| IDENTIFICATION | | | | Look at the construction of the piece. This can be |
| Before you can find out what a piece of jewelry is | | | | extremely helpful in dating a piece! Look at the clasp |
| worth, you need to find out what it is. This can be as | | | | or pin. Are the stones individually riveted on? Is the |
| simple as turning it over and finding a maker's mark | | | | clasp rather ornate? Does it have a layered look? |
| or complicated as in "hours of research". First thing | | | | What type of style is it? Does it remind you of old |
| first: Examine your jewelry for a maker's mark. Look | | | | black and white movies? Perhaps Bette Davis or |
| on the back or on the clasp. Thoroughly examine | | | | Katherine Hepburn? Does it look Victorian? |
| every inch of the piece. If you see a maker's mark, | | | | By now, you should have a general idea of age and |
| start your research! Not finding a maker's mark | | | | you are ready to start your research in earnest! |
| doesn't mean it's not valuable, on the contrary; many | | | | RESEARCH |
| fine pieces of jewelry were never marked. It does | | | | Head for your local library or heat up an Internet |
| mean you will need to put in a little more effort in | | | | search engine! I can spend hours in my local library |
| research. | | | | poring over books and books and more books. There |
| If you received your jewelry from a family member, | | | | are plenty of good jewelry reference books. Stop by |
| ask them about it's history. Did your grandfather give | | | | your library or bookstore and check them out before |
| it to your grandmother right before he went off to | | | | buying. No sense in buying a book you will hardly use! |
| war? Was it handed down from her mother? | | | | If you choose the library, bring your jewelry with |
| Answers to these questions will give you a general | | | | you. You can also make copies of any pages you |
| idea of how old it is. | | | | wish to take or check out the book and bring it |
| Look at the style of the piece. Although many styles | | | | home. As with other research, libraries are extremely |
| come back into fashion after a time, it is still possible | | | | helpful. Searching on the Internet is also a quick and |
| to ID an older piece by the style and material. | | | | easy way to get fast information. Some search |
| Does it appear to have gemstones? Determine it | | | | terms to try are:maker's markvintage jewelrythe |
| they are real gemstones. You will need some sort of | | | | name of the maker's mark you found on your |
| strong magnifying glass or ideally, a jeweler's loupe. A | | | | piecethe decade i.e. "1930's jewelry"antique |
| loupe is a small magnifying glass in various degrees of | | | | jewelrycollectible costume jewelry |
| magnification. A 10X loupe should be all you need and | | | | This will give you hours of research and hundreds of |
| they are relatively inexpensive. Craft and hobby | | | | pages to sort. Look at anything relevant, look for |
| stores usually sell them. Go to a well lighted place and | | | | similar pieces or styles. Visit online vintage jewelry |
| look at the stone through the loupe. Do you see tiny | | | | shops. Look for forums where you may be able to |
| bubbles in the stone? Tiny air bubbles mean it is | | | | post a picture and ask for identification help. |
| made from glass or plastic. It's not a real gemstone. | | | | If you love to research like I do, this is right up your |
| Is it open backed? Can you see the back of the | | | | alley! It can take hours, days sometimes weeks to |
| stone when you turn the piece over? Does the back | | | | find out about a certain piece. As you go, you will |
| of the stone look shiny as in gold or silver colored | | | | gain more knowledge about old jewelry and hopefully |
| foil? These are foil back rhinestones and not real | | | | you will be as enchanted as many other collectors |
| gems. Foil was often added to reflect the light and | | | | and dealers. It's a fascinating world of "junky |
| create a better sparkle. Most real gems contain some | | | | jewelry"! |
| type of natural inclusion. Unless you are familiar with | | | | We are always here to help you with your pieces, so |
| gems and diamonds, your best bet is to take it to a | | | | feel free to send us an email if you have questions. |
| jeweler or appraiser if you think it is real. | | | | |