In these challenging economic times, I’ve noticed a profusion of ads professing to “turn your gold jewelry into cash.” How good an idea is this anyway? Well, when you sell gold jewelry for its scrap value, you will get quite a bit less than if you sell it as jewelry. When you think about it, your jewelry has aesthetic value far beyond the value of the gold it contains.

On the other hand, gold is continuing to go up in value, and I believe we will see some real surges upward in the months and years ahead. If you can, hold onto unwanted pieces of gold jewelry and wait for the moment when it may really be worth something.

I hate to see people forced into selling their heirloom pieces just to pay the bills. And when you think about it, that is a very short-term solution. Once all the jewelry is gone, then what? How much better to come up with a way to support your family and yourself without resorting to parting with beloved jewelry pieces.

It’s true, diamonds have been found in this country. Most people associate South Africa with diamond mining, but the gemstone also occurs in the Sierra Nevada area of California as well as the southeastern USA. Most of these diamonds have been discovered while searching for gold in California. What a bonus that would be!

The diamonds in the southeastern US are much older than those of the Kimberly mines. And the type of land where they were found is similar to the diamond fields of India and South America.

According to one source, it is unlikely that the USA will ever be a big producer of diamonds, but who knows! All sorts of wonders are still being discovered, and we may yet strike it rich in this country. Heavens knows we could use the wealth right now!