Everybody knows estate and vintage jewelry is all the rage, and if you’ve browsed enough of it, you’ve seen enough pins and brooches to know that they were hot commodities back in the day. Check out old pictures of your Grandma; there’s probably a brooch pinned to her upper breast. That stodgy style may be…
Jewelry is expensive, among the most expensive discretionary purchases we make. But when you shop for jewelry at a pawn shop, you can save about half of what retail jewelers are charging; doesn’t that make it worth investigating? Consider that if there weren’t great pieces on offer at considerable savings, if there weren’t jewelry lovers…
When you take an item to a pawn shop in Loudoun, VA to sell or serve as collateral, the pawnbroker has to determine a cash value for your trade, starting with assessing the condition of your offering. If it’s jewelry, are there broken parts; is it tarnished; is it collectible? Are electronics in working order;…
If your only impression of pawn shops is what you see on television and at the movies, you may be doing yourself a great disservice—particularly if you’re someone who likes a bargain. Pawn shops are in the business of making loans but, because people sometimes default on those loans, they become retailers by default—retailers who…
Because platinum is popular, customers often want that look, but not that price. That leads to questions about white gold. What is white gold? Pawn shops in Northern Virginia can show you several examples, but here’s a brief and simple explanation. Twenty-four karat pure gold is always yellow, never white. But jewelry isn’t generally made…
Gone are the days when a simple gold cross for communion was as nice as religious jewelry ever got. These days, you can find every religious symbols—cross, chai, hamsa, stars of David, Islamic star/moon and more—made from all manners of precious metals and adorned with diamonds and assorted precious gems. It’s interesting to note that…
Of course diamonds will never go out of style, but if the recent trend toward colored stones in engagement rings tells us anything, it’s that they no longer have a lock on any jewelry purchase. That’s good news for colored stone lovers, who know that, while rainbow jewelry is a timeless look that has been…
Could be. Which is probably a better answer than you expected, given that that costume generally is taken to mean “fake” which often equates to worthless. Take the time to go through Grandma’s jewelry and you might find some surprising treasures. While some costume jewelry isn’t worth much, other stuff—especially that kind made by actual…
If you’ve never stepped foot in a pawn shop, you’re likely forming your opinions about them from their depictions in movies and on television. Unfortunately, the most regular customers at pawn shops—shoppers looking for value or people needing fast loans—aren’t as dramatic as thieves and addicts looking to score money for a fix. Here’s a…
When you need cash quick, raiding your jewelry box for items you don’t seem to be wearing anymore might be an easy way to get it. But keep in mind that jewelry sells at incredible markup, so you’re not going to get the appraised value—which is retail replacement cost—so you should only sell jewelry you’re…