Two's a Trend: High-End Jewelers Will Trade for Gold

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If you've been watching a lot of late-night TV and/or you saw the Superbowl, you're probably familiar with Cash4Gold, the online pawnshop that's capitalizing on the recession with ads in which MC Hammer and Ed McMahon urge you to give them your jewelry in return for a quick payout. Cash4Gold is, you will not be surprised to learn, a fairly sleazy institution, but the idea—taking a boom-time luxury and turning it into something that feels more recession-appropriate—makes a lot of sense, and we're beginning to suspect that it's becoming a trend in more fashionable circles.

Exhibit A: Soho jeweler Jill Platner's "Melt Your Gold" project. Bring her unwanted gold jewelry, and her experts will evaluate its worth and give you that much in store credit. Then she'll have the gold melted down in an eco-friendly refinery. Exhibit B: Boutique Olive & Bette's "Golden Girls" event, wherein a licensed gold buyer will examine your old or damaged pieces (up to 24k) and pay you in person. As it happens, the latter event takes place today, April 28th, from 2pm to 5pm, so if you happen to have the afternoon free and a jewelry box full of trinkets to clear out, you should schedule a trip to the store at 1070 Madison Avenue post-haste.
· 10 Confessions Of A Cash4Gold Employee [Consumerist]
· Jill Platner [Official Site]
· Olive & Bette's Golden Girl's Party...Bea Arthur, this one's for you [Little Red Book]