Archive for September, 2009
Gold Heart Charms Overload
This is my gold heart bracelet. Some are lockets, some puffy hearts, some have stones, some ARE stones, some are enamel, and all are made of 10K, 14K, or 18K gold, even if it’s just the bail. I never wear it because it’s too noisy.
Vintage Nuvo British Charms
Nuvo was a British jewelry company that produced some of the most beautifully detailed and well crafted charms during the 1950′s through the late 1970′s. Their specialty was sterling silver three dimensional and moving charms, although they did make some 9K gold charms. Occasionally one can find vintage Nuvo charms containing colored crystals, like the frog charm in my photo.
Fake Enamel Charms – A Disgraceful Practice
I’m a big advocate of full disclosure when selling vintage jewelry on the internet. I think it’s contemptible to lie about the condition, origin, or age of jewelry to make a buck. It happens a lot so it’s very important to learn as much as possible as a buyer.
Vintage Jewelry – Is It Real Gold Or Silver?
When buying vintage jewelry, the best and most surefire way to ensure the piece is truly the metal quality you are expecting, is of course to view a hallmark of the metal purity, such as 14K or Sterling Silver somewhere on the item. For those of us who buy collectible fine vintage jewelry that’s not intended to be heirloom or investment quality, there are other methods that are often used to establish the value of an item.
News About My Vintage Jewelry Business
My new website “The Charm Cellar” should be ready soon. I am eagerly looking forward to testing my skills at selling vintage charms on my very own independent site. Also I bought a new program called Phpbay that allows me to showcase my favorite ebay categories and searches on my blog pages.
Jewelry Term Definitions – Alphabetical F’s
Faceted – Flat polished surfaces cut on a gemstone or occurring naturally on a crystal. Faux – French word used to describe something made to resemble something else. The original French word means false, fake, imitation or artificial. Fetish – An amulet, pendant or charm often representing an animal or person. Figural – Three dimensional [...]
Sapphire Birthstones and September Birthdays
A deep blue sapphire is the traditional and modern birthstone for those born in September. Read more to find out about this lovey stone and the September born….
Vintage Trifari Summer White Jewelry In Excess
I believe I’ve OD’d on vintage Trifari White Jewelry. Some of it is made from thermoset, a plastic similar to bakelite; some is milk glass, or poured glass, and some is Lucite. The pieces belong to several different Trifari named collections and they are all circa 1940s through 1960s. I have several duplicates and some [...]
Gemstone Hardness and The Moh’s Scale
Gemstones are rated by levels of hardness using the Mohs’ scale. This method was developed in 1812 by the German mineralogist Friedrich Mohs. He used ten commonly available minerals and classified them according to their hardness, and their ability to scratch and be scratched by other minerals. Diamond, which is the hardest naturally occurring substance, [...]
Jewelry Quote of the Month – September 2009
“Let us not be too particular. It is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all”. – Mark Twain
