Thrift Store Jewery Finds 2013

[insontis]

Hello! This post is inspired by the other thrift store threads I've just read. They motivated me to post some of my own finds and get more involved in the discussion.

I started metal detecting this year and soon after jumped to add thrift stores as a new treasure-filled frontier. My first purchase was back in October and was a FAKE 14K marked chain. Luckily I was able to return the chain for a full refund (though only $22 for what would have been worth $300+ if real 14K). This did not discourage me, but rather gave me a great deal of hope for finding treasures. Why? I believe they thought it was real gold, but had no idea the true value. Most of their jewelry pieces range from $2-5. So I figure if they did get real gold & silver in that it would make it through to the sales floor. And so my search began...

Using a combination of a jewelers loupe, a magnet and a scale, I started to sweep the store a few times a week. What I've pulled from their showcase is nothing to make me rich by any means, but I've done alright on a few occasions. Here are some of the more notable finds thus far:

Sterling silver frog ring with green agate or aventurine? stone.


Tarnish-free sterling silver 7" bracelet.


"Colors of life" sterling silver ring with interchangeable stones.


Sterling Silver earrings with Taxco (Mexico) sterling hallmark.


Sterling silver tennis bracelet with 38 CZ stones.


Sterling silver Jody Coyote earrings with amethyst stones.


Sterling silver Mexico ring.


14K/pearl single earring


10K ring with tiny accent diamond next to most recent MD find


Nothing like panning through a pile of costume jewelry and then pull out the genuine article! Hope you guys enjoyed my post and I hope you'll post more of your finds as well! I'll update this thread if I come across anything else worth sharing.

 

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[2Minnesota]

The frog ring looks very cool! I'd love to see a better picture of it...... You have done well if you just started in October!!

 

[duffytrash]

if you list that colors of life ring on ebay...make sure you put it in the marbles category..too...marble collectors love em ...they interchange the gems with peewee marbles....

 

[insontis]

The frog ring looks very cool! I'd love to see a better picture of it...... You have done well if you just started in October!!

Thanks! I've made it a semi-daily routine to walk down to the thrift store & keep an eye out for new inventory. I converse with most of the employees there, but so far I've only been allowed to look through unpriced/unsorted jewelry once.. and that resulted in the tennis bracelet/gold earring. Since then I've been turned down on the few occasions that I've asked. I'm suspecting that at the very least some employees are getting the first dibs on the jewelry for themselves. My reasoning is that time I merely glanced through one unpriced box of jewelry I found that 14K earring and the bracelet in jewelry boxes in excellent condition. Whereas in the jewelry case on the sales floor.. I hardly ever find anything near that good.

Another frog ring photo:


And two more:

 

[insontis]

if you list that colors of life ring on ebay...make sure you put it in the marbles category..too...marble collectors love em ...they interchange the gems with peewee marbles....

Doh! That may have been a better option than what I did. I actually JUST sold that colors of life ring on ebay. I priced it the same as another one that wasn't in as good as condition as mine. My reasoning was the amount seemed a little high to me anyway for the used piece ($35) and if anyone was looking for a cheap one, I wanted to win the decision between mine and two other competitors. However, since my sold for the full amount (it was listed $35 OBO) I can't help but think I shorted myself a few bucks.

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Cool, that ring of life is awesome. I've never seen or heard of them !!

Keep @ it and HH !!

 

[duffytrash]

yup...marble collectors will sometimes surprise ya......

 

[insontis]

Saw a few silver items today, I overpaid for 1 and left the rest as they had probably no resale/scrap value.

Here's the only thing I walked out with:

Cross ring marked STER:



I paid $8 and think I may be lucky to get my money back.. though it could hopefully go for maybe $20 if I found the right buyer. What do you guys think, any chance of profiting on this?

 

[palidin20603]

Any makers marks? What is the weight?

 

[insontis]

Any makers marks? What is the weight?

I paid well over scrap price as it weighs only 6.2 grams. No makers mark, only see "STER" visibly. I figure someone only might be interested in it as a vintage piece or so. Like I said I think I'd be lucky just to get my money back, but you never know. I thought it seemed to be an interesting piece at least.

 

[insontis]

Since I've read a few posts about Goodwill finds, I decided to take a chance on a jewelry grab bag at their store today. Most of the the time they are just filled with plastic beaded necklaces, but I saw one with a good variety today. For only $6 I took the leap. I did not find anything of great value or even a single piece would make my money back, but I did find a few interesting pieces that may sell for a couple of bucks each.

I had originally hoped to find maybe some gold or silver in the lot. I examined it a bit and saw what I though to be some sterling clasps and a delicate gold looking chain. After weeding through the entire mangle, I was able to find a tiny bit of sterling but no gold. I did find a few nicer looking pins, bracelets and necklaces - some even with tags or in near mint condition.

So here is a lot of pictures showing my little sterling.

Necklace #1

Necklace #1's sterling (marked 925)


Necklace #2

Necklace #2's sterling (marked STER 925)




Not sure if it's a good or a bad thing that I found any sterling at all. Part of me is happy about the find immediately, sure. The other part of me is like oh no.. now I'm going to end up buying more of these bags and end up with a massive pile of costume jewelry.

 

[MUD(S.W.A.T)]

Nothing ventured nothing gained... You did good !!

Keep @ it and HH !!

 

[2Minnesota]

Still like that frog ring! Thanks for posting better pictures!

 

[insontis]

Still like that frog ring! Thanks for posting better pictures!

If you like it a whole lot it will probably end up on ebay sooner or later... that is if I don't decide to keep it for my collection

 

[insontis]

Ok, so I caved and bought another Goodwill jewelry grab bag...

At first I was not going to venture down that road for a while after having already purchased near 1 pound of costume jewelry with less than 5 grams of sterling content. My plan was to try and sell off some of the costume jewelry to see if I can even get my money back on a "dud" lot. I made my regular trip to the thrift stores and browsed through Goodwill. Soon I found myself inspecting their jewelry grab bags - most were solid plastic bead necklaces. I found one that was more of a mixture and decided to take a gander. No harm in looking right? I saw a few tarnished silver-looking clasps and magnet tested them. Argh, nope. Nothing else really stood out so I figured I'd sit this one out and wait for something more concrete. I just barely caught glimpse of a small gold toned chain when going to set the bag back on the shelf. So, naturally, I put a magnet to it for a quick test. No response. Peaking my interest I gave a more thorough investigation. The chain was quite dainty and had an "S" link style to it. The only other place I had seen such a design is on a 14K necklace I've acquired before. Now excited, as thus far I had no reason to doubt the chain, I attempted to shift the bag slightly as to get a look at the clasp. Once in sight I glued my eyes to it. Small markings. "CHINA", perhaps? Or could it be some brand name? I reached for my loupe and brought it quickly to me eye. "ITALY". My eyes widened. Still, no gold hallmark. I gently shook the bag to gain vision of the other side. And there it was. Through the plastic bag and yet clear as day I read it. "14KT". Was it broken? How long was it? What was at the end of the chain? Was it even real? Didn't matter. With the little knowledge I had I marched straight to the counter and made my purchase.

Now if anyone made it through that block of text you're probably wondering exactly what it is I've ended up with. So without any more delay, my first Goodwill Gold!

7" 14K Bracelet




While this find may be anticlimactic to some it was sure exciting to me! My first good find at Goodwill and gold at that! Unfortunately there wasn't anything else of gold or silver except for a small pair of sterling stud earrings. I am certainly going to inspect every grab bag Goodwill has on the shelf now. The only thing that is keeping me from grabbing every mixed assortment I find is the pile of costume jewelry I've accumulated on my floor. If I can manage to sell that for profit or even if find a way to break even with relative ease, I'll be buying every mixed bag in sight!

 

[CladSpends2]

Ok, now I have to ask: how much did you pay and what does it weigh. For what it is worth, I probably would have done the same thing.

T.

 

[insontis]

Ok, now I have to ask: how much did you pay and what does it weigh. For what it is worth, I probably would have done the same thing.

T.

I paid $8 for the one pound bag. The bracelet weighs 0.8-0.9 grams. For the bracelet alone I paid under 50% of spot - nothing to complain about there! I was hoping there would be more from perhaps the same jewelry box or what have you, but either way I made out alright. I'm pretty sure I'd do it every time if I saw a gold hallmark - especially since there is so much more in the bag.

 

[CladSpends2]

I paid $8 for the one pound bag. The bracelet weighs 0.8-0.9 grams. For the bracelet alone I paid under 50% of spot - nothing to complain about there! I was hoping there would be more from perhaps the same jewelry box or what have you, but either way I made out alright. I'm pretty sure I'd do it every time if I saw a gold hallmark - especially since there is so much more in the bag.

You did good then. Hard to keep from trying it again with that success. Keep at it.

T.

 

[insontis]

Nice TS haul today. Gold, silver, and a chiefs hat. Total spent: $15.83. Photos coming soon!

 

[insontis]

1.1 grams 1/20 14K GF
26.5 grams sterling
1.9 grams 14K
7.5 grams chiefs hat

Now for pictures....

*see next page to end suspense...*