DEAR ABBY: You printed a letter from a man in Chicago who had broken his engagement. He asked how to dispose of the rings because it was "no longer possible to return them to the jeweler, and a pawnshop would never give (him) their full value." You advised him to get a written appraisal and donate the rings to charity.

I have been a jeweler for 20 years, and I disagree. If that young man needs the money instead of a tax write-off, there are jewelers who will take items on consignment.