I took a couple of pieces of gold jewelry to two jewelry stores today. They included two of my dad's rings and a couple small pins belonging to my mom and great aunt. It was interesting to watch how they determined the gold content and weight. Although I was initially very hesitant to go, everyone at both stores was very nice. I'm going to have my mom's ring reset eventually, and the pleasant experience at one has made them the venue of choice for the restyling.

The bad news? The jewelry isn't worth much--One store offered me $147 and gave me the name of two nearby stores. The next store was worse at $120. We tried to go to a third place--one that the local paper's investigative team said was the highest payer, but they're closed on Saturdays.

Both my brother and I are doing our bits to get my mom's affairs in order. She left the house to us in a trust years ago, so there are few tax consequences there. I think the funeral home owes us a couple hundred dollars. The rest of the estate is mostly a few thousand dollars and personal property. I wouldn't look for a European cruise vacation in my future, but I'm glad her money outlasted her--and she had enough. Considering she came from a family with nothing, leaving a lovely home and two (sort of) well-adjusted children, she was magnificent. A life well lived.