“there’s no such thing as a secondhand diamond.”
“There’s no such thing sets. They have names like as a secondhand diamond,” “I Do Now I Don’t,” and he responded. they get largely positive But Martin, who grew reviews. I considered mailup working in the pawn ing my rings off, awaiting industry before becoming an offer letter and receiving a gemologist, knew exactly a check, but this didn’t feel what I meant. He’d had right either. Maybe I still people ask to look at rings wasn’t ready, but I never bradley martin only to hand them back do business online—no over, claiming to have Amazon, Etsy or eBay— gemologist gotten “bad vibes.” But and this seemed like a he’s also onto something strange place to start. when he says secondhand After that, I landed diamonds just aren’t on the idea of selling a thing. The average my set on Facebook or diamond, he said, will change hands many times Craigslist—and that’s where I’d been stuck, before it ever makes it into a piece of jewelry, for months, until finally putting the wheels in including after it’s mined and sorted, when it’s motion by seeing Martin for an appraisal. cut, and when it’s inspected and sold. Martin “If I were you, I might take it down to Brian has found a lot of people will let go of their at Diamond Vault and see if he’s interested in prohibition on “used” diamonds once they take putting it on consignment,” Martin said. this into account. I hadn’t considered this option. Brian Brewer Upon completing his appraisal, Martin at Diamond Vault had sold my ex-husband the explained the description he’d written about wedding bands that went on either side of my my 14-carat “white gold, three piece cathedral engagement ring. I’d taken the rings back there pattern diamond wedding set” with its “prinfor years for cleanings, told everyone who asked cess cut diamond center stone” and 12 “larger about them how much I loved the store. My round brilliant diamonds” plus 30 “smaller bands were purchased new, and I’d never realround cut brilliant diamonds,” for that aforeized the shop sold consigned jewelry, too. I told mentioned total of 43 stones weighing in at a Martin I’d give it a try. total of 1.5 carats in a ring weighing 7.7 grams. I was pleased when I arrived at Diamond The value he assigned to it was more than I Vault and found that Brewer still remembered expected: $4,400. me. He offered his condolences for the circum“You intend to sell it?” Martin asked. stances that brought me back in after so long “I do,” I said, again rushing to explain. “I but told me he was happy to take my wedding mean, I offered it to him. After all, he was the set on consignment. He’d send it off to have it one who sunk the money into it. But he said no. cleaned and the prongs repaired. If it sold, I’d And, yeah, I just kind of figured I’d pop it onto receive $1,700—a fair bit more than I’d hoped Facebook Marketplace for, like, a quarter of to make on it. your appraisal value.” “You can go ahead and list it on Martin gently advised me to consider Facebook Marketplace, too, if you want,” my options. Brewer explained. “If it sells there, just “Don’t give it away,” he said. come pick it up.” “I wouldn’t owe them anything?” I asked. “Really?” It was the first time since I’d begun considering the sale that I didn’t feel uneasy. I made the deal. People who sell their wedding sets after a As of press time, the wedding set has divorce will most often lose money on them— returned from repairs and is up for sale at but there are a still lot of options for sellers, and Diamond Vault. The prongs are newly tipped. they’re not all created equal. I told Martin about The three bands—which were soldered together discovering this myself when I’d flirted with the after my wedding—have been separated idea of selling the ring last year. again. Someone might want to purchase them I’d taken my rings first to a pawn shop individually, I suppose. And something about hoping to get an appraisal but was turned off their being apart has helped me to stop thinking when I realized the store offered two varieties: of them as mine. Brewer said there’s a good a free appraisal for people selling to the shop chance they won’t be mine for long. With and a paid appraisal for those wanting official Valentine’s Day around the corner, he thinks documents. I told myself I worried the appraisal the rings will sell quickly. I hope they do sell value might differ depending on which option I soon—and I hope they bring joy to whomever chose. Maybe I just wasn’t ready. buys them. Ω In the months that followed, I read up on online businesses that buy and sell old wedding
Playing with the bands
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