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!

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.

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