Buying and selling pre-owned jewelry is a lucrative business that could complement your contemporary sales—as long as you know what you’re doing When it comes to jewelry and watches, used doesn’t have the same pejorative connotation as it does with other categories of consumer goods like cars or clothing. The secondhand market can be creatively satisfying and financially lucrative for jewelers, but it does demand an investment in time, effort, and education. The Terminology: Words to Know For a neophyte, the terms used to describe this category can seem confusing. But not even the experts are consistent in how they use the terminology. The broad catchall term