Woman Thrifts Pendant for $1—Then Discovers Its Value
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A woman was shocked to discover the true value of a pendant she purchased from a California thrift store for $1.
Sarah Blackstone came across the piece "a few years ago" at Cedar Glen Thrift and Collectibles in Lake Arrowhead and it immediately caught her eye.
"I always treasure hunt through jewelry at thrift stores, just in case," Blackstone told Newsweek. "When I asked to see this piece from under the counter and I felt the weight of it immediately, that's what caught me."
Blackstone is one of the many millions searching for bargains among America's huge network of thrift stores. As of 2024, there were over 25,000 resale, consignment, and not-for-profit resale shops in the U.S., according to data compiled by CapitalOne Shopping.
Part of the appeal of thrifting is the opportunity it offers to unearth hidden gems. In the past, customers have uncovered everything from long-lost family heirlooms to vintage clothes with hidden secrets.
Blackstone's pendant was no different in that respect. However, it would be some time yet before its true value would be revealed.
In fact, for the longest time, she wasn't aware it held much value at all. "When I got home, I placed it on a fine silver chain, and wore it occasionally," Blackstone said. "I thought it was gold and treated it gently, but did not realize how much and how pure."
Sarah Blackstone found the pendant gathering dust at a California thrift store.
Sarah Blackstone found the pendant gathering dust at a California thrift store.
u/SSDDNoBounceNoPlay
It was only years later, while selling off other unwanted pieces of jewelry, that Blackstone discovered the piece's true worth.
"A melt shop I was selling broken jewelry to recently offered me money for it on the spot," Blackstone said. "I realized it was worth valuing properly."
The amount offered there, on the spot, caught her off-guard: $240.
"I was surprised to hear the number as high as $240 from low melt value," Blackstone said. "So I decided to post it, to see what the experts think. I was curious about the origin, and what it would retail for as well."
Blackstone posted a picture of the piece to Reddit under the handle u/SSDDNoBounceNoPlay in the hopes of finding out more.
"I wanted to share this in the Jewelry Identification Subreddit community, because there are so many willing experts there that come up with amazing answers to seemingly impossible questions," Blackstone said. "The power of collaboration is endless, and I don't know that many jewelry nerds."
The online experts did not disappoint. Within hours of posting the picture, they had deduced that the piece was made by an Alaskan native jeweler called Ralph Gorichanaz.
This renewed interest in the piece prompted Blackstone to go through with her plans to get it appraised. The results did not disappoint, with an expert determining the pendant was made of 6.3 grams of 14k gold.
Sarah Blackstone was shocked to discover how much the pendant could be worth.
Sarah Blackstone was shocked to discover how much the pendant could be worth.
u/SSDDNoBounceNoPlay
When Blackstone shared this news to her Reddit post, one fellow user was able to deduce that the piece had a worth of "approximately $371.71, based on a current market price of $58.99 per gram on a gold valuation site."
However, they noted that this calculation was based on the assumption that the gold was "being sold as scrap or for its melt value." The piece is likely to be worth considerably more. Quite how much, however, has yet to be determined. Blackstone has contacted Gorichanaz for more information. Regardless of the outcome, she's delighted to have made such an unexpected discovery after so long.
"This is definitely my best thrift find ever," Blackstone said. "I find a lot of good stuff, but this was entirely unexpected."
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