Feeling guilty for selling my mums bracelet

[Verbena193]

A few years ago my mum had a big sort out of all her stuff. She gave me some jewellery, including a chunky gold charm bracelet. It's very ugly but I remember playing with the charms as a child.

She never wore it. We both wear delicate silver jewellery. There were no instructions about any of the jewellery when she gave it to me, it was just 'here you go, I'm having a sort out'.

Anyway, I'd forgotten about this bracelet but found it again last week. Thought I'm never going to wear it so I had it valued and it was worth £600 (value of gold is high at the moment). I just thought, instead of it sitting in a draw I could get the money for it, which I've done. I've put it straight into DS savings account.

I'm now feeling really guilty! I haven't told my mum what I've done. I really don't think she'd be bothered but I just think it might look ungrateful of me. It held no sentimental value to her. I did keep one of the charms off it and I'm planning on putting that onto a fine bracelet or necklace one day.

Should I have kept it? (She's not dead by the way!)

I think this sounds fine. I probably wouldn’t blurt it out, just in case though.

If it’s not sentimental and you had forgotten about it then fine I think. Although I would probably put the money towards something special.

DSs saving account is for a house deposit (hopefully, one day!) I think that's pretty special and I'll turn the charm into something that I'll actually get some use of.

We sold some old gold stuff, as well as lots of other things. Things that weren’t worn or used and we needed the money.

I recently did the same, it has been in my cupboard for about 15 years and decided to cash it in. I felt guilty for about a week but now never think about it and spending the money on a holiday.
My mother is no longer with us and I won't tell my sisters but 1 sister has no daughters and the other one would have sold it years ago.

My sibling did this and unfortunately it really upset our parent because it had been a gift from our other parent and they thought they were being kind passing it on.

imho a gift should never come with restrictions. Once it belongs to another person it's theirs to do with as they see fit.

I don’t think you did anything wrong…but I also don’t think I’d mention it.

I have a similar dilemma but with my late mother's 21st birthday necklace. It's a beautiful, bejewelled crucifix but I am not religious and it's just not to my taste at all. I am totally hamstrung with what to do with it and it's been gathering dust for almost four and a half years now.

I'm wondering about taking it to a local jeweller and seeing if the stones can be repurposed into something I would wear but it just feels a bit... wrong. But the alternative is it sitting unworn for decades. It's really tough!

My mum and dad are divorced, mum gave me her wedding ring, I kept it a while but eventually sold it and used the money to go on a nice weekend with my dh, no guilt at all. I was never going to wear it or pass it on

Don't mention it, don't feel guilty.

My jewellery wearing has declined over the years. I have a few bits that I don't look at year after year and all of the 'emotion' has totally drained out of them.
Eg. my grans wedding ring, I think of her when I make cakes, the kids might recognise her from a photo.
I will probably bundle it up to be sold and recycled, so much better than sat neglected in a drawer.

Do you think you should give her some of the money ? Depends on how you think she might feel about it if she doesn't have much money herself .

That’s what I would do. It’s really hard when you get jewellery gifted to you that means nothing to you but was important to someone else.

A jeweller local to me is always posting pictures on Facebook of jewellery that’s been repurposed and made into something new and the pieces created are lovely. If you were able to do that then you’d still have something that was precious to your mum but also meaningful for you too.

My late MIL had the same sort of charm bracelet ... she did occasionally wear it, and to be honest I found the noise of it really off putting! She told me before she died that she was leaving me the engagement ring her boyfriend before FIL had given her. 6 months after she died my husband handed me an envelope saying that her other female relatives had sorted out the jewellery and basically I was getting 'what was left'...the ring she'd said she'd leave me and the bloody charm bracelet! Basically no one else had wanted it...

It stayed in a drawer for about a year and then I did exactly what you did, took it to a pawnbrokers and sold it for the gold price. I don't have children, so no one to leave it to and was never going to wear it myself. I wouldn't feel guilty, I'm sure she'd be happy the money is in savings for your son.