-gold jewelry. While silver and other precious metals have also increased in value, they haven't enjoyed the amazing inflation that has made gold so precious.

Another problem is the fact that jewelry often has powerful emotions attached to it. We give jewelry during periods of heightened emotion, and the gifts tend to retain a lot of those emotions, even after the relationship has gone south. Good or bad, it can seem a little callous to simply throw away these relics of boyfriends and girlfriends past.