I’ve been hearing on the radio about this place that will buy gold jewelry, even broken jewelry such as earrings, for the gold content.   If someone had a 10k gold chain that they wore a lot or even just occasionally, they wouldn’t be interested in a place like this.  But for someone who had broken earrings or maybe lost one earring in a pair, they might want to make some extra money by selling jewelry they never wear anymore.  Plus, it would be a good way to clean out their jewelry box.