A Gold Party

The other night I went to a gold party with my neighbour. Much to the others surprise, I had never heard of such a thing. Unlike other home parties that I have attended, this one did not try to sell you anything. In fact there was nothing for sale at all. Rather they just wanted to buy your gold. It was almost all Italian women, so it ended up being a bit of a cultural experience as well.

I just went for something to do, however the rest of the guests all had little bags or boxes of gold jewlery to sell. Some had old wedding rings from previous marriages, items from childhood, handed down pieces, etc.

We all visited and ate in the upstairs livingroom while people took turns going down stairs to meet with the women from the local jewery store. The women would appraise your piece and offer you a price. Cash was given out. Most women seemed to be getting several hundred dollars for their items. The gold is considered scrap and will all be melted down. This all seemed so strange to me. What a bizarre type of home party! Instead of leaving with items that you probably don't need, you leave with cash for items that you had no real use for anyways.