posted on March 30, 2001 08:23:46 AM
I recently aquired about 10 flats of vintage jewelry from 2 different estate auctions. They came from the same area.
Its great stuff, I've been working on it for several weeks, have taken so far about 200 pictures. My eyes are totally wore out.
Here are some questions that have come to mind over the past few days.
1. Signed verses unsigned. Is the unsigned any less valuable?
2. Which has more gold content 10K - 12K - 14K?
3. What is 1/20 12K mean?
4. Identifying the different stones and beads. Is there a way to tell if they are plastic or glass? Most I can tell but some are questionable.
5. How important is identifying the stones. Can a picture be adequit?
6. Are absolutely gorgeous signed(or even unsigned)rhinestone pieces with a stone missing considered "junk"?
7. How would you list them? In one or 2 big lots(which I'm considering) or pieces them out? I really don't want to piece them out because I don't have a clue as to what would go and what wouldn't.
And if you have ever perused the jewelry category there are 1000's of listings.
8. And finally....for those that do keep an eye on the jewelry categories. What happen to the "PEERLESS LOT OF JEWELERY" that was suppost to end today?
Yesterday the bid was over $3,000 and last night it TOTALLY DISAPPEARED. Can't find it in ended listings either.
Thanks for your time and consideration to answering my questions.
posted on March 30, 2001 08:46:00 AM
Hi Packer! I've found that sometimes the signed pieces do well simply beacause thay can be found in those huge listings, as I can put the makers name in the title. Even ugly signed pieces have done better than nicer unsigned ones! However, an attractive unsigned piece will ususally do well.
[br]14K has more gold than 10K.
[br]1/20 12K means that 1/20th of the weight of the piece is 12K gold. Popular in the 1940's and 1950's.
[br]If I'm unsure about glass vs. plastic beads an easy way to test is to tap one against your teeth...glass clicks, plastic doesn't! (I get funny looks when I do this!)
[br]It's always going to help if you can identify the stones. Can you make a deal to get some help from a friendly jeweler?
[br]I happily buy fine pieces with one stone missing, as I have thousands of loose stones especially for that purpose. If you don't want to fix them, maybe do a mixed lot of "fixer-uppers"?
[br]I'd do the really nice pieces individually, and the so-so ones in big lots with plenty of pictures
[br]Good Luck!!!
posted on March 30, 2001 09:11:54 AM
missspider,
Thank you so much for the information.
I see terms like Victorian, Edwardian, Czech, with no clear meaning as to what they are.
Are they just catch words?
PICTURES.....that seems to be my dilema. I've taken soooo many. And many pieces I have taken more then one.
I'm worried that I won't have enough space with my provider to display them all.
With doing them in lots, is it important on how you group them?
I've been watching the Jewelry lots pretty closely and presentation is important.
Some present them in groups by color. What do you like to see in a presentation of Jewelry?
The VERY BEST FIRST or in categories...such as Brooches, Necklaces, Sets, Earrings ect.
Please enlighten me
With my LOT auctions I will be providing individuale links....so would categorizing be better. Or giving them something "YUMMY" to look at in each link?
posted on March 30, 2001 09:55:50 AM
This is a really interesting thread! I want to follow it, eventually print it for my files. Wish there were a box here where we could just click on e-mail replies without having to actually reply! Anyway, thanks for starting this up. ~Adele
posted on March 30, 2001 10:02:53 AM
Technically Victorian is 1837-1901, Edwardian 1901-1910. But these terms have pretty loose definitions! Czech is the wonderful jewelry made in Czecheslovakia, lots of demand for it. It's not always signed, so do some browsing to familiarize yourself with the styles. There are probably loads of gorgeous books in your library that you could study, so you don't go broke buying reference books.
I personally don't buy big lots on ebay, but when I browse, I don't really worry about how the pieces are presented as long as the photos are clear, and the text isn't in one huge hard to read block, with no breaks!
posted on March 30, 2001 10:22:09 AM
missspider,
You are a wealth of information.
I agree about the ENDLESS page of BLOCK descriptions then 10 minutes to load the pics. It is annoying as its hard to go back and connect the description with the picture.
What I have done is write a brief description ON the picture. And I do mean breif as I don't know what to call alot of the pieces.
But like you said if we present a GOOD CLEAR PIC, I think you really shouldn't need 3 lines to describe it.
I will seach further on the key words I mentioned. I know this stuff is OLD as the women that owned it was in their 90's when they passed. But to date it...I'm not even going to go there.
One more question: Do you know when PIERCED EARS became the thing. I have several sets that are pierced earrings but they do look quit old. Those I would like to try and date.
posted on March 30, 2001 10:25:48 AM
Hi Packer,
I've sold a few pieces off and on, and learn a little each time. For presentation; I've actually done most of mine on the scanner. I Also found that some look better with a dark background, some with light so I scan once with the top on (for the white background), and once with the top off, the black seems to bring out the color and sparkle on the older rhinestone stuff. Good luck.
posted on March 30, 2001 10:29:35 AM
The most important thing about selling jewelry is to be almost overly critical.
I purchased some Items recently labeled as Mint condition, after receiving the items there was finish wear dead and dull stones and even a couple missing stones.
Be sure to point out if a stone has dulled or darkened, also be sure to make sure clasps and closures are working.
People who Buy jwelry find condition description very important as you cant see tiny flaws in pictures.
Joe B
Yes, Ive done both, with scanner(which I hate) and digital. I have a Black lacy scarf I put over the jewelry when I scan.
This is almost laughable, I've got about 6 different back grounds I've been using for my pics. Its really hard to get a good shot of those beautiful stones. I will take a 1/2 dozen pictures with different back grounds before I'm satisfied on how it looks.
jrb3,
I certainly agree with you about revealing condition of the piece.
I would never be so bold as to say MINT especially on vintage such as this.
I will have a disclaimer. Because I can look at a piece 6 times and MAYBE on the 7th time I find a tiny stone missing or some such thing.
Jewelry is very elusive, but once you know the flaw is there is sticks out like a soar thumb.
posted on March 30, 2001 10:43:24 AM
Hi Packer, could you post pictures of the earrings? Pierced earrings were popular into the 20's, then went out of fashion for 40 or so years (though of course there were pierced earrings then too). Wonder why they were considered "fast" for a while? My mom was a teenager in the 50's and she says it just "wasn't done" by "nice" girls!
posted on March 30, 2001 11:04:22 AM
Finally, a thread I can add something useful to. I collect costume jewelry and love to buy big lots of it. I will look for even 1 or 2 pieces in a lot that I want, I resell the pieces I don't keep.
Add at least a few really good pieces to each lot and let the pictures speak for themselves. Not too many pictures though, if it takes too long to load you might as well have no pictures.
Do point out that some pieces may have a stone missing. Most collectors keep a jar full of stones to replace missing ones. I personally don't want a detailed description of each piece. Just mention the different designer names included. A collector can usually look at a piece and know the designer, not always though.
Anything with major stone loss or broken chains, clasps, etc, throw into one lot and sell as broken, junk jewelry lot. These can go for quite a bit of money if there are some good stones in the pieces.
Good luck with your find, hope I can win some of it.
posted on March 30, 2001 11:17:17 AM
Costume jewelry is the only thing I really collect. I love big, flashy, sparkly old pins and since I buy at a lot of estate auctions, I often buy boxes full to get a single piece for myself
As a result, I always have a bunch of jewelry waiting for me to get it listed. I do box lots--BIG ONES about 4 or 5 times a year. I like to group so that there are interesting pieces in each photo and usually no more than 12 items in each shot. These auctions usually have 10-12 photos and I tell bidders that I will take more on request and email them.
You really should have a small, inexpensive loupe to inspect items.(The cheapies on ebay are quite adequate.) However, in the big lots, I state that there may be a stone missing here or there or a bit of wear but the vast majority is in good, wear-it-now condition--and I do not exaggerate here at all. It really helps to have a few signed pieces in the lot and you should mention the names in the description and title.
I am quite brief in my descriptions--the note on the photo is a really good way to go. The people who are buying these lots know what they are looking for--most of them resell esp at flea markets.
My lots are always successful bringing much more than I would have expected to get and I've never relisted and my buyers tell me they love them.
With signed jewelry from the big names: Hollycraft, Weiss, Ciner, Boucher, Eisenberg, Trifari, etc, I list individually with a slightly higher opening bid than I normally do. That guards against giving stuff away as this area is highly competitve and most bidders wait until the last minutes to even start bidding. Be sure to note any flaws when you go this way or you will get the item back and a neg to boot.
[ edited by jadejim on Mar 30, 2001 11:19 AM ]
posted on March 30, 2001 11:20:36 AM
Talking about pieced ears. I remember back in the 50's when Mom got hers pieced. I was just a young girl then and she chased me all over the house determand to pierce mine. Well she didn't succeed, no way was I going to let her poke a needle in my ear.
I hear ya about the reputation of the young ladies(teens) that had their ears pierce, they were less then reputable.
I've stitched together a few sets that I have, to give you an idea.
posted on March 30, 2001 11:33:46 AM
Hi Packer, those are very pretty earrings, but I believe most likely no more than 20 years old. Other opinions, anyone?
posted on March 30, 2001 11:39:27 AM
jadejim,
Indeed, I did get a jewlers loop & a magnifing visor off of ebay, just for this purpose. My eyes just are not what they used to be. Even with the loop I experience eye strain.
With the vast amount of jewelry I obtained I felt it was a worth while investment.
Gosh, I LOVE this stuff, but I came from the generation where it was no longer worn and especially by teens of the 60's & 70's. SO, I never became a jewelry buff.
I love watching the Golden Girls, they where that stuff so well.
We have WW2 Vets & thier Wives that are members of the VFW club that come in and the women are weighed down with that stuff.
One other thing I have noticed in my jewelry ventures is that there are NO 2 PIECES ALIKE!
posted on March 30, 2001 11:50:07 AM
I searched ended auctions using the keyword
"peerless" and asking to have the most expensive items first, and I think the lot you were looking for is this one:
#573030532 PEERLESS SUITE OF JEWELRY
It went off on 3/29 for $3,100.
Hope this helps (but maybe not, if you wanted to bid on it!).
posted on March 30, 2001 11:51:20 AM
A few desperate pleas from a buyer of eBay jewelry:
Focus! (I started another thread about this subject last week so won't say anything here other than to ask that you display a picture that is in focus.)
Get your vintages straight: I collect Victorian jewelry and can't begin to tell you how badly misidentified a lot of jewelry is. Pink plastic clip-on earrings in the shape of a daisy are NOT Victorian. Avon bracelets are NOT Victorian. (I saw that one last week - I'll paraphrase: "Beautiful Victorian bracelet from early 1900s; marked 'Avon' on back." And she didn't mean Stratford-Upon-Avon, either.)
Stand back - I find it very disconcerting to see a picture that is so large that I have to scroll right, and scroll right, and keep scrolling right until I can see all of it, and then, of course, I still can't tell what it really looks like because the picture is too large.
In order to give people a sense of an item's size, it might be helpful to shoot a bracelet on someone's wrist, or earrings on someone's ears. Just a thought.
Everyone feels differently about jewelry sold in lots, but I usually pass these by, especially those that are so poorly shot that I can't tell what anything really looks like. A lot of sellers seem to dump 120 necklaces and earrings out onto a bedspread and then photograph it as things land - pointless, and frustrating.
"Estate item" doesn't mean now what it used to mean, which was that an item was really old or an antique. Now, an estate item can date from the 1960s, or 1970s. So please, try to date an item - and if you don't know during which time frame it was made, say so, don't guess. And don't say something is an antique unless it really is - nothing made in the 1940s is an antique, except possibly me!
I agree with everyone who has said you should be overly critical in your listings. There's no way that some flaws can be spotted in a picture, and it will save you a lot of time and aggravation if you are detailed enough in your descriptions to avoid having things returned for being improperly described.
posted on March 30, 2001 12:11:57 PM
janusaries,
Great you found it, I did that same EXACT search yesterday & this morning and came up empty. I kicked myself for not bookmarking it, I could have sworn it was going off today. Does it look like she ended it early?
Well, I'm glad it was found!
wisegirl,
I did see your thread you had. It helped me alot.
I'm happy to say that I have not used the words "VICTORIAN" "EDWARDIAN" "CZECH" or "DATES" on any of my pictures.
I do not know so I think I would look very foolish and unprofessional to make such statements.
Feel free to e-mail me with pics ([email protected]) and I'll do my best to help. Yes, the jewelry category is daunting, but a little research goes a long way to help you realize the lot's full potential.
I agree with all the tips provided here. The enamel earrings in your photo may be Art Deco era, I'd have to see the back, but the enamel work looks very intricate and you might do better listing those separately. Pierced earrings have been worn from ancient times forward -- I have several pair of Georgian and Victorian era pierced earrings in my own collection. Some Victorians considered pierced ears "barbaric" and there was a shift toward the screwbacks, later to the clips, then back to pierced.
Some beautiful unsigned jewelry, if well-presented, can command higher prices than even signed.
Your pictures are so nice and clear - you've proved that it can be done!
I agree with Missspider that the earrings you showed us are probably no more than 20 years old. As Lisa B said, it would help to see the back of the enamel earrings, or to know if any of them have a maker's mark on them.
Lisa B is also correct when she says a little research goes a long way. The Internet is a marvelous resource; you can often find articles or references to jewelry makers that will help you narrow down the time during which the maker or company produced the pieces. Other eBay listings are a good but qualified source of information, since some sellers are guessing.
posted on March 30, 2001 01:33:01 PM
There is also a very good book out, "Unsigned Beauties", I believe by Carolyn Miller, that has hundreds of color pictures of non-designer costume jewelry and the eras that they are from. Your library may have it.
I agree that the earrings shown can't be more that 20 or so years old.
My aunt gave me her collection of sterling pierced earrings from the 30's-40's, over 100 pair. They all had the wire that closes with a hook at the back, very painful to catch on something.
posted on March 30, 2001 01:34:26 PM
Hi! A comment and a question:
1. I was a teenager in the 50s, in Phoenix, and I'm not positive what happened to make it not okay for "nice girls" to pierce their ears, but for sure we didn't. One of the unfortunate things that may have been happening in Phoenix, and maybe the rest of the country, at that time is that only the immigrant girls (the Hispanics in Phoenix) had pierced ears, so it was a we-they thing and considered cheap and low class. Isn't that a shame! Zillions of us women put up with those god-awful clip-ons that hurt like heck and even gave us infections from the pressure on our earlobes. I had my ears pierced at 44 and will not wear a clip-on even now. I had some of my better earrings converted to pierced so I could continue wearing them.
2. About loupes: Are there different qualities on ebay? What should I look for? What should I avoid? I desperately want one but hadn't thought to look there. Thanks!
posted on March 30, 2001 02:27:26 PM
Hi roadsmith,
I got a TRIPLET 20x-20mm, it works good but you have to know how to hold the dumb thing to get it to focus. From the same seller I got the Mag visor, I really like that, I can read quit a bit with it. The loupe comes in handy for the really, really tiny stuff.
Sellers name on ebay is "omaha" he sells a lot of this kind of stuff. He real fast to ship also.
Hope that helps,
posted on March 30, 2001 02:46:42 PM
FYI the "Peerless Suite of Jewelry" auction closed, but the reserve was not met. Perhaps the seller will relist so y'all can have a chance at it!
Hmmmmm...unless the seller and high bidder made a deal after the auction closed...
posted on March 30, 2001 03:35:03 PM
I got my magnifier/loupe from thsdesigns on eBay - mine is a "triple action", i.e. it's actually three 5x magnifiers so you can use one for 5x magnification, two for 10x or all three for 15x. I love it, it's got a nice big viewing area.
posted on March 30, 2001 05:24:55 PM
My favorite loupe is called a loopy--cheap plastic and comes in a pair--one 5X and 10X and they cost about $2.50 a pair on ebay--and of course I have one of the expensive jewelers models too but haven't seen it for a while--these others are just too handy.
The book on unsigned beauties resides in my library but I would like to caution jewelry sellers that you will not get anything close to the prices in all of those books if you sell on ebay. (I think I have about a dozen different ones.) Must be based on show prices and I wonder how many really sell.
Love the Austria pins and would love to know when you list them--as well as all that other stuff--I am salivating.
posted on March 30, 2001 06:15:55 PM
I love buying lots of jewelry... please do let us know when you list! If you don't want to post your eBay ID here, please email me at [email protected] (not my eBay addy lol)
posted on March 30, 2001 08:32:54 PM
Pierced ears became passe in the late 40's after the WWII. Nice American girls in the late 40's and 50's did not get their ears pierced because they would look like a Displaced Person (refugee from the war). That is what my mother told me.
The jewelers standard for loupes are 10X. This is for new jewelry and gemstones.
[ edited by msstone on Mar 30, 2001 08:36 PM ]
