Updates

Just a quick post - sorry, but I'm busy focusing on my real goal, which is to raise our bottom line.  Right now that means a massive yard project, and though my back is stronger it ain't better so the landscaping's taking longer than expected ...

... The week was pretty good, thanks to a gamble on what I (and, obviously, the consigner) thought was possibly a spurious 14K mark on a decorative chain (it wasn't!), to an unmarked 10K wedding band, and to a couple of nice leads by Mama Angel (including some 14K gold beads on an otherwise average necklace).  Not enough to cause early retirement, but a great fill-up of the Hope tank.

... The Great Car Hunt is over, and the winner is (drumroll) a Hyundai Elantra.  I had it finally down to two - Honda Accord and Hyundai Elantra (gas mileage, owner satisfaction, etc.).  I took the Big Lug for the deciding factor, the Butt test, and the Honda was the marginally clear victor.  However, after telling the salesman three times (my initial, my subsequent, and this particular and supposedly last search trip) that I HATE the song-and-dance of checking with the manager, back, check, back he did it anyway.  And since my husband has less patience than I do (and no problem with quick decisions) we left, went to the Hyndai guy, were not only treated like a king and queen but offered a packed car for the same price as the Honda (bottom line up front) as well as free oil changes and tires for life!  Combine that with the fact that this dealership is about a mile from my office, I'm averaging 29 miles to the gallon, and I am a very happy camper!

... The first Saturday flea wasn't as great as usual, but I found a couple of interesting pieces of silver - two service pins and a "Return to Tiffany" heart (no bracelet, just the heart) for 50 cents each, and a pair of (I believe) 100-year-old milk glass salt shakers in really good shape for $2.

... I really thought I had a handle on something to distinguish 14K gold pins from their trashy counterparts.  Remember the picture?

Do you notice that the hearts have more of a crosshatch, and the others are plain?  Well, I found this and thought "ah-ha!"

It bends easily without cracking, it scratch-tested as 10K, and even though I couldn't find a mark, I figured I was made (especially since it was thrown in with something else I bought).  Nope.  I looked closer at the scratch-bit, found silvery metal beneath (noooooooo!), then electro-tested and got very low numbers.  So now I know my scratch test isn't perfect on gold (with heavily plated items) and my electronic tester isn't always great on white gold (it gets confused easily these days) which means ... do the best I can.  And don't generalize about pins!

... Oh, and I won't be posting on Monday next week.  I'm going to hit my first storage auction.  As long as I can rearrange a tutorial.  And drive 80 miles to get there, possibly in traffic.  And work up the courage to wade in with a bunch of pros.

Overall, even with the crapy things that were risks that didn't pay off, I quadrupled (or quintupled, depending on the research for the shakers) the money I spent.  Now, since I didn't spend a lot that means I didn't make a lot, but "it doesn't suck" beats the blisters off "WTF", right?  And, truth is, it was a boatload better than not sucking.

Life is good.  Happy Hunting!