OMGGGG LOOK WHAT I FOUND!

[missmarie253]

I haven''t been here in a while, but am so excited about my find that I want to share it.

Taaadahhh!!!

ca. 1860s-70s confirmed 22k gold Etruscan revival bracelet w/coin-cut coral.

I went to a local auction and this little beauty was in a lot of miscellaneous jewelry I paid a total of $15 for.

So, what do you think? Ya think I got a good deal lol? Also, if I decide to sell (GOD I want to keep this lol), what do you think would be a fair price?

 

[ArtistJess]

OMG.. that is such a good find. Coral jewelry is so expensive nowadays. I can''t believe you paid $15 bucks for it. Congrats!

 

[dragonfly411]

That is an amazing find especially at that price!!!! Enjoy it!

 

[missmarie253]

I''ve found some amazing things at thrifts and auctions over the past few years, but this is one of my favorite. Of course the coral was getting dried out from sitting for a long time, so I swabbed each stone with mineral oil and now they all look pretty pink.

I''m afraid to wear it though from fear that one of the coral might fall out.

 

[ArtistJess]

I wish we had more thrifts and auctions where I live! We are seriously lacking here.

 

[missmarie253]

It''s not easy to find, but if you''re consistent it''s definitely there. Ironically, I found this little beauty for $4.99 at a Goodwill about a week prior to finding the bracelet. I took it to my jeweler and she confirmed it as angel skin, and a fine quality at that! You would be so surprised by how much sterling dinnerware, and other valuable items I found at thrifts and auctions. Once you find your first goodie you can''t stop and it becomes like an addiction lol.

 

[cushioncutnut]

What an incredible find! I find some incredible deals on Ebay, but not that incredible! I say wear it and enjoy it for awhile............then if you get bored with it, you may consider selling it.

 

[yssie]

Unbelievable find!! That's a gorgeous bracelet - I say wear it and enjoy it, too

ITA re. thriftstores - we'll be getting a set of sterling flatware for our wedding that's missing a couple of pieces, and the local Goodwill is the first place I'm going to hunt for replacements!

 

[Callisto]

Date: 6/19/2010 2:06:24 PM
Author: cushioncutnut
What an incredible find! I find some incredible deals on Ebay, but not that incredible! I say wear it and enjoy it for awhile............then if you get bored with it, you may consider selling it.

Ditto! It''s already an antique, it''s not like any extra wear will depreciate it significantly. Keep it and see how much wear it gets and revisit the issue in a few months or a year. Congrats on the great find!

 

[Gayletmom]

MissMarie, that is so gorgeous! What a beautiful and unusual piece! And what a bargain!

Do you mind giving us some hints about how you find these goodies? I don''t have any idea what to look for but I sure would like to learn. Here are my "qualifications": I love jewelry, especially older stuff, and get a thrill out of finding a treasure. I don''t know what to look for but I have some discretionary $ and would be buying things for my own use so it won''t be a biggie if I make a mistake.

If you wouldn''t be giving away any secrets, I''d love to learn.

 

[missmarie253]

Oh, I would love to share some secrets with you. As soon as the kiddo goes down for the night, I will jump on here and give you some tips.

 

[Gayletmom]

No hurry, I just got my little guys in bed and not much happens b/f then!

 

[missmarie253]

I'm so sorry I didn't get back sooner. Well, the most important thing I do is that I'm consistent. I visit auctions, thrift stores, and estate sales frequently. Next, I NEVER EVER go to where I found my treasure and brag to the staff b/c that's almost like biting the hand that feeds you since they will be more careful about what they let onto the jewelry counter the next time around.

One important thing to learn is being able to distinguish the differences between genuine gold and fake. One thing to look for is if it's uniform in color. Often small scratches or plate wear visible under a jeweler's loupe will reveal what is underneath the plating. Buying a 30x jeweler's loupe is one of the best investment's I've ever made and I take it everywhere with me.

Also, take a tiny magnet with you for stuff that is marked. Real gold will not stick to a magnet. Although it could also be gp over copper or brass, so you still need to be careful. I learned early on about how beneficial it is to use aqua regia/nitric acid and test stones to guarantee the gold's authenticity. Although, once you get used to what to look for you can eventually tell by weight, sight, and craftsmanship if the item is real. One thing ppl think they can rely on is a hallmark. Not true! Often times items are faked w/a cheap 14k stamp on them. However, hallmarks wear off so there are a lot of items out there without marks. Jewelry hallmarking was not required until about the 1890s, so if you spot a relatively old looking piece that's not marked, that's perfectly normal.

As most of you know, genuine stones are gold to the touch. Don't discount older gold filled items from having genuine diamonds in them. Although, the diamonds are too small to be worth much, they come in handy if you have a diamond escape from one of you fine jewelry items. I carry a gem tester with me everywhere. Although, they are not perfectly reliable from distinguishing genuine diamonds from moissanite, enhanced, or lab created. Again, this is where the loupe comes in. Once you learn the natural characteristics of genuine diamonds (carbon spots ect) you will be able to spot one much easier.

I know this is a fine jewelry board, but if you are looking to make some $$$ off what you find, don't discount the discovery of sterling items as well. The other day I found a BRAND NEW Judith Ripka sterling turquoise necklace at a thrift for only a dollar-a HUGE savings!! There is also a huge market for Native American sterling items, or designer signed. Costume jewelry, like Haskell, Hobe' and EIsenberg is also highly highly sought after, so keep your eyes open. Heck, if you don't want it for your collection, sell it and add it to your savings for the ring you REALLY want!

Most of the greatest stuff I find is often passed over. It's surprising how many people pass over valuables at thrifts. Funny, most people have to TOLD something is of value in order to be interested in it. Which brings me to my next point. Don't forget to look in junk boxes, under priced items in lots, or items carelessly strewed on store shelves. I often find sterling cookware items b/c older pieces have pictorial marks and the thrift store managers don't know what to look for.

I hope this information helps.

Oh, also. . . don't discount pawn shops. Although some are extremely overpriced lol, others are not allowed to charge for colored gems b/c they do not know how to operate nor do they own a refractometer to identify them. Because of this, they often only charge for jewelry items by the weight and you can get some GREAT colored stones for an amazing value. NEVER pay the listed store price either, they are always willing to budge on price-especially in this economy.

Feel free to ask any additional questions and have fun!!!

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Wow, lucky you! What a beautiful find!

 

[yssie]

missmarie,


I'm on a huge coral kick right now and I just have to say that strand is GORGEOUS. I want. I WANT.
Wanna share?


I'm going to check out the goodwill tomorrow afternoon.. wish me luck!

 

[missmarie253]

Thank you! Keep at it. If you don't find the good stuff the first time, don't be surprised. The Goodwill has an auction site now where the sell most of the goodies and shill bid to drive the prices up, but sometimes great stuff slips through. I love to go to Value Village, because they do not sell on Ebay like the other thrifts do. I'm pretty stoked! I bought a brand new Judith Ripka necklace AND Mikimoto cufflinks there for only $1 each! The best part about it, is that a lot of times VV does mark up the prices, but no one ever buys the stuff so a few weeks later they put it out for their $1 sale. Best thing to do if you want the really goods stuff is to get there right when they open.

Good luck!

 

[yssie]

Thanks for the tips!

 

[Gayletmom]

Thanks so much, Miss Marie. I love hearing about how you find your goodies! I'm going to have to get a loupe and browse around a little to try to educate myself. Maybe a magnet, too.

Can you tell me a little more about a nitric acid test?

I'm already excited about checking out our local Goodwill!

 

[LGK]

WOW. Good find! In this case the intrinsic value (i.e., the gold itself) is worth figuring out. It will definitely affect the value. Etruscan Revival Victorian pieces are indeed popular, and coral also, regardless of the gold value. But since it looks like there is a *lot* of very high karat gold in this bracelet, there's no way to know the value w/o knowing the weight of the gold itself, basically.

The thing about people needing to be *told* the value of something before finding it interesting? *So* totally true! I work at an antique mall, and you always see the most educated shoppers finding the screaming deals. Everyone else walks by the mismarked piece and doesn't think twice about it, but if you know your stuff you can almost always find really good deals, even in an antique mall rather than a thrift store.

I have found a ton of stuff over the years- in the last year in fact, I got two half carat OECs, pretty well matched in color and cut, for $200 each because the dealer that had them thought the settings ('60s chunky gold ones) were ugly and thus she didn't like them and priced them cheap- I found them about a month apart actually. Now I just need to accept the fact that setting them as bezeled earrings is gonna cost more than the stones did, lol!

One of teh best examples I've seen: one woman who is a real expert on Southwest region turquoise Native American jewelry found this crazy good deal a few years ago- this ring looked totally boring, a plain 14K yellow gold band. But, if you picked it up and looked carefully, there was a row of semiprecious gemstones inside the band- turquoise, carnelian, etc. And a makers mark. The dealer had it priced at the gold weight price, $200 or something. Turned out it was by Charles Loloma, who very rarely worked in 14K, all his rings like that one were almost all sterling, and the 14K ring was incredibly rare. The woman who found it and recognized the maker sold it for quite a few thousand- I am pretty sure it was right around $10K.

 

[sphenequeen]

I'm drooling.....

 

[kelpie]

For only $15 you will get far more enjoyment out of it if you keep it. What a find!!!!