Those who love jewelry truly understand the importance of buying something antique. A jewelry piece isn’t antique unless it is at least 100 years old. These jewelry pieces always have a story to tell, and that’s what makes them special. People love antique jewelry because of its splendor, age, rarity and emotional connection as well. Finding an antique jewelry piece is not that difficult, but making sure it’s genuine is the real challenge.
If you’re in the antiques market and trying to find a unique piece of jewelry, you should always keep the following points in mind to avoid wasting your money on something that’s not antique at all.
* Always take a closer look at the back of the jewelry. It tells you a lot more than the front. It often tells you about its age, which is the most important consideration when buying antique jewelry.
* Examine closely the clasp of the jewelry. Sometimes, the clasps can confirm the original age of the jewelry and even tell if the jewelry is older than the 20th century or not.
* Check the mark on the jewelry to get more information about the maker. With this information available, it becomes easier to judge if the jewelry is antique or not. You may have to conduct some research about the maker once you find it, but it’s definitely worth the hassle.
* Have a closer look at the color of your jewelry. This will help if you’re going for gold jewelry pieces. All sorts of gold jewelry from the Victorian period come with a reddish tinge, so examine color carefully for this sign.
* Look for mold lines. If you’re holding a piece of antique jewelry with mold lines, it’s not antique at all. These lines confirm you’re looking at a machine-made piece.
* Look at the design of the jewelry. This is really a no-brainer, isn’t it? If the design of a bracelet, necklace or brooch is not from an earlier century, there is no reason to pay a high price for this. Do keep in mind that even the sellers who offer fake jewelry know this point and usually conduct some research to create a counterfeit item that looks like something from an earlier century. Therefore, check the design in relation to the previously mentioned points.
The fact of the matter is that antique jewelry is of great value. Demand, nostalgia, provenance, whimsy, rarity – all of these factors are present in an antique piece of jewelry and take its price to another level. Therefore, it makes sense to take some time and learn how to identify antique jewelry to avoid investing your money on a piece of trash. For more information you can visit Facebook or Google+ page of T N Donnelly & Co.
