Please share your story of an unbelievable, amazing, second hand jewelry find!!!

[lookingforsparkle]

When I come across finds like this, I usually think it's just fake. I know how to tell the difference between metal types, but stones are a mystery. How do I know a fake blue sapphire from a real one? Or whether pearls are real or fake? How do I become educated enough to know? Are there tools that can be used?

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Well my story isn't as cool but...
All of my buys are 'bargain' buys out of necessity- but I mostly have a small collection of loose spinels.
My blue spinel was a real steal, and came with a full GIA report. I bought around ten yrs ago. It is a little over 5 carats and .60pts g/h VS diamonds(fireballs!). I can't remember the gold weight, but good weight- really pretty shade of 18k pink gold. I haven't been able to find the report for a good eight years or so(it's somewhere) I bought it for a song back before spinels were really 'in vogue'.
Still debating a recut. I'm going to have a new setting made with the gold/diamonds and update the style a little bit for wearability/comfort and to let some light into the stone at some point. She's really heavy/high on the hand as she is and barely secured by the tabs so I don't wear it very often.

 

[lookingforsparkle]

My gram would hide jewelry and money in pockets of old coats, shoes, jars, etc- I think there must have been a lot of people who thought it was best to "hide" things in "safe" places! We were very careful when we went through her things after she passed.

My parents have done this for years and now my mother has forgotten where things are hidden. After my dad died, she hid all of his rings and now she can't find any of them. She once hid some jewelry under the Kleenex in a Kleenex box on the night table. You guessed it! She forgot that it was there and threw away the box in a spurt of cleaning.

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

When I come across finds like this, I usually think it's just fake. I know how to tell the difference between metal types, but stones are a mystery. How do I know a fake blue sapphire from a real one? Or whether pearls are real or fake? How do I become educated enough to know? Are there tools that can be used?

I think it is always best to get metal and diamonds tested. My jeweler does it for free. Colored stones are harder to determine and unless you have a lab report or receipt from the original seller it is very easy to be fooled. It is not hard to determine if pearls are real or fake if you have handled enough of them. You hear about the tooth test and all that which is useful, but real pearls also have tell tale luster, inclusions, shapes and weight.

If you are just starting out on buying pre-loved items you can always run the item you are interested in by the forum members. They will tell you their opinions on the authenticity of the item. To be safe make sure the seller has a return policy and have the item checked out by a reputable jeweler and/or sent to a reputable lab.

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

I wonder if that was a thing, hiding jewelry in odd places so it wouldnt get stolen?? My mom found my great-grandmothers wedding band in the drawer of her sewing machine when they were cleaning out her apt. after she passed. There were other oddly placed valuables too.

I think it’s definitely a common thing, to hide stuff and then forget about it (and forget to tell someone where you’ve kept it as well). When my grandmother passed away we kept finding her stuff in odd places for a while afterwards. I actually found her wedding outfit several years after she passed away packed away in the loft amongst some old crockery.

 

[FL_runner]

My parents have done this for years and now my mother has forgotten where things are hidden. After my dad died, she hid all of his rings and now she can't find any of them. She once hid some jewelry under the Kleenex in a Kleenex box on the night table. You guessed it! She forgot that it was there and threw away the box in a spurt of cleaning.

Oh goodness I remember going through all the kleenex boxes my poor gram developed a slow onset demementia and unfortunately after she forgot where she hid things she eventually forgot that she had hidden them at all and thought people were stealing from her. It wasn't her fault at all but it caused stress to her and some hurt feelings (nothing was stolen).

 

[Lisa Loves Shiny]

My MIL used to put her jewelry in the pockets of her coats when she lived in assisted living. She loved bling so much and I would lend her pieces and hope they did not get lost. lol. I would have loved her to live with us but she wanted to live in assisted living. Soon after she found a boyfriend there I finally understood why.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I wonder if that was a thing, hiding jewelry in odd places so it wouldnt get stolen?? My mom found my great-grandmothers wedding band in the drawer of her sewing machine when they were cleaning out her apt. after she passed. There were other oddly placed valuables too.

My mum lost her marbles to demetia
after she went into the secure facility my sister would have gone through her place with a fine tooth comb
mum had money in all sorts of places
i admit to having a good look including the freezer but alas i came up empty handed

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Oh goodness I remember going through all the kleenex boxes my poor gram developed a slow onset demementia and unfortunately after she forgot where she hid things she eventually forgot that she had hidden them at all and thought people were stealing from her. It wasn't her fault at all but it caused stress to her and some hurt feelings (nothing was stolen).

That's so sad
demetia is so cruel
my sister in law was always very good to her mother in law
MIL got demetia
was convinced Janet was stealing her kickers
Now no disrespect to anyone but Jannet's bum would not have fitted mum's knickers
But the old girl was fixated and wouldn't let it go - of course that's just the cruelness of the disease
It really hurt Jannet's feelings

 

[Kasey Bug]

Years ago my grandfather became severely ill and was admitted to the hospital. While visiting he called my mother close to him and he told her to make sure she looked on top of the kitchen cabinets. She said she had no idea what he was talking about but when he passed a few days later, but she had my cousin check the top of the cabinets. His cabinets were dropped from the ceiling so you could decorate the top. Anyway, my cousin found over 20 rolls of money with rubber bands around them. It seems that whenever he did side jobs and was paid in cash, he would roll it up, secure with a rubber band and and toss it up on the top of the kitchen cabinets which I actually think was a great idea unless a catastrophe happens. Anyway after counting the money, there was almost $40,000 in rolled up bills.

 

[m51galaxy]

While at a pawn shop I spotted a ring that was marked 18k gold. When I looped it I saw that it was actually marked 10% Iridium Platinum. So I bought it.

 

[Bridget Davis-Tobias]

Hello, not sure if there is a thread for this already, but I love stories about the amazing deals us jewelry lovers come across. Think Antiques Roadshow, but with only jewelry. I want stories about purchases, inherited pieces, found pieces, etc. Also, pictures if you have them!

Thanks!!

 

[HopefulT]

Here is a ring I found about 20 years ago, it tests in the diamond range on a diamond tester it also has a slight green glow under UV light or it glows red if I get close with the light. Even though it tests diamond on the tester it’s to big for people to believe it’s real. Any feed back would be appreciated

 

[RosieR]

Here is a ring I found about 20 years ago, it tests in the diamond range on a diamond tester it also has a slight green glow under UV light or it glows red if I get close with the light. Even though it tests diamond on the tester it’s to big for people to believe it’s real. Any feed back would be appreciated

Maybe post this on the coloured stone form, or if it is possible for you, make an appointment with an appraiser.

 

[Bron357]

Here is a ring I found about 20 years ago, it tests in the diamond range on a diamond tester it also has a slight green glow under UV light or it glows red if I get close with the light. Even though it tests diamond on the tester it’s to big for people to believe it’s real. Any feed back would be appreciated

Unless it’s a Presidum tester, thermal testers aren’t reliable.
I suspect it’s synthetic spinel or corundum.
these synthetic gemstones tend to glow red under UV light.
Under UV if a diamond reacts, it’s most often blue colour fluorescence. I have a treated yellow diamond that fluorescence neon green. None of my gems change fluoresce colour if I move the UV light source closer or further away. Make sure it’s a darkened room In case other light sources are interfering,
best to take it into an appraiser or send into a gem lab if you want confirmation as to the type of gemstone it is.

 

[Kasey Bug]

Here is a ring I found about 20 years ago, it tests in the diamond range on a diamond tester it also has a slight green glow under UV light or it glows red if I get close with the light. Even though it tests diamond on the tester it’s to big for people to believe it’s real. Any feed back would be appreciated

You can send it to GIA for stone identification. GIA is so advanced and has all the newest equipment to do so, I sent a ring in for stone id and for the service and shipping both ways it was like $130.

 

[Tarquin]

Two years ago I was prowling on ebay looking to buy myself a little birthday present. I found a very new seller that was listing two separate pearl bracelets. They were listed as "pearl and diamond" but no carat listed or hallmark shown. I thought the style seemed very like Trianon, so for $100 each I was willing to take a chance.

They arrived, and having studied Trianon bracelets on 1st Dibs in the meantime I was able to locate the hidden hallmarks easily.

The two bracelets can be attached together to make a necklace.

Ebay price $200 plus shipping. 1stDibs price would have been $10,000

 

[GoldenTouch]

Two years ago I was prowling on ebay looking to buy myself a little birthday present. I found a very new seller that was listing two separate pearl bracelets. They were listed as "pearl and diamond" but no carat listed or hallmark shown. I thought the style seemed very like Trianon, so for $100 each I was willing to take a chance.

They arrived, and having studied Trianon bracelets on 1st Dibs in the meantime I was able to locate the hidden hallmarks easily.

The two bracelets can be attached together to make a necklace.

Ebay price $200 plus shipping. 1stDibs price would have been $10,000

Beautiful! What a lovely find!!

 

[meesmom]

Two years ago I was prowling on ebay looking to buy myself a little birthday present. I found a very new seller that was listing two separate pearl bracelets. They were listed as "pearl and diamond" but no carat listed or hallmark shown. I thought the style seemed very like Trianon, so for $100 each I was willing to take a chance.

They arrived, and having studied Trianon bracelets on 1st Dibs in the meantime I was able to locate the hidden hallmarks easily.

The two bracelets can be attached together to make a necklace.

Ebay price $200 plus shipping. 1stDibs price would have been $10,000

O.....M......G!!!
Amazing!! And they are simply gorgeous to boot!

 

[Millennialjewel]

Great stories. I’ll share a quickie though it wasn’t actually purchased. .
On our way home from a fall day drive we stopped at an outlet shopping center. We park far far away because hubby is very particular about his cars (his hobby). Anyway on the ground he finds a necklace (he always finds jewelry). I take it and drop it in my purse to be forgotten about for a week.
When I take it out to look at it, I see it’s marked 18kt and realize it’s not cz and sterling but is a diamond cluster snowflake/flower 18k WG pendant and necklace. Loupe it, and sure enough, they’re real! Take it to local jeweler to take a look and yep, it’s real and about $1k new. I love that piece now!

ETA I wore that necklace for weeks and then notice a stone has fallen out somewhere along the way. Sadly tell hubby, who runs upstairs and comes back with the stone! He saw a sparkly on the floor (of course, he left it there ? ) and realized it was the diamond. like I said, he always finds these things!

I wanna be apart of your family