Q I have some 14K chains and bracelets that I no longer want. With the escalating price of gold, these are probably worth some money. Where could I go to see what their value is?

A Normally, you would get it appraised. Jewelry stores and some antique stores often will do appraisals, but they may charge for the service. At gold buyers such as Twin Cities Gold and Silver Exchange in St. Louis Park, they will weigh your gold and buy it for scrap. Prices fluctuate, but they're currently paying $10 per penny weight for 10K gold (the higher the karat, the higher the price), said Chuck Lewensten with Twin Cities Gold and Silver Exchange. Necklaces can be heavy, 10 or 20 pennyweight or as little as 2 or 3 pennyweight, he said. Call the exchange for more information, 952-926-5175.

You might also try selling it to a jewelry buyer for resale (look in yellow-page directories under "Jewelry Buyers") or take it to a consignment store. You can try selling it yourself through an online auction site such as eBay or Craig's List.

Water softener grit? Q I wonder if my water softener is operating properly. I notice that there is gritty sediment in the bottom of my pets' metal water bowls after the water sits a while. In addition, there are white marks on the metal bowls that are difficult (if not impossible) to remove. Yet, I'm satisfied with the amount of lather that I get when I use shampoo, soap and such.

A The sediment you are getting could be from any number of sources. Generally, a water softener does not remove sediment. You may be getting sediment from your water supply and a small amount is passing through the softener.

Water softeners do not remove minerals, but instead replace the hard minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, with a soft mineral (sodium). Generally, if the deposits were from the softener, they would easily wipe off. The deposits you describe sound like hard water deposits. (A hard water deposit is very difficult to remove. You might try vinegar.)

Even though you are getting a good deal of lather from your soaps, you could have a small amount of hard mineral still in the water. As the water evaporates it is leaving a scale deposit behind.

Have your water tested for softness. A list of firms that do that for free is at www.mwqa.com.

From Minnesota Water Quality Association

Send your questions to Fixit in care of the Star Tribune, 425 Portland Av. S., Minneapolis, MN 55488, or call 612-673-9033, or e-mail fixit@startribune.com. Past columns are available at www.startribune.com/fixit. Sorry, Fixit cannot supply individual replies.