Dont be quick to toss vintage jewelery with gold posts!

[mugsisme]

Don't be quick to toss vintage jewelery with gold posts!

In one of my Good Will Jars, there was this huge clear round ball earring with a gold post. I always test gold posts. It came up 14K. I took it to the jeweler today. We broke the sucker apart, pulled all the pieces out (the post, the doo-hicky that was above the bead, and the stopper at the bottom). So he tests them. He puts them straight into the acid. 18k!!!! I didn't think to test higher! Whoo hooo. $17 in my pocket! (Along with $22 from an earring in the jar as well.)

I remember now reading in the Costume Jewelery books that they did make costume jewelery with real gold. So be careful with what you toss out.

Truthfully, that was probably some real vintage earring, but since I only had one ....

 

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[jerseyben]

Why are you throwing away any costume jewelry? Once sorted, mine gets put in bins and can be sold at the flea market for 50 cents a piece or $1 for some better pieces.

 

[mugsisme]

Why are you throwing away any costume jewelry? Once sorted, mine gets put in bins and can be sold at the flea market for 50 cents a piece or $1 for some better pieces.

My friend who "showed me the ropes" said not to waste time with costume jewelery. Meanwhile ... I made $22 on an earring, one brooch sold for $50, another two necklaces went for $70 and $90.

All I'm saying is that if you are tossing stuff into the junk pile, make sure there isn't anything with real gold on it But then again, look who I am talking to. LOL. You already know that. <grin>

 

[TreasureHunters]

My friend who "showed me the ropes" said not to waste time with costume jewelery. Meanwhile ... I made $22 on an earring, one brooch sold for $50, another two necklaces went for $70 and $90. All I'm saying is that if you are tossing stuff into the junk pile, make sure there isn't anything with real gold on it But then again, look who I am talking to. LOL. You already know that. <grin>

Pic of the gold post please

 

[mugsisme]

The posts are gone.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/101256001/gold-studs-earrings-14k-gold-filled-post?ref=market

The earring looked like that. It was a yellow plastic ball, with the post right through it. There was a gold filigree cap. The post, the filigree cap, and the stopper at the end were all 18K. I think that the back was also; I pulled it aside. I don't scrap backs; I save them.

 

[TreasureHunters]

Thank you!

 

[jerseyben]

9.5 times out of 10, those posts and backs will be marked.

 

[Beachkid23]

I bought a large box of jewelry this weekend. There are 100s of pieces. Tons of costume jewelry. A lot of name brands, trifari, a Marc Jacobs bracelet, alot Of other names but I can't remember because I just woke up. Paying $40 from the box and breaking it up I bet there's $1000 + worth of jewelry in there.



Granted some of it's $10 apiece but that's ok, it will sell and more likely to get someone in there to buy a bunch at once.

Then You can take a box of it and sell it on line no problem as recovery or scrap for arts and crafts. I have sold a 25lb box for $60. Probably cheap but I got my $ out if what I could. I never throw that stuff out unless its rusty or corroded.

 

[diggummup]

9.5 times out of 10, those posts and backs will be marked.

I agree, though sometimes the mark is very difficult to see on small posts, even with a 10x loupe.

If you can buy "lots" of costume jewelry for .10-.25 cents a piece, it's a no brainer. I have yet to buy a costume lot at a garage sale where I couldn't find a designer signed piece or two that would pay for or almost pay for the whole lot.

 

[mugsisme]

I am finding a ton of stuff that ISN'T marked. I found a pin in a jar today. the pin is not magnetic. It says Hong Kong on the back. I did a scratch test, and it came up 18K. I dipped it into the 18K acid, and nothing happened. (I accidentally did that with a piece that was plated, in the 14K acid. It turned black.)

I found two more earrings today. They are vintage pieces. I did a scratch test, and they are 14K. Not marked, and you would not guess on one of them, cuz of the fake rhinestones.



(I take bad pictures; sorry.) The posts don't look gold. IDK why. My phone camera is not so good, and I don't take good pictures.

 

[jerseyben]

I am finding a ton of stuff that ISN'T marked. I found a pin in a jar today. the pin is not magnetic. It says Hong Kong on the back. I did a scratch test, and it came up 18K. I dipped it into the 18K acid, and nothing happened. (I accidentally did that with a piece that was plated, in the 14K acid. It turned black.) I found two more earrings today. They are vintage pieces. I did a scratch test, and they are 14K. Not marked, and you would not guess on one of them, cuz of the fake rhinestones. (I take bad pictures; sorry.) The posts don't look gold. IDK why. My phone camera is not so good, and I don't take good pictures.

Not saying you are wrong but I would be highly skeptical of the pin marked Hong Kong being 18k, especially if not marked.

 

[diggummup]

Not saying you are wrong but I would be highly skeptical of the pin marked Hong Kong being 18k, especially if not marked.

18k and Hong Kong being the key words in that statement. I agree.

FYI- Surgical stainless steel (hypoallergenic) and even some regular stainless (depending on the grade), are resistant to nitric acid tests, with or without gold plating.


PS-I just now confirmed with a pair of stainless hemostats and 18k acid, no reaction.

 

[jerseyben]

The only stuff I ever found that was real and unmarked was either very old or home made. I have never seen a manufactured piece that was unmarked.

 

[kali_is_my_copilot]

The only stuff I ever found that was real and unmarked was either very old or home made. I have never seen a manufactured piece that was unmarked.

When you say that, are you referring to just gold, or silver as well? In the last two weeks I've found an unmarked 14k cross, a service/loyalty pin that tests at 14k, and two 20+ gram sterling bracelets plus many sterling odds & ends that aren't marked, and let's just say I was very pleasantly surprised by all of those scores (from various thrift store jewelry bags except for the service pin, which I've had for a while). Just today I was bored enough at home (and inspired by this thread) to magnet-test the posts on all of my many, many single/junk earrings and ended up finding four that acid test at 14k as well, and are unmarked.

All of that to say that I am still convinced that the vast majority of pm jewelry that I will come across will be marked, but there are definitely exceptions to this rule. It doesn't hurt that I'm very broke at the moment and won't make any money leaving those stones unturned, as it were.