Someone dies, or someone downsizes, and a jewelry box lands on a kitchen table. The instinct is to make three piles: real, maybe, costume. That instinct is how a Tiffany mark in a tangled chain and a 14k earring without its match both get tossed into “costume.”
Broken is not the same as worthless
A snapped chain is still gold if it is gold. An empty setting still has metal. Melt-only buyers stop there. A jewelry buyer also asks whether the make, the era, or a mounted stone has a market. You cannot see those extras if the “ugly” pieces never leave the house.
Plated vs precious is a counter question
Gold-plated and silver-plated costume jewelry is not purchased as precious metal. The mistake is deciding that at home with a magnet video. Stamps lie, plating fools bathrooms lighting, and family stories are sometimes just stories. Bring the box. We separate plated from gold, silver, and platinum in front of you.
Photo ID is required to complete a sale. Polish, glue, and “I thought I’d restring it first” are not. For the buying list — designer names, diamonds, new vs used — use sell jewelry in Hickory. This page exists so the box arrives intact.