Collector

Sports Memorabilia -> Fantasy, Mythical and Magical -> Jewelry

Antique jewelry is a wonderful collectible that is not only valuable, but also very beautiful. Whether you are a fan of precious stones, interesting settings or you just have a love of everything vintage, buying antique jewelry is a lot of fun and there are many pieces out there that are beyond compare. When you’re looking for antique jewelry there are a few things you need to keep in mind to make sure that you are getting the most out of your money.

Is the piece authentic?

If someone is trying to sell you an “authentic” ruby ring with a stone the size of an egg, and they are claiming it is real, it is vital to check. As an example, many “ruby” rings from the Middle Ages were actually made of glass, while others are the much more valuable spinel stone. It is important to have an independent jeweler or laboratory examine the stone, especially if it is a very expensive piece. Always err on the side of caution and make sure that you are dealing with a seller that you can trust.

What is the condition of the piece?

Some antique jewelry pieces can be restored, but there will be a few that are beyond repair. Take a hard look at the piece and see if it’s overly tarnished, cracked, missing stones or otherwise imperfect. If it is, the value of the piece will be greatly diminished. Unless you truly love the jewelry and you’re not buying as a collector, it is best to go with one that is in near perfect condition.

Know your Stones

While you don’t need to go to gemology school, it is a good idea to know a little bit about gem stones if you are interested in antique jewelry. There are many similar stones out there and the value can drop greatly from one to the other. For example, a white spinel looks like a very beautiful diamond, but it is not worth as much. It is also important to know when you are dealing with fakes, as well as stones that have been treated. Many amethysts, rubies, and emeralds are heat treated in order to achieve the desired depth of color. While this makes the piece look better, it does not add value.

Shop in the right places

If you’re looking for great deals on antique jewelry, estate auctions are a great place to start. You’ll have access to art deco pieces that are very rare, as well as many unique pieces that may have been custom made. Pawn shops will occasionally have some antique jewelry, but the prices may be over-inflated and the pieces may not be authentic. Online auctions are a great solution when you’re shopping for jewelry and they provide access to pieces that would otherwise be very hard to find.

No matter what kind of antique jewelry you’re interested in, browsing through online auction stores is like visiting the world’s best candy store, full of surprises.

Originally posted 2008-10-06 05:00:02. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

• Collectible Bottles Collectibles -> Bottles and Insulators -> Bottles-> Antique (Pre-1930) One of the most unique forms of collectibles are bottles and you’d be surprised at just how many you can find. Ranging from antiques that were produced in the 1900’s, to ones that are just rolling off the assembly line right......
• Antique Vintage Plastic Collectibles There seems to be a market these days for every type of vintage collectibles under the sun, and Bakelite and antique plastic jewelry vintage collectibles are certainly no exception. These vintage jewelry collectibles include antique and vintage jewelry made from Bakelite as well as from vintage types of plastic include......
• Faberge Egg Collectables -> Collectibles -> Decorative Collectibles Almost everyone has heard some reference to a Faberge egg, though many people simply think it's some sort of fancy, jeweled egg, without realizing the history behind it or its true value. Carl Faberge designed the first of these eggs in 1885, for......
• Antique Crucifixes Collectables -> Religions, Spirituality -> Christianity Antique crucifixes are an interesting collector hobby, with collections that can range from very rough, early wooden carvings that barely resemble a modern crucifix, to brass or ivory depictions done more recently. While some people collect rather ornate crosses in all materials, a crucifix......
• Bakelite Collectibles -> Vintage-Retro-Mid-Century -> Bakelite Most of us have heard the term Bakelite, even if we’re not entirely sure what it means. When we think of Bakelite we often think of plastic, as they seem to go hand in hand. But Bakelite is a type of plastic, most often used......

• Mantle Clocks Antiques -> Decorative Arts -> Clocks- Antique mantle clocks are a wonderful investment that not only beautify your home, but also provide you with a great conversation piece. Many antique mantle clocks are true works of art and with careful shopping, you may even end up with one that used......
• Antique Postage Stamps Stamps -> Worldwide -> Postal History When it comes to collecting stamps, most collectors dream of being able to find the perfect antique postage stamps. By far, these are usually the ones that are the most valuable and in many cases, they are the most visually interesting. If you are......
• May Recap Wow! Another month in the books! May was a great month. StretchyDollar.com's first guest posts were published, we hosted our first giveaway (see below) and we changed our look. You can still enter to win a copy of one of the popular "The Skinny On..." series of books for you......
• Finally, a market for the new dollar coins One of my colleagues at work asked if he could buy one of the Presidential $1 coins off of me. His daughter lost a tooth, and she had requested that he ask the Tooth Fairy for "one of the new gold dollars." My colleague, not 100% sure he could get......
• The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword Guest Post By Michel Fortin Words are powerful. They are the crux of our existence as copywriters. And your choice of words is crucial in getting the results you seek, whether you’re a copywriter or not, and be it in business or in your personal life. To compel others to......

• One Piece Japanese, Anime Animation Art, Characters Collectibles
• Serving Pieces Flatware Tableware Housewares Kitchenware Collectibles
• Stone Carvings Rocks, Fossils, Minerals Collectibles

People that collect wine in order to age it, rather than to just drink it, should look into creating a wine cellar collection. The purpose of such a wine cellar collection is to protect the wine in the right temperature, humidity and atmosphere in order to keep the wine aging properly and to protect it from harm. There are two basic types of wine out there on the market today. One of these types of wine is the kind that you can take home and immediately drink, and the other type of wine is the kind that is meant to be a part of a wine cellar collection. This wine needs to be stored within a capable wine cellar for a few years so that it can age continuously until it has reached the peak of quality. If you are collecting high quality bottles of wine, then turning your love of wine into a wine cellar collection is a smart idea because it will allow your wine to age properly without the flavor or quality being ruined during the aging process.

All wine that you keep needs to be kept in a place that is cool and has the right level of humidity, and that is why the idea of a wine cellar collection is so advantageous. You need to make sure that your wine is never exposed to the direct sunlight ever, because if they are exposed to too much sunlight or heat, the entire wine aging process can be affected in a negative way. When you create a wine cellar collection, you are ensuring that your wine will be kept at a proper temperature and will be safe from the sunlight. What this means is that your wine cellar collection will be allowed to age properly, and when you do drink it, it will be just as delicious as it is meant to be.

Your wine cellar collection should be kept at a constant temperature, which is generally around 55 degrees Fahrenheit at all times, though the temperature adjustment is going to depend on the wine you are storing. Your wine temperature should never been fluctuating because this is going to have a negative impact on the aging of your wine cellar collection. If your wine cellar collection experiences too many fluctuations in terms of heat then your wine is going to taste different than how it is meant to taste, and then you will have wasted an investment.

There are a number of different options to consider when it comes to planning your wine cellar collection. You can buy a wine cellar from a number of different places. You can build a real wine cellar or you can purchase a wine refrigerator if you have a smaller wine cellar collection. No matter what your needs are there are wine cellar options that you can consider in order to keep your wine in the highest possible quality at all times.

Photo Credits: Aditya Bhelke

• Pez Candy Dispenser Collection Guides Here we have the main guides to PEZ dispensers. Having some history and some references on hand is definitely a good idea when shopping online for PEZ related goods. Or perhaps you have already got a sizeable PEX dispenser collection and now you are trying to figure out what all......
• Collectible Pocket Knives Collectibles -> Advertising -> Agriculture -> Pocket Knives Out of all of the advertising related collectibles on the market at the current time, some of the most popular are agriculture related collectible pocket knives. These collectibles hearken back to a simpler time and collectors snap them up in droves. Many......
• Setting a Wine Budget When it comes to collecting wine, collecting wine bottles, or really any other type of collection for that matter, one of the first things that you are going to want to have figured out is your budget. Step one in the process of collecting wine is to set your wine......
• Collecting Rare Collectibles 102 Rare collectibles are items that are perceived to be hard to find by a collectible, and they may also be antique in nature seeing as many antique collectibles are also rare collectibles. Any item that has a high quality craftsmanship, that is relatively old in nature and that reflects the......
• Beginning the Art of Collecting Wine The purpose of this article is simply to provide you with some tips for the art of collecting wine. If you are thinking about beginning your own wine cellar or simply putting together a hobby of collecting wine, then the following tips should prove useful to you. Keep in mind......

• Getting the Most from your Wine Cellar Wine has been set apart from the other beverages consumed by humans, rather like the gods and goddesses themselves were set apart from mere mortals in their aerie on Mount Olympus, since the first flagon of grape was allowed to ferment. Wine has had a role to play in religious......
• Truly Rare Wine - Ice Wine When it comes to collecting different types of wine, one of the more popular options for collecting is to try out different types of rare wine. One example of a rare wine that you may want to consider is known as ice wine. Ice wine is regarded as being one......
• Prepare Your Home for Winter Photo courtesy of geocam20000 As the dog days of summer begin to grow shorter it is a great time to think about winterizing your home to prepare for the colder months ahead.  Snow, ice and sub-freezing temperatures can damage a home’s exterior, leading to costly repairs.  Inadequate seals and......
• Finding Antiques and Collectibles If you are interested in the art of antiquing, then you should know that there are antiques and collectibles that you can find in all shapes, all sizes and all kinds of locations. All of these antiques and collectibles have history, a past, a story to them. People can find......
• The Basics of Collecting Wine: Storage Some people choose to go about collecting wine to earn money, and other people get into the art of collecting wine just because they are passionate about wine. It does not matter why you are collecting, for profit or for pleasure, the art of collecting wine is one that requires......

• Bad Taste Bears Bears Dolls Bears