Hits and Misses

We're about to get hammered by snow again. I didn't think I'd ever go stir crazy, not with all the stuff I need to do around here, but the ducks are circling, prepared to nibble. See, another foot is predicted, and there's only so much shovelling I can do before my back protests. Loudly. Quacking.

Not that it affects today's post. Okay, it does. I had the time (no tutorials ... again) to pull out the gold tester the Big Lug got me for Christmas. Some I tried for the first time (even if I've had them awhile), and some I retried (because I wasn't sure). Overall, I had some ... interesting results.

First the bad news. Remember those shell earrings, the possible white gold because one was marked "14K"?  Guess what?  They're not.  Pretty, yes.  Gold, no.  And here I was, all set to do some helpful hints on telling white gold from silver.  Note to self - in the future when I see black crud inside the curve of the earring that I think is just schmutz, I'll realize the vendor tested the piece and it turned black from the gel ... which means it's silver! ("Dumbass" is implied.  You got that, right?)

On the other hand, all of the charms (and one of the chains) in the right-hand picture are white gold, and all were priced as silver or even steel (as was my fabulous pin, ensconsed in a permanent place of honor in the upper left corner of the site, and my first diamond - a pendant, sold on a silver chain, for just under $4).  They're gone now (the charms), sold for scrap ... for about $50 ... which is about twice what I paid for all of them (and I kept the chains).

Oh, and lest you think I'm whining about my lousy fortune, I'm not. For you see, next to those fickle seashells sits a pair of earrings marked "925," "14K," and "Tiffany & Co." Since they're marked twice (on post and earring) and since one of the clutchbacks is also marked "T & Co" (and I found a couple of comparables) I'm 90% certain they actually are.

Plus, this watch, though plated, has four very pretty diamonds on it. That isn't as uncommon as you think - do you honestly believe this is the only time in history that gold has reached insane prices?

Now maybe you understand why, despite the possibilities for error, I never walk away from a neat silver (or silvery) piece. Especially when it sparkles.

Of course, there were some great hits, as well. Not from recent activity (alas) but from the year, yes.  The smokey quartz earrings have marked clutchbacks (which would explain the $5 price tag), but nothing on the earrings (which would explain the $5 price tag).  The pearls ($2) and the amethyst-and-CZ ring ($3) had no markings at all when bought (I added the clutchbacks).  Yet everything there tested 14K.  Why did I buy them?  There were no variations in color (darker, lighter, greenish), no "seams" or "rubs," plus they all had both a nice heft and creamy, match-my-wedding-band hue (my eyeball test of choice).  I'm not always right (steep learning curve) but I'm getting better.

I then tested some marked things I've been afraid to test before today, things that were such good deals they had to be bad. Like the Cadillac emblem I really thought was a thistle when I saw it there on the blanket at the flea market (for $1), and the bracelet ($20) I picked up at a neighborhood sale (with two old silver rings thrown in). Both tested to the mark - 14K. That's ... 2.6 plus 8.7 ... 11 grams of gold. And the pieces on the right, too - the stones are Rhodochrosite but the clasp and beads are 14K, as are those CZ-not-diamond-covered "doorknockers". (The others are from reputable places ... trusted, tested, or sold for scrap at some point in the past.)

I had fun with my newest addiction - service pins (with a few others thrown in). The flight pin is marked 10K (and is), the "Lutheran" pin is 9K (simply marked "gold"), and the rest are 14K. The bee was given to me by a nice vendor at a flea because I helped her set up.  The two Mason tie tacks were in a box lot (I sold another piece in the box for scrap and paid for the whole thing).  The kite-shaped school pin (1.3 g)was in a mixed bag of stuff ($5) at an antique mall. The religious pin I found along with about a dozen others for a buck a piece (plated, sterling, or just interesting) at a flea. And the check mark and round tie tacks were both on a card full of miscellaneous small pins at a thrift shop ($1.50 for the entire card) - yes, though unmarked both test as 14K.

Some other marked pieces tested badly, of course - a seeming emerald-and-diamond ring ("14K") that is green-and-white-glass instead (and plated, not solid), and a service pin marked "10K" that registered negative on my tester. (I don't even know what that means.) But overall, I loved refreshing my Bargain Hunter's optimism instead of reinforcing the Dark Side pessimist.

And it probably helps that the Big Lug is baking bread.

Ah, Heaven!