This is Rosalinda,or Rosie,
my Catalina Macaw. She is
now 12 and I raised her from
an egg. She is a born jewelry
fanatic and her eyes light up
when she sees me handle
jewelry. She likes to help,
so I give her old costume beads
and tissue paper and it is her job
to turn them into little pieces!
She thinks she is helping, but
she is really just making a huge
mess! Strange how she likes to
play with vintage jewelry!
I wonder who she got that from?!
CLICK ON THE MACAW
TO SEE THE ENTIRE
ANTIQUE & VINTAGE
ANIMAL JEWELRY COLLECTION
This is a tame peacock at our
mountain home that sits on the
porch and looks in the window
at me most of the day, watching
me work on the computer! Is it any
wonder I love to collect bird jewerly?
CLICK ON THE PEACOCK
TO SEE THE ENTIRE
ANTIQUE & VINTAGE
TROPICAL JEWELRY COLLECTION
This is my darling Tinker Bell.
We found her lost or abandoned
way out in the woods, half starved
and living on snow,acorns,and moles.
Everyone always asks what kind of
dog she is and we were able to find
out the she is 1/2 Great Pyranese and
1/2 Yellow Lab. She is very well
behaved and has the personality of
a butterfly! She lives to bury her head in snow, and eat snow until her head freezes!
CLICK ON TINKER BELL
TO SEE THE ANTIQUE & VINTAGE
FIGURAL JEWELRY COLLECTION
How to Determine the Value of Antique and Vintage
How to Determine the Value and Condition
of Antique and Vintage Jewelry
Determining the value and quality of jewelry, whether the item is antique jewelry, vintage jewelry, or costume jewelry, is a comprehensive task that involves several key factors. Determining such from pictures on the internet can be very challenging for buyers as in many cases, the majority of sellers do not provide detailed information or clear photos, or enough angled photos for jewelry items.
When purchasing antique or vintage jewelry on the internet, the most important factor in relation to a purchase is the knowledge of the seller. Comprehensive descriptions that don’t leave anything out are a true measure to the dealers care and knowledge. If the seller only partially describes something, asking them questions will usually not result in a knowledgeable answer. If the seller does not know how to properly describe something in the first place, it is usually for one of two reasons. Either the seller does not know how to write a complete description because their knowledge is very limited, or the seller is attempting to overlook certain problems.
The first and foremost factor that determines the value of a jewelry item is rarity. Items that are very rare can be in only fair condition and still retain a very high value.
The second most important factor is condition. Condition is rated by evaluating:
- No missing stones or cabs or ones that have been replaced. Jewelry items that are not completely in their original state has a great loss of value in most, but not all cases.
- The wear of the piece in relation to age. Vintage jewelry and Costume jewelry with moderate to heavy wear is greatly devalued in value and should not be purchased unless the item is extremely rare.
- The cleanness of the piece in relation to dirt or damage from glues, resins, or foreign matter that may or may not be able to be removed without leaving evidence.
- Jewelry should be inspected for damage from water or bright light including greening on brass and copper; faded coloration to enamels, discoloration to plastics, shells and fabrics; pitting to plated surfaces and copper that has damage from moisture; loose or missing stones from poor quality glue or glue that has been subjected to moisture damage. Crazing in enamels can be caused by age or exposure to severe hot and cold temperatures.
Original Quality : If a piece of jewelry has been modified from the original state the value will be severely affected in most cases. Look at jewelry to make sure it retains the original clasps, chains and mechanisms. Brooches that have has their original safety clasps replaced can be greatly impacted in value if the repair is not professional.
Necklaces that do not have their original chains or clasps are also valued less. Look closely at photos to see if the chain is in good condition, matches from one side to the other, and looks original to the piece. Sometimes spring clasps and box clasps on necklaces and bracelets do not hold tight but in most cases can be repaired or replaced.
Clip back earrings that have lost their tight snap may or may not be able to be repaired. Always look for the seller to tell you the clip backs are tight and strong and what degree of wear they have.
Rings that have been sized can be greatly decreased in value if the alteration was not done by a professional, in which case the alteration should be almost invisible.
In determining condition, buyers should look for details in regards to loss of gold or silver finishes, original working mechanisms and original chains or clasps, original stones that have been re-glued and stones that have clarity and are free of scratches and chips. The same should be sought after in jewelry that is thermoset plastic, Bakelite, Celluloid, Lucite or enameled. Scratch free original gloss finishes are very important in evaluating the value and should be described by the seller.
When placing a value on an item that is sterling silver, copper or brass, the jewelry should be scratch free and clean, but still retain some or all of the original patina from age. Copper, brass and sterling jewelry should NEVER be cleaned with liquid silver cleaner or Tarn-X or any other harsh chemicals. Most paste cleaners such as copper and silver cleaners should not be used either as the compounds are to harsh and can leave residuals in crevices that can only be removed by a professional jewelry cleaner. Copper and silver can be polished with soft liquid and paste compounds such as MAAS jewelry cleaner very sparingly for light cleaning with a soft cotton rag, but buffing restoration of a pieces should be left to a professional.
The words “scratch free” :generally means the surface is not deeply marred by any gouges. It does not include light scratches on the surface or within a clear top coat or faint circle patterns from polishing. Most sellers do not go into detail when describing scratches so it is important to look closely at the pictures and ask what type of scratches the item has if the seller does not describe.
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PLACING ITEMS ON YOUR JEWELRY WISH LIST DOES NOT PREVENT OTHER CUSTOMERS FROM PURCHASING THOSE ITEMS.
ONLY WHEN AN ITEM IS PURCHASED IS IT MARKED OUT OF STOCK, AND THEN IT IS SOLD AND GONE FOR GOOD!
WE RESPOND TO & SHIP ALL ORDERS PROMPTLY
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Please place your order online.
You cannot order any item that is sold.
No need to ask if items are available!
To place order by phone call:
828-297-6777 - 7 days - 9am-5pm EST
PLEASE DO NOT CALL AFTER HOURS !
ITEMS ON THIS SITE ARE ONE OF A KIND.
IF MARKED OUT OF STOCK, IT IS GONE FOR GOOD AND CANNOT BE RE-ORDERED!
USPS 1st CLASS - $4.75 per order
PRIORITY USPS - $8.50 per order
USPS OVERNITE - $23.50 -$ 27.50
INTERNATIONAL- $43.50 to $54.50 EXPRESS ONLY
CANADA - $8.50 1st Class or $14.95 Priority USPS
ALL RATES INCLUDE FULL INSURANCE
My name is Veronica McCullough and I have been collecting Antique Jewelry, Art Deco Jewelry, Vintage Jewelry and Vintage Costume Jewelry, Mid Century Modern Jewelry or Modernist Jewelry, and Designer Collectible Costume Jewelry for almost 40 years. I have a 1000 sf wing on my house dedicated solely to my jewelry collection and the website
Great Vintage Jewelry is a full time online business. I do not have a brick and motar store and sell exclusively from this website.
All Antique and Vintage jewelry is stored in air tight, light tight, and humidity free containers. All Collectible jewelry is impeccably clean and sanitized using the best professional cleaning techniques performed under a table top lighted magnifying glass.
All Antique and Vintage jewelry is microscopically inspected and insured to be free of oily residues, grime, dirt, verdigris, hair, lint, and fingerprints. If there is a patina to the metal, metal wear, or other imperfections to stones or settings, etc., it will be noted in the listing.
All Antique Jewelry, Art Deco Jewelry, and Vintage Jewelry should be considered to be pristine clean collector condition unless otherwise noted.
To read more about me, visit the About Me Page Here.
If you are interested in an item that is Out of Stock : Sorry, but it is sold and gone for good! All items are one of a kind to this site and items are not restocked. This is antique and vintage jewelry I have collected over the past 40 years; not something you can just run out and buy! Jewelry here is for collectors.
This is collectible antique and vintage jewelry that you match and outfit to, not the other way around! You can buy new outfits, but you cant run out and buy vintage jewelry or antique jewelry! This site is mainly for serious Antique Jewelry, Art Deco Jewelry, Vintage Jewelry, and Designer Costume Jewelry Collectors, but all jewelry enthusiasts are free to shop!
Amita, ART, Avon, BSK, Beau Jewels, Bell, Bergere, Hogan & Bolas, Bogoff, Boucher, L.Burch, Capri, Carnegie, Castlecliff, Caviness, Celebrity, Cini, Ciner, Liz Claiborne, Charel, Claudette, Copper Craft Guild, Coro, S.Coventry, M.Crimi, Cyrva, Danecraft, Delizza & Elster, Demario, Denicola, Dodds, Duane, Don Lin, Eisenberg, Emmons, Errico, Exquisite, Florenza, Foster Bailey, Forstner, Fred Gray, Givenchy, Gerrys, Gorham, Gucci, Haskell, Hedy, Hobe, Hope Chest, JJ, Jeanne, Judy Lee, Jomaz, KJL, Karu Arke, Anne Klein, Kramer , Les Bernard, Estee Lauder, Lind, Lisner, Little Nemo, Marvella, Matisse, Mazer, Monet, Mylu, MJ ENT, Napier, Ora, Original by Robert, Panetta, Park Lane, Pierre Bex, Rame, Reed & Barton, Rebajes, Reinad, Renoir, Reja, Richelieu, Roma, Sandor, Schreiner, Schiaperelli, Lewis Segal, Swarovski, Tancer,
Anne Taylor, Tortolani, Trifari, Van Dell, Vendome, Vogue, Warner, Weinberg, and Weiss
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