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ARE WE SCRAPPING MEMORIES ALONG WITH THE GOLD? | August 22, 2012 (0 comments)
Merrick, NY--I have many memories of my retail days. Some of the best involve seeing what was left for repair, appraisal or consignment or what pieces someone just scrapped.
Frankly, it was the scrapped stuff that was the most appealing. That was the stuff you could buy for cheap. That was where one person’s trash became someone else’s treasure. And like in many jewelry stores, some really interesting piece of scrap might get a good clean and polish and end up in a showcase at a great price and maybe even with a nice story.
Today, if I were still behind the sales counter in a retail jewelry store, I might lose my mind at the sheer volume of jewelry (and flatware and goodness-knows-what-else) that gets sold for what we used to call the ‘old gold’ price.
I remember how happy customers where when they scrapped their repair leftovers and get a few dollars. The other items they didn’t wear they left at home in a drawer – it wasn’t worth scrapping because it was more valuable as a complete piece (and besides, in years past, it wasn’t worth as much, even as scrap). Now of course with today’s metal prices, that is not the case and many metal items have good value, especially when you have several of them. Today, customers come in with sandwich baggies to small suitcases full of items to scrap.
I’ve visited my family’s store (Stanley Jewelers Gemologists, North Little Rock, AR) a few times over the last few years. Along with taking up residence at the polishing machine and cleaner/steamer, if I’m really nice they’ll let me take a look at whatever scrap has come in. It’s fun to see what’s moving through, even if I don’t buy anything.
In years past, I’ve seen tons of scrap before enough built up to send to the refiner. Mostly, you had to hunt and peck to find any good, usable pieces and really use your imagination (and a good bench jeweler, too). Today, it’s easy to find entire gold charm bracelets being scrapped or entire sets of monogrammed sterling flatware. Quite the difference.
Pass the stainless, please: even full sets of sterling flatware are brought in and sold for scrap.
Another difference is the speed at which scrapped items move through a jewelry store. Today, they come and go fast – money going out to customers and coming back quickly from the refiner, keeping cash flow intact to buy yet more metals off the street.
It makes me a little sad to think about what’s getting scrapped today. I remember jewelry that was rather unremarkable when first viewed. A mother or grandmother would bring it in to have it cleaned up for a daughter or a new daughter-in-law. It wasn’t to the mother or grandmother’s taste, so it had been stored away for a generation or so. Then the next generation received the item and loved it – and wore it. Suddenly it took on new life. When viewed through the eyes of someone who loved and appreciated it, the piece again became a treasure to be handed down. A bit of full circle karma, if you will.
That situation is becoming less common. With today’s economic situation and the rising metal prices, sentimentality is thrown aside as cash is exchanged for gold.
And that doesn’t even begin to address the workmanship being scrapped away. Items with beautiful hand-engraving melted on a whim. One-of-a-kind and designer pieces go by the wayside. My daughter has been the recipient of a few very nice designer pieces that were sold for scrap; the jewelers that took them in knew they were valuable, and hated to see them actually become scrap.
It's sad to melt down beautiful engraving like this.
And of course, there’s also the financially strapped person, selling jewelry he/she actually loves, but who needs the money more.
While I appreciate very much what the ‘cash for gold’ business has done for jewelers across the country, I also hate to see the demise of so much jewelry, what many of us think of as wearable art. Maybe it’s time to start a website: scrapgoldmemories.com or the like, where jewelers and the public could post photos of cool jewels before they are melted down; sort of an online box of memories. I know it’s likely that jewelers across the country have recycled (saved or resold) what they could, but the sheer volume moving through the market today means that some wonderful pieces are gone, melted into obscurity.
My own jewelry collection has grown because of scrap; great pieces at great prices. And, stayed good sized because there are pieces I’ve had forever, but can’t scrap, at least not yet. Case-in-point: this lovely key fob, nicknamed Mr. Monkey Head. Still has my showcase key hanging from it, even though it no longer works. A tangible reminder of my retail days. Here’s to you Mr. Monkey Head. Glad you’re still around.
(Photos, except Mr. Monkey Head, courtesy of Stanley Jewelers Gemologist.)