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Highlands Today

Phony jewelers

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Bill Ross

Published: July 10, 2009

The phony jewelers are here in force, offering you "top dollar" for your gold and valuables. Beware! I attended one of these "Hotel Heists." What I saw and experienced was unbelievable.

I felt so bad for these senior women sitting next to me. I wanted to get up and scream. I watched while this "buyer" offered them $8 for old silver dollars, knowing that even pawn shops were giving $13-$15 for them.

Then came my turn. I had a beautiful diamond-sapphire ring worth $12,000 wholesale and some scrap 14k gold. The guy tells me $50 for the ring! I just sat there. Then he tells me I should take the stones out of the ring and sell the gold to him for $20; huh? Then he tells me my scrap gold is worth $41.

By now I have had enough. I grab my jewelry, I get up and tell him he is out of his mind! Well, I took this jewelry to my jeweler. I told him about what had happened and asked him to tell me what the scrap gold was worth. He weighed it and told me $71! He also said that the silver dollars like the women had are going for $15-17. Also I wound up selling the ring for $700. All I have to say is beware of the phony jewelers!

Bill Ross
Sebring

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