Amy Cantrell and her daughter, Hannah Kent, sort gold jewelry at a party.| Melissa Cason/FCT

RED BAY –With the way the economy has been lately, everyone is looking to make a little extra cash.
Finding a few extra dollars may be as easy as finding an old pair of unwanted earrings.
Amy Cantrell works at the Factory Connection in Red Bay, but she helps make ends meet by having people host gold parties.
“Last Christmas, I didn’t know how I was going to make it through,” Cantrell said.
“I was a single mom with two kids. Someone suggested I host a gold party so I did and made enough money to buy my kids’ Christmas.”
Cantrell then decided to start having the gold parties and selling the gold to the refiner.
“It’s just a way I can make a few dollars here and there to help pay the bills,” Cantrell said.
Gold is very valuable right now and a lot of people are having gold parties to make a little money for themselves and their friends.
“It’s just an easy way to turn old jewelry into cash,” Cantrell said.
Cantrell said the big money makers are the old gold necklaces that tend to kink all the time.
“The kinking is a sign that it’s real gold,” Cantrell said.
“Real gold kinks because it’s a soft metal.”
Cantrell said 14 karat brings in more than 10 karat and the more you bring in, the more money the seller makes.
“Something else that always brings in a lot is men’s class rings but I don’t like people to sell heirlooms like that.  Sometimes they do, though,” Cantrell said.
Cantrell said the customers always receive their money without delay.