FT: (free registration required) US pawnbrokers benefit from hard times

A sign of the times?

On Manhattan’s 47th Street, the New York block through which about 90 per cent of US diamonds are sourced, some merchants report a sharp uptick in the amount of jewellery being brought in for sale. 'Its real sad – they don’t want to sell,' said Ruben, a 52-year-old street hawker who buys jewellery from passers-by in the diamond district. They might have paid $150,000 for a necklace but they will get back $25,000 or $30,000 at most. But it’s either that or lose their house.

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