Couple offers residents cash for jewelry, gold, unwanted household items
PUBLISHED JULY 14, 2016
By LOIS KINDLE
LOIS KINDLE PHOTOS
Cecelia and Cono Liguori, of Precious Coins and Gold, offer free evaluations to South Shore residents wanting to sell unwanted jewelry, coins, gold, silver and household items every Friday and Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Sun City Center Area Chamber of Commerce.
Cecelia and Cono Liguori have set up shop every Friday and Saturday at the Sun City Center Area Chamber of Commerce since January 2013. The certified diamontologists meet with area residents at the chamber to evaluate and buy no-longer-wanted jewelry, coins and collectibles. They also help folks sell individual items or entire households when they’re needing to downsize, liquidate their assets or settle the affairs of a loved one who has died.
“It takes the stress and burden out of the disposition of meaningful mementos people have saved over the years,” Cecelia said. “We offer free, in-home consultations by appointment, and customers have the choice of keeping or selling all or part of their belongings on the spot. There’s no obligation.”
Their company, Precious Coins and Gold, was founded three years ago after the Apollo Beach residents retired to care for their young grandson on a full-time basis.
Cecelia had been in retail for decades with companies like Dillard’s and Coldwell Banker and owned two salons, one on Harbour Island, the other in Brandon. In 2001 she became a sales associate for Jared The Galleria of Jewelry where she learned “everything” about the jewelry business. Recruited away in 2003, she worked for Zales for the next 10 years.
Cecelia Liguori, of Precious Coins and Gold, right, chats with Kings Point resident Bonnie Goodale, while Cono Liguori, foreground evaluates several pieces of jewelry.
Cono, who is also a certified gemologist, retired from Jared’s in 2008 and was its general manager for six years. After he left the company, a friend who was a jewelry appraiser went into his own business and asked Cono to travel throughout Florida visiting Curves and Shapes locations to buy jewelry and collectible items from members. Two years later, when he needed to quit traveling for the sake of his grandson, Cono decided it was time to go out on his own.
“This is how I got the idea to start a business buying and selling fine jewelry, coins and gold,” he said. “At first we handled only jewelry and coins, but then people started asking us if we’d buy antiques and collectibles. Then they asked us about buying estates because they didn’t want to worry about having garage or estate sales, dealing with the aftermath of cleanup or paying commissions to those running the sales. We now buy anything we don’t have to feed.”
Cono Liguori checks out a piece of costume jewelry for Riverview resident Margaret DeLuca, a frequent customer.
“We offer people a way to divest themselves of items of value and receive cash to disburse in whatever way they want,” Cecelia added. “In doing that, we often give people peace of mind.”
Susan Bailey, of Ruskin, agrees.
“I toted the same boxes for eight years, moved six times and was tired of lugging them around,” she said,
