After my divorce, I was left with almost nothing—a broken phone, two bags of old clothes, and my grandmother’s necklace. I had already been devastated by a miscarriage, and soon after, my husband left me for someone else. I worked extra shifts at a diner, barely making enough to survive.

One evening, I returned home to find an eviction notice on my apartment door. I knew I had run out of options. With a heavy heart, I took the antique necklace my grandmother Ellen had given me years before and decided to sell it.