Recently, I spoke with someone about her mother's buying and hoarding costume jewelry. She was concerned that she would not be able to get rid of almost new costume jewelry. As she discussed the issue, she became increasingly frustrated with the possibility that she would have to trash all those jewelry pieces. "What a waste of money!" She told me. So it got me thinking, where CAN you donate costume jewelry? I found lots of costume jewelry at consignment shops and flea markets where there was very little demand. So, I recommend donating the jewelry or making unique pieces with them.
Jump to:
Where to Send Old Jewelry?
Below are places to donate jewelry. I included the links below.
Goodwill or Other Charity Locations:
The first place I donate jewelry is to Goodwill or other charity locations. Over the many years, I organized and downsized clients and family members; Goodwill has been my "go-to" place to donate jewelry.
I Have Wings Breast Cancer Foundation:
I found a non-profit online that accepts costume jewelry called: I Have Wings Breast Cancer Foundation. You can mail the costume jewelry to them. Although I have never sent them anything, it sounds interesting. Contact them first before sending them to make sure they are still accepting them.
Dress for Success:
The third place I found was Dress for Success. You can donate jewelry as well as clothing for women. This is a great place to give because they help other women improve their lives. Again, be sure to contact them to make sure they are accepting jewelry.
Support Our Troops(R):
Support Our Troops® is now collecting jewelry items and is the fourth place to donate jewelry. They state that they will maximize the fine jewelry for the benefit of American troops and their families. And that your jewelry will be handled with respect and dignity. They stated it would go only where it is appreciated and valued. Visit their website for more details. Visit this link.
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Helping Hands of America:
Helping Hands of America also accepts jewelry. You can contact them for details on what they accept and their process. While I haven't used them before, they are a Better Business Bureau accredited business. Feel free to check them out for yourself.
Updated in 2022:
Where to Sell Old Fine Jewelry?
If the jewelry is gold or silver and may have real stones, you can try selling it to a friend, a local jewelry store, or a pawn shop.
People like to sell jewelry on eBay. They have a huge community there. This link shows you how to sell your jewelry on eBay.
Another option is selling them on your local Craigslist. But I don't recommend doing the meeting alone. And it should never be at your home.
Visit the American Gem Society to find Jewelers that may buy jewelry.
The RealReal Inc. is a place online to sell designer high-end jewelry, watches, clothing, bags, and much more. You can sell some pieces of jewelry on their website. They are located in the New York City area. I contacted them once, and they said you just need to connect with them online to view the item. If it is something they can sell, they will give you more information.
WP Diamonds is another place to sell high-end designer jewelry. If you feel you have a designer or high-end piece but don't know for sure, visit your local jeweler for them to assess the piece, usually at no cost. If you decide to get a written appraisal, you will have to pay a fee.
How to Reuse Old Jewelry?
Now that you found places to donate your jewelry, here are some additional tips on what to do with costume jewelry without getting rid of them.
If you have expensive jewelry pieces, before giving your jewelry, get them appraised for your IRS deduction.
It should be a specific appraisal per the IRS guidelines: "Jewelry and gems are of such a specialized nature that it is almost always necessary to get an appraisal by a specialized jewelry appraiser. The appraisal should describe, among other things, the style of the jewelry, the cut and setting of the gem, and whether it is now in fashion. If not in fashion, the possibility of having the property redesigned, re-cut, or reset should be reported in the appraisal. The stone's coloring, weight, cut, brilliance, and flaws should be reported and analyzed. The sentimental personal value does not affect Fair Market Value. But if a famous person owned the jewelry, its value might increase." Keep in mind there is a cost for getting jewelry appraised. I found this post that will give you more information. How Much Should a Jewelry Appraisal for Insurance Cost?
***2022 UPDATE***
If you are looking for a place to appraise your jewelry, visit The National Association for Jewelry Appraisers to find a person near you.
Want to sell jewelry? Visit our Items to Sell for Cash Today post!
Tips when donating, selling, or repurposing jewelry:
Know your jewelry!
If you don't recall where you got the piece, you may want to visit the local jewelry store to get more information. They can tell you the type of diamond, what type of gold it is, etc...
Visit places online like eBay to see if there is something similar to the piece you are selling to help determine the price range you can get for the item.
If you are sad to part with an item, keep a record of what you donated.
I like taking pictures of the pieces to remind me of what I gave. I had a client who made a scrapbook of all the items she donated from her mother.
Display the ones you love!
If you don't wear them any longer, buy a shadow box that hangs on the wall and frames the beautiful necklace pieces. I had this watch framed years ago.
You can easily make DIY jewelry picture frame holders, like the ones below for jewelry. It will offer two purposes, to display your best pieces of jewelry, and two, to keep you organized. Click the links below for how-to instructions.
SEE HOW TO MAKE A NECKLACE ORGANIZER PICTURE FRAME
LEARN HOW TO MAKE AN EASY DIY EARRING ORGANIZER PICTURE FRAME
When pieces look dated or broken, make them into something new.
If the gems are real, bring them to a jeweler and have them place the pieces into another setting or re-string the stones into another necklace or bracelet. I did this a few times with my mother's and grandmother's pieces, giving them new life. It's great to be able to wear something that belonged to your grandmother, so spend the time to update it!
I hope this post inspires you to donate some unwanted and unused jewelry in your home or your parent's home.
What do you have a lot of in your home? Are you a jewelry collector? What do you think of donating costume jewelry? Please comment below. I would love to hear from you.
Looking for ways to organize the jewelry you love? Check out this post for ideas: 6 AMAZING WAYS TO ORGANIZE YOUR JEWELRY
If you are looking for additional charities for other products you want to donate, please check out our charitable locations page.
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon, and at no additional cost, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
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Nancy
Collectibles With Causes accepts jewelry donations of all types. Most of us who have a large collection often find ourselves with missing pieces of a set, or busted chains. Luckily, they accept them! Pretty simple process too, they ask for info on it then they send you shipping instructions and you get a tax form in return to use as a deduction. https://www.collectibleswithcauses.org/donate-jewelry.html
Sabrina Quairoli
Thank you for sharing, Nancy.
Beverly harrell
Great ideas I have some good costume jewelry my daughter won't want I give to good will all the time and would love to give to dress for success thank you
Jennifer
Hi. Thank you so much for this site. I recently lost my mother and she has so much costume jewelry. I want it donated to someone who will want it and use it. I wish to honor her possessions. I will definitely look into your suggestions. At a time like this it is nice to find this kind of help.
Sincerely,
Jen
William Rusho
Don't wear jewelry myself so do not know what to say, except wonderful places you listed to donate it to. Thanks for sharing.
Janet Barclay
I love the idea of using old costume jewelry to make something else. Even those of us who aren't crafty probably know someone who is and would love to have it.
Rose M Griffith
Another good way to declutter, that's for sure.
I just went through my jewelry for a Dress for Success event and realized that over the years I've narrowed it down to the things I wear. That was a surprise!
Seana Turner
I've had luck with Dress for Success as well, and our local thrift shop. Good idea to make sure you get items appraised if they may have value!
Phoenicia
Costume jewellery quickly brings an outfit to life. I own enough but drawer fulls like some women!
I like your suggestions of displaying old jewellery and making mismatched jewellery into something new.
Erica
This is interesting timing. I found out last week that I'm getting my mother's as well as her mother's jewelry sent to me. It is kind of a weird situation because I'm probably not going to wear any of it. I'll probably just throw it in a safe deposit box, but I think my family would be horrified if I got rid of it. It is funny how we feel obligated to hold onto things for sentimental value. With costume jewelry, donation is a really good option. If it is taking up space, have someone else enjoy while potentially raising money for a good cause.
Sabrina
I had this happen to me too, Erica. My mom passed some years ago but, before she passed she said that I must keep all the jewelry. She would call it her investment. She loved buying gold. But, some of the gold pieces were missing their match so I decided to sell those pieces and turn my grandmother's single ear ring into a ring. It looks great and I wear it all the time.
Marquita Herald
What a wonderful idea! I've never worn much jewelry myself but I know a few ladies who literally have so much they probably don't even remember all of the pieces, so I will gladly share your article as a little hint to maybe do something meaningful with all that stuff that's just been gathering dust. Thanks for the inspiration!
Sabrina
Thanks Marquita!
Ken Dowell
I don't have any cosutme jewelry Sabrina but if I did these sound like pretty good suggestions as to where it can be donated.
Donna Janke
I don't wear a lot of jewelry and so don't have much of my own. But I like these ideas for dealing with old or unwanted jewelry. The shadow box idea particularly appeals to me for things you might like to look at but are unlikely to wear. Resetting stones into other pieces is also a good way to make use of broken jewelry or use stones from a piece whose setting is not quite your style.
Sabrina
Thanks for commenting, Donna.