How do I learn more about Jewelry?

[Mkelly315]

Hi

I'm looking to learn more about what kind of jewelry to look out for. I see so much of it during my garage sale adventures but look at it like "what's happening!!" Any tips? What do I look for? Any good books to study? Thanks!

 

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[bigcaddy64]

Its a pretty broad field to start it so you might need to narrow your focus. I don't buy too much for the same reason you stated but feel comfortable buying some items. Read up over at 925-1000.com to get familiar with sterling hallmarks. Know what gold hallmarks look like and what fakes are commonly used. buy a good 16x loupe to use. I have great vision and can read hallmarks but sometimes makers marks are stylized and a loop will help with exact identification. More the once ive searched for a name that was incorrect due to a hard to read hallmark.

Maybe dig through mom or grandmas jewelry box, if they are still around, and see what marks you can find. Try to ID a few online. Everything the members do on here could be considered an education. You get out what you put in and you will definitely pay for it! I would say most members on here that focus on jewelry have been doing it for a long time and have gained experience through time/effort. GOOD LUCK

 

[billjustbill]

Hi

I'm looking to learn more about what kind of jewelry to look out for. I see so much of it during my garage sale adventures but look at it like "what's happening!!" Any tips? What do I look for? Any good books to study? Thanks!

When I realized I couldn't get my solar panel funding to raise enough money fast enough, by just doing our own garage sales or setting up twice at a flea market, I turned to looking for gold and silver, and copper & brass at garage sales. It's a learning curve, but the crew you'll meet on this forum post many unique ways they've found gold and silver.

Go back through the archives on this site. It is wonderful as are the people!! When I started learning about jewelry, I read about 2 hours every night to learn what to look for and what to stay away from.

Get a good "super magnet" and a lighted small magnifying glass. IF you can, attach/super glue/Duct Tape it to your lighted magnifying glass handle or at the bottom of its battery case. The magnet just lets you get through a lot the junk much quicker while your competition is still trying to see any PM markings. The lighted magnifying glass has let me find gold when the same competition got it first, but then laid it back down... Some use a loop, but the focal point is so close and time consuming; it also makes the seller a bit worried they are being taken by a "professional"..... I use a 7X mag/lite that about 1-1/2 by 4" and runs a year on 3 AAA batteries. Plus, the built in L.E.D light will give you an edge as you look throughout estate sale homes, dimly lit garages, and unlit outbuildings. That little bit of light will let you see what others didn't.

You'll learn that even though the magnet won't attract the jewelry piece, it may be because the base metal is copper or brass (or platinum....) So, the old saying: "All that glitters is not gold" will come home to you during all your days of PM hunting. What will spin your brain is when you see it stamped 14kt or SS or 925 and a magnet clicks on to it like a bag of steel washers. Just because it's marked doesn't mean it's truthful....even when stamped "Tiffany's"... Then, there are some Vintage rhinestone pieces that are well worth $60-$80+ for a broach or necklace, but it takes a good eye to see that all the colored stones are there, whether some clear ones have turned dark, and if there is a maker's mark like Eisenburg, Weiss, Bogoff, Coro, etc.....

To offset my silver buys, I also look for brass and copper bargains since I'm already there. You'll have to get a can of soup or bag of sugar to "train" you hand and arm's senses as to weight, but you'll soon know if the piece is or coil is a bargain. I take the brass and stripped copper to a scrap yard. I routinely double my money, and there have been times with large tall brass castings from India that are worth triple or more what I paid for them. IF I take all the money and buy my bullion silver; it makes my "budget money" go twice as far and the actual cost of the rounds at 50% of current spot market value. Or, I keep out my original investment for more garage sale PM/brass/copper finds, and use the all profit to buy silver rounds. Courtesy of the garage seller and the scrap yard, that makes the silver "FREE".....

So, 6 rules for finding PM or collectible jewelry are:
Make time to Read, Read, Read.
early to all types of Sales, Sales, Sales...

Bill

 

[Beachkid23]

Start at the top of the Yard Sale page and scroll down for as long as you can go. Read all those threads... you will learn everything you need to know.

And even though I'm kind of joking, there is a lot of good information on this site!!

 

[HobbyHuntress]

Look for marks that say 10K, 14K, 18K - the heavier the better. Not sure if anyone really sells 18K in a garage sale...personally I wouldn't, but I don't sell my personal jewelry - I collect it .

As mentioned above, you'll want a magnet to test for junk worthy of a vending machine. For things that may say "China" inside (not sure if .925 is inside as well) - don't toss aside immediately. There could be something decent there, it could be silver. You can watch Jewelry Television (JTV) and Gem Shopping Network.

JTV is educational in a way. They have to talk all about jewelry all day long, so you are bound to learn something. It's commercial free and mind numbing when you just need a moment. I used to sell mid and high end jewelry and I gotta give it to them, they do their job at informing the consumer. I'm sure some people have come across some of their items in yard sales and while metal detecting. Most pieces are silver covered in rhodium or gold.

Gem Shopping Network is higher end stuff - like stuff that makes me faint! Oh the pink diamonds... sorry, got off track lol

When politics is driving you mad, the news is crap, and commercials are never ending, turn on Jewelry Television and maybe you can learn a little bit about semi precision stones.

 

[captain flintlock]

Perfect advice from everyone so far, so I'll add just one thing. Buy yourself a small jewelry scale that weighs on troy ounces (ozt.), grams (g.), and penny weight ( dwt.). And also an acid test kit. Learn the various weights and conversions and how to verify you finds with the acid test kits. You can usually find all of them online from Amazon and other sites and are not expensive. Good luck to you on your quest. Unless you're in my neck of the woods. Then I hope you find nothing, get bored with all the driving, and resort to another hobby such as model building! [emoji12] I'm only kidding. It's a great way to make some extra $, learn some new skills and maybe a bit of history and meet some great people such as fellow local hunters and all the great people on this forum.

 

[buzzhead]

Most of all it takes time to learn. There are going to be bad buys.. You have to get back up and keep going.


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[ARC]

You can spend years of learning and still know very little.
My advice to you is... Start now and...

expect to spend the rest of your life learning.

 

[KangaWoo]

You sound like me a month or two ago. Be prepared to become addicted to the hunt
I am a middle aged guy from Aus who works on a farm and does lots of manly things, but I already have a better collection of jewellery than my missus has lol, not sure what my mates would think if they spotted a look at my stash.

I have gotten good at knowing what to look for as in pm (silver & gold) to weight, I just need to learn a lot more about stones, and makers.

Now I am trying to focus on antique or vintage items, I love tarnished old silver covered in hallmarks, and gold is even better.

 

[tamrock]

Try not to get over anxious and end up buying junk. Be patient when on the hunt and look things over very carefully. To me it's how a piece of jewelry is constructed that goes without saying it's fine jewelry.