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April 13, 2010

What About Jewelry For You Hair?????

Posted by Jessica Kendrick, G.G. under About Jessica, Antique and Estate Jewelry, Antique Jewelry, big diamonds, Buying Gold, Diamonds, Estate Jewelers, gold, Jessica Kendrick, Jessica Kendrick G G, Jewelry, Platinum, silver, Silver Plate, Silver Plated Flatware, Sterling, Sterling Silver, Summer | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Have you ever thought about jewelry for your hair? Or, rather, jewelry in your hair? Yes! There are some fun cheap things that you can buy in any department store or other retailer. But have you rummaged through your jewelry box? Do you have some really wonderful old brooches that you don’t know what to do with? This is an “Ahhh-Ha” moment for you!

Many times there are beautiful antique combs that are put in front of me or I see them in garage sales. Ladies just don’t know what to do with them. Well, SNAP THEM UP!!! Don’t pass them by. Some are sterling too. Make sure they are in excellent to good condition.

I have old combs and wear them in my hair when the either match or clash with what I have on. Clashing just makes a cool statement. One is a big Art Deco pierced celluloid peacock tail shape with sparkly green rhinestone in it. It’s usually buried at an angle in a French twist and left to peek around the side of my head. There are SO many ways to wear it. Another way is to make a low chignon off to one side and have it peeking out the side. The ways to use it are unlimited.

Bar pins, whether real or not, are another great piece. Pin it in your hair. Real gold, platinum and real stones flip out people because it’s so unexpected. Here, again, the French twist is great for a bar pin. If you’re worried about it coming off, just add a couple of bobby pins on the pin stem and make sure to point the pin clasp end downward. It just makes your hair look fabulous! I’ve had some real ooooo’s and ahhhh’s from a platinum and diamond Art Deco bar pin in my hair. It’s really a sparkler in dark auburn hair and I’ve ALWAYS been asked where I got it.  It’s been fun to say “Out of my jewelry box.”

Got clip earrings with lots of rhinestones? Use those in your hair. Be careful about pulling them out so you don’t pull your hair out. They don’t have to match. Remember to use and odd number of items. And if you don’t use them in your hair, clip them to your plain pumps or ballet flats to dress them up. So don’t forget your toes for a little bling.

What to do with a pony tail? Set your hair how you like it, slick it back and pin a HUGE rhinestone brooch over the top of the elastic or plain bar barrette. That brings up the WOW factor in a hurry! Or clip in some clip earrings on the elastic. They don’t have to be a set, just complimentary together. I have some clip button earrings that have several strands of variegated brown beads falling that have been clipped to the top of a hair elastic. It was a great look.

For you short hair ladies, just clip the clip earrings to a small plain headband of your choice. Here again, an odd number is the best. Don’t set the earrings in the center of the headband, set them off center. Big 60’s paisley earrings are fun. You might just need only one earring if it’s really big.

A Victorian collectible is the hair twist. You see them now put out by Goody. It’s just a little thing set with rhinestones on top with a spiral of wire that’s twisted into the hair. The Victorian Gibson Girls really had something there. This is an old notion with a modern twist….ha ha on the twist. Occasionally, you can find the antique ones. They don’t look like much of anything on their own. But together, they really make an up-do. I have numerous of them. They are one of the obscure things that I collect. Quite a few of them have diamonds, amethysts, zircons and one with a signature of Mauboussin in 18kt gold

Dig into your jewelry box, your Mom’s or better yet your Grandmother’s. Look in garage sales for sweet finds. Check out the local antique mall or resale shop. There are combs, earrings and brooches that are out there just waiting to help bring a little bling to your hair and add a little more sparkle than just your eyes. Sparkles to everyone!

 

April 6, 2010

What Is Gold Filled, Rolled Gold, Gold Leaf, Gold Electro Plate, Gold Or Silver Plate?

Posted by Jessica Kendrick, G.G. under About Jessica, Antique and Estate Jewelry, Antique Jewelry, Buying Gold, Estate Jewelers, gold, Jewelry, Jewelry Sales, silver, Silver Plate, Silver Plated Flatware, Sterling, Sterling Silver | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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These terms are bandied about and no one actually knows what they are. Is there really gold or silver in your jewelry, flatware or hollow ware items? Are they worth anything? I can’t tell you how much plated, rolled gold or silver plate passes through my hands.

Gold Filled
A piece of jewelry or other object is layered with gold of the specified fineness and is electroplated over a base metal (copper or brass). You’ll always see a hallmark ( i.e. 1/20th 12kt GF) . The 1/20th stands for the gold total weight in the designated item. The GF stands for gold filled. Sometimes there’s an HGF which stands for heavy gold filled.

Rolled Gold
A sheet of very thin gold is fused to a thin sheet of base metal (usually brass) and formed into a piece. Rolled gold wire for chains has a base metal center with tube of gold around it and then pulled through a draw plate for a specified thickness. The gold plate can be seen from the edge or where there’s severe wear. Often, items will have 10 kt. RGP hallmarks or rolled gold plate.

I look for antique rolled gold jewelry items. My loupe is attached to a Victorian ladies 60” rolled rose gold watch chain. So many people make comments on how beautiful it is.

Gold Leaf
Gold’s extremely malleable and can be pounded extremely thin. One ounce of gold can be hammered into a sheet that measures more than 100 square feet (a football field) and only 5/1,000,000th of an inch thick. Gold leaf is about 1/200,000th to 1/250,000th of an inch thick and is primarily used for gilding things like a mirror.

Gold Electroplating
Electricity is used to produce the plating technique. The item(s) to be plated have an electrical current running through it and are suspended in liquid. An item of the karat gold has the opposite electrical current running through it. The item to be plated will draw particles from the gold, through the liquid, and coat the item with gold. Varying thickness can be achieved. Some watches hallmark 20 microns thick. That’s about the thickness of a strand of human hair.

Do note that if an item’s sterling with a gold electroplating or other plating method then it’s called vermeil or silver gilt. Lots of older costume jewelry’s vermeil. Don’t throw it out. It’s worth the silver that’s in it. If it’s vintage, has a signature, or some other way of being special then it can be worth more. You might have a little treasure that you didn’t know about.

Gold or Silver Plate
Usually a piece of jewelry will have a hallmark of GP which stands for gold plate and sometimes HGP or heavy gold plate will be hallmarked. Silver plate, as in flatware or hollow ware, will say silver plate or EP (extra plate). This process has a base metal (either copper or brass) that has the gold or silver mechanically or electrochemically applied to the item. Usually gold is 1/1,000th to 1/1,000,000th of an inch thick. It’s considerably thinner than the gold electroplating process and does NOT wear as well.

I love the old silver plate and the plating’s heavy, very heavy. Please refer to my previous article for silver plate. The new plate wears off quickly. You can find the old stuff at estate and antique dealers, flea markets or through garage sales. These are truly finds. I just bought a set of 10 bone handled silver plate fish knives. They were black and it took elbow grease to make a spectacular Easter gift to my sister. She loved them!

Value
Valuable or not? Vermeil has silver value, not any gold value. If there’s a signature (i.e. Tiffany, Cartier, etc.), period piece (Victorian, Art Deco, etc.), or something unusual…….well…maybe. It just depends. Send a photo and I’ll tell you. Or, take it to your local antique and estate dealer. They might charge for the valuation. Value’s really what it’s worth to you. As far as refining it goes, that’s up for debate. Some people do refine all the fills and plates and some don’t.

You can search for the information on your own. No one puts it all in a nice neat package for you to see it all in one place. Now you know. Take a look, a close look, at what you have. You might not have a treasure and then again, you might!

 

March 14, 2010

What’s Up, What’s Down, What’s Stable, What’s Good To Buy?

Posted by Jessica Kendrick, G.G. under About Jessica, Antique and Estate Jewelry, Antique Jewelry, big diamonds, Cultured Pearls, Diamond Sales, Diamonds, Estate Jewelers, gold, Jessica Kendrick, Jessica Kendrick G G, Jewelry, Jewelry Sales, Pearl, silver, Sterling, Sterling Silver | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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Our economy has had some serious ups and downs. It’s also reflected within the jewelry industry too and disastrously so. Pearls are still down. Gold’s see-sawing daily but for the most part staying in a range. Diamonds are in their own league by themselves. What’s going on? The experts don’t really know either. I’m certainly not an expert.

What I can tell you is that diamonds, certain cuts, seem to have stabilized. Rounds and Princess cuts are still hot and lead the pack in desirability and price. Pear shape, Marquise, and Heart shapes are still the bottom of the desirability scale. This’s still the deal for you and I would still recommend buying one of those shapes. The primo or good stones of any shape will always sell no matter what. The middle of the road clarity and color and the not so nice stuff just is not selling. That’s where the mass majority of the retail public is. The majority isn’t buying at the moment and hasn’t for about the past year and half.

Gold prices are up, they’re down, they’re up and then they’re about the same. The prices seem to be hovering around the $1100.00 +/-. People are still selling. There’s still a wide variety of people selling too. The reasons for selling range from a little extra cash to acts of desperation trying to pay a mortgage, medical expense, or a utility. Some people selling have been bank executives that have lost everything, a young couple trying to make ends meet, or an older couple selling for medical reasons to name a very few.

As high as gold prices are, the silver prices seem attainable for the average consumer. It’s much, much less expensive. The only thing that makes silver expensive is the labor to make it into a desirable piece of jewelry. Just like putting a thermostat in your car that costs about $10-$15, the labor to put the thermostat in will be around $100. The same thing holds true here.  Silver’s cheap but the labor to work it isn’t.

Pearls are just down, down, down, and down some more. Perhaps the flood of all the cultured freshwaters has been a contributing factor. Who knows though? But pearls remain something that I simply can’t buy cheap enough. There just aren’t any buyers for them. But on the upside, if you as an individual needs, wants, has to have a strand or something pearl, now’s THE time to buy and score a deal for yourself or a loved one.

During World War II the period of Retro jewelry was “it”. Those who were anyone were wearing very large, very chunky, bold jewelry. Times were very difficult then and the jewelry made a statement. The jewels that were mostly used were large inexpensive single stones with an accent of diamonds and other smaller stones. The styles were asymmetrical and architectural in feel. Big shoulder pads were in style for the ladies. Well we’re in a similar style mode and similar difficulty economically too. Shoulder pads for ladies are coming back and large, chunky, bold jewelry is in style. See the similarity here.

Costume is was hot in the ‘40’s and it’s hot again. Even good jewelers now are bringing in good costume lines in order to just get traffic into their stores. The trends follow the Lipstick Theory. The theory is that a woman may not be able to afford shopping excursions for clothing but to augment the wardrobe a woman will go buy a lipstick. A lipstick is by far cheaper than going to purchase clothing. It is a closely watched trend. The prohibitive price of gold is what’s driving the costume trend. Older good costume jewelry was quite often made from sterling. I buy quite a bit of it and tell people that if they have costume to bring it in. It’s always a pleasure to find vintage sterling costume jewelry and tell people they will have more cash in their hand because of it. Check out your Grandmother’s and Mother’s jewelry box for a few chic and trendy items for yourself.

What’s in, what’s out, what’s up, what’s down is ultimately an individual’s expression from their purchasing power as a group. Estate and Antique dealers are still going to be the best bet to find the best deals because of negotiations abilities not available to major chain stores. So, if there’s a little bit of bling that’s a necessary item from your future, you know where and what to look for.

 

March 4, 2010

How To Understand Gold Karats

Posted by Jessica Kendrick, G.G. under About Jessica, Antique and Estate Jewelry, Antique Jewelry, Estate Jewelers, gold, Gold Testing, Host a Gold Party, Jessica Kendrick, Jessica Kendrick G G, Jewelry, Selling Gold | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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One of the most common questions that’s asked is to explain gold karats or fineness. I wish I had a dime for every time it was explained. You would be amazed at how wealthy my bank account would be. It’s really simple and it’s not rocket science either. Let me share with you.

Firstly, just because it’s stamped a particular karat doesn’t mean it’s really that karat. Quite often, jewelry from overseas is NOT the karat stamped. There have been many pieces of jewelry handed to me that are stamped 22kt. or .916 and once tested, it’s 14kt. How does that happen you ask? Easy. It’s SOOOO simple once you have a tiny little stamp to stamp anything you want or any karat that you want. Not all jewelers are scrupulous. The item in question is made out of 14kt. and then flashed or plated with 22kt. If the vendor or jeweler does that on a large amount of unsuspecting buyers, well, it’s all in the profits gained.

When going to purchase your jewelry or gold from overseas, purchase from a LONG time jeweler or dealer with good standing with the cruise line, local area, or travel agent. This’s where you’re safe. These vendors have their reputations to lose and your trust is very, very valuable to them. Especially, in this economic market. Once a reputation is damaged, as in anything, it’s extremely difficult to recover.

When you buy your gold item, you’ll see the hallmark or stamp on it. It will not be exactly that karat. There is a legal tolerance that the original vendor or manufacturer has to stay within. It differs all over the world. But it has to be CLOSE to the karat stamped. Often items brought to me won’t feel right. The heft in the hand is off. The feel is something one gains over having had a lot of gold run through their hands. Different karats have different densities therefore “feeling”  or hefting differently. If there’s a question about the karat, acid is used to determine the exact karat. Acids never lie and they are fool proof.

The fineness of gold is as follows:

24kt.=pure gold
23kt.=.9583 fine
22kt.=.9166 fine
21.6kt.=.900 fine
21kt.=.875 fine
20kt.=.8333 fine
18kt.=.750 fine
14kt.=.5833 fine
10kt.=.417 fine
9kt.= .333 fine

These are the percentages of gold in the individual pieces. The remainder of the metal in your item will be alloys. As an example, an 18kt. ring has 75% gold and the remaining 25% is alloy. It follows through for the rest of the karats too.

If you have an item that has a “P” after the stamp (i.e. 14KTP), that means “Plumb”. Plumb gold means that it’s exactly the karat it’s marked.  It doesn’t differ one iota. It is a little more expensive but worth the search when looking. When purchasing, I look for that stamp. If it feels right then it’s just added to the karat pile to be purchased.

There are a couple of other hallmarks or stamps that you should be made aware of. When you see a GE or a HGE after the karat mark (i.e. 18kt HGE), that’s NOT gold. Those hallmarks stand for “gold electro plate” or “heavy gold electro plate” respectively. It’s not uncommon for people to bring items in with the karat and GE or HGE in the hallmark and thinking it’s gold. Bad news isn’t always easy or pleasant to tell someone.

Gold karat or fineness is easy to understand and as promised, it’s not rocket science. No genius involved here. So purchase from your trusted jewelers, vendors, or dealers with knowledge that they have your best interests first and foremost.

 

November 4, 2009

How to Treat Your Organics, In-Organics and “IF” They Should Be In Safe Deposit Boxes

Posted by Jessica Kendrick, G.G. under Antique and Estate Jewelry, Antique Jewelry, Cultured Pearls, Diamonds, Estate Jewelers, gold, Jessica Kendrick G G, Jewelry, Pearl, Platinum | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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february-09-041wordpressOrganics? What are Organics you ask? This an all encompassing jewelry trade term that you may or may not heard of. Organics are anything that is not a rock or a stone. The following are examples of organics: coral, shell, pearls, ivory, conch pearls, paper (historic documents), animal furs or claws. In-Organics would be diamonds, platinum, gold, sterling, coins,  etc.

Why put items in safe deposit boxes? The obvious answer is to keep them safe. But there are things that should NOT stay in a safe deposit box for extended periods of time. The air is VERY dry and will pull the moisture out of any organic and a few in-organics items. Years in safe deposit boxes have absolutely ruined items that people have put in front of me to purchase from them. It has put me in the difficult position to explain that Aunt Bessie’s favorite large Victorian period shell cameo is only worth the value of the gold frame because the once beautiful cameo is crazed and has a crack giving Aphrodite a part that the carver did not intend. It is a shame to see some of the beautiful pieces that have been destroyed because of their spending a lifetime in the local bank. The Dead Sea Scrolls befell the same circumstances because of their safe deposit storage.  A beautiful large opal in a fabulous Art Nouveau necklace will craze beyond belief if it were kept in a safe deposit box for a long time.

What not to put into a safe deposit box? Organics, papers (historic in nature), leathers, Opals, fabrics, watches and clocks are items that should not go into a safe deposit box. You CAN put them into the bank if you are going away for a trip and will return in a couple of weeks. There is no issue there. Just bring them home when you can after you get back and they can acclimate to your home again. These items need the moisture that is in your home.

With these simple little rules, you can keep your treasured jewelry beautiful for generations to come.

 

October 19, 2009

How’s and Why’s of Karating and Selling Your Gold Demystified

Posted by Jessica Kendrick, G.G. under Antique and Estate Jewelry, Antique Jewelry, Buying Gold, Estate Jewelers, gold, Gold Testing, Selling Gold | Tags: , , , , , , , , |
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february-09-041wordpressHow is your gold bought? Why isn’t 14kt bought as an ounce of 14kt. gold? How does that relate to the price of gold? Gold’s $1,000+ an ounce and why don’t you get that for your 1 ounce coin? These are all of the questions that are heard with frequency. Let me help to demystify the situation for you.

First, let me speak about coins. Know that most gold coins are cut with an alloy. There are a few coins such as the Panda, Credit Suisse or the thin Austrian Kroner that are pure .999, .9999 (24Kt..). But vast majority of the coins are usually alloyed with copper. The copper imparts a rosy tint to the coin. Look to the South African Krugerrand or Mexican Pesos for examples of this rosy color. When you put a single 1 ounce coin on the scale, it weighs more than 1 ounce. It does indeed have 1 ounce of gold in it but the alloys in it will push the weigh higher than the ounce mark.

Coins (or bullion) trade back of the gold price as much as $200 depending on the desirability of the coin. The desirability is paramount for the price of any gold coin. Some coins will trade higher than the price of gold. It just depends on the coin and the market of the individual buyer.

There are so many karats of gold used with regards to jewelry. Here again, I will try to demystify these.

There is not that much jewelry made from 24kt pure gold. It is too soft and bends or scratches with little effort. It is quite often hallmarked with .999, .9999 or .999.9. This is the percent of gold content. You see this mark on some gold coins or ingots. Nothing is ever marked 100% because it always has a “trace” of impurity that can not be refined out and that trace is acceptable worldwide.

Baht gold is usually seen coming from the Asian Market. You can tell Baht by the color and the heft of the items. Baht is usually 22Kt. How does that relate to pure gold though? 22Kt. is often hallmarked with 916 which translates to 91.6% pure and the remainder alloys. Other markets in the world use 22kt such as the Middle East. The term Baht is specific to the Asian market as denotes amounts of weight not just karat.

Jewelry quite often is seen with an 18kt. or 750 stamps. This means that the item is 75% pure gold (.999) and the remainder is alloy. But how does the 18kt translate to the 24kt? It’s the 75% of 24Kt.

14Kt. or 585 is 58.5% gold and the remainder alloy.

10Kt or 417 is 41.7% gold and the remainder alloy. The lower the karat, the higher the amount of alloy.

These are the most common karats of jewelry. It is important to remember that rarely is the gold that you are wearing really 18kt., 14kt or other karats. Manufacturers have a tolerance to work with in and generally don’t produce the exact karat hallmarked on the jewelry. I will pick on 18kt. for an example. A piece of jewelry may assay out to be 17.88kt instead of 18kt. Although, it could go to the plus side but it’s not common. Jewelry contains more alloys that don’t allow the gold to be exactly 18kt. or 750. Solder is the first example that comes to mind. Solder is what binds your new sizing, tipping of flat prongs, adding a new head to hold your diamond in to name a few examples.

A gold buyer knows that once all the different karats are melted down and assayed, it is usual for the karat to drop significantly. The other thing that will drop the karat is a bad buy, i.e. buying something that was thought to be a certain karat gold or it wasn’t gold at all. And, believe me, this does happen. When assaying a lot of 14kt., it is common for it to assay out to 12-13kt. The general public never knows about this.

Common jewelry that doesn’t command a separate price will be purchased from you by the pennyweight or less commonly gram. These smaller weight measurements are used because the public doesn’t generally come into sell 100’s or 1000’s of ounces of gold.

Hopefully this will clarify and demystify some of the most common questions you have while selling your gold. Gold’s above $1000 per ounce. Now is the time for you to sell your gold and get you some cash.

 

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