Thank You!

Thanks to my rather whiney last post, I have begun to catch up on my duties:  I balanced every form of money we have, got Head Trip over to help me with my newest project (The Just-In-Case-the-World-Doesn't-End Yardsale ... gotta get a better name ... due on various auction sites Labor Day 2012), and took huge steps toward my new bedroom and office projects.  Haven't weeded as much as I wanted to (rain, rain, rain!) but obviously I'm going in the right direction because the radar, she is unfogging!

And because I found something very, very good, I wanted to say a serious and heartfelt "thank you."  No, not to you, the reader (though I do thank you ... you one person, you) but to the anonymous person who put a cool yard sale find into my local consignment shop yesterday because she didn't believe what she had, and to all the people who saw it in the case and looked at the description on the tag ... instead of at the hallmarks ... on the necklace and bracelet set ...

I'm not being snotty or superior - I almost understand how even the most hardened of treasure hunters would pass this one up.  And for all I know, even though it was dated yesterday it could've gone out today before the store opened.  But I wanted to put together a little checklist for the next time you find something like this at a yard sale (or anywhere else):

1.  The first thing I always do is (duh) look - not just for marks, because gold isn't always marked in this country (and many times the marks are hidden in the design anyway).  No, I look for "tells" like places where plating has chipped or worn off, or thin prongs holding stones in place instead of thicker blob-like fingers, or even bits that look like pools of molten metal (which often are places where the plating is about to flake away).  I also look for scrapes to see if it's darker beneath, or lighter.  Even hairline scratches to see if it's scratching like gold would.  This was marked "10K" in all the right places, but since it was a herringbone necklace and bracelet set, it was hard to deal with scratches.  A magnet revealed the clasps were metal, but that's not unusual (though a first strike).

2.  Then I feel the piece.  Gold has a soft, buttery, almost fluid feel (especially with chains).  This set was stiffer than those I've held in the past (strike two).  But it was also 10K, not 14K, which is what I tend to favor.  Oddly, since it was wide, I also hesitated because this implied newer rather than older - the style itself is maybe 10 years old, and it's lower-carat, which normally appears with this higher-end, more elgant stuff only when gold is expensive.  (I find CZs and other total crap stones in 14K all the time from an era when gold was $200 to $400 an ounce, so 18K was the norm for good stones.  I even have a pair of earrings someone thought was costume because the ball and hook part were clearly tarnished, and obviously plated.  But the rest of wasn't.  The post and the ruby-laden bobble that dangled from the stud setup is all 14K.  A jewelry guy explained that a hollow sphere is much harder to form than a straight post, especially with soft metal, so in times of low gold prices makers just attached the cheaper plated stuff to the heavy, cast gold bits.  You can feel the difference between the parts.  So I pulled it off the crappy studs and put it onto a shield-fronted pair of wires.  They are amazing!)

3.  Then I think about what I see and feel.  While we all know to avoid certain questionable markings, we frequently assume "Italy" is a safe one.  Not so.  In fact, at the last jewelry show I attended every single dealer I know had at least one "Italy" gold horror story.  However, the norm for fakes these days seems to be 14K.  Plus, these pieces had a model number, one which turned up on lots of older posts when I Googled it.  While fakes have always been with us, it's only been worth that amount of risk to sell them in the last two or three years.  (Maybe strike two-and-a-half.)

4.  All this (nowadays) takes maybe 30 seconds (you wish, right?).  In the end, it all comes down to how much the seller wants for the piece.  On Saturday, I spent nearly 10 minutes with steps 1-3 at a yard sale that had clearly seen a lot of traffic.  This one necklace was still there, probably because the price tag was $200.  It was marked "Italy" and "14K" (faint on one clasp) and the dealers' stories rang in my ears.  I fondled and mentally weighed (I don't pull out a scale at a yard sale) and then fondled some more, looked at the dwindling crowds, and asked if she could come down.  She did, eventually hitting the top end of my range.  I bought it.  (On my way out, I saw a smaller household piece and went back to pay the $1 only to hear the seller telling her mom about my purchase and hearing surprise and pleasure at how much she'd gotten for it.  I'm glad.  I did the same after I got home and weighed it.  Almost squealed like a little girl.)  Rule of thumb, however, is if it's really, really cheap just buy the damned thing and worry about it later.  Despite the high strikes, I didn't hesitate on today's pieces.

5.  Then there's after-buy.  I have a compulsive need to know, so I test stones with mad amounts of things, and gold with acid and/or electronics.  The necklace from today looked ... ravaged; three sections of the herringbone were twisted and crimped.  I decided to try that bit first.  It wasn't encouraging.  But the bits were spiky, and my electronic tester needs a good surface, so I put it on the flat bit.  Great once, but lousy in a second place.  I sagged, then remembered.  DUH!  It's Italian!  With "Italy" pieces, I always, always, always use my trusty pink eraser on the gold first because they're frequently coated with a waxy substance to keep it from scratching in transit.  The gel-based tester doesn't do wax!  It gave me no trouble at the "erased" parts, but I was leery because of the weird readings, so I went to acid.  Acid doesn't give a rat's ass about wax, but it will give a higher reading with heavily plated things sometimes so after you rub the piece on the stone, you have to look at the resulting scrape on the gold to see any variation in color, then maybe even dunk it in one level higher acid to see if it turns the cut green.  That means plate.  (It it doesn't discolor it doesn't mean it's real, just a much better chance - nothing is foolproof.)   Today's bits passed with flying colors!

Okay, the moral of this rather involved story is this:  If it's cheap and/or you love it, buy it!  But if you decide to sell it, don't assume it's crap before you test the bejeebies out of it.  If you don't, you won't price it well, and someone like me will pay $1 per gram for your castoffs.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you ... !!!!

What a Difference a Week Makes

Okay, new stats:  This week I ... travelled twice as far, found half as much (by count), and spent twenty (yes, two-oh) times more than I did last week.  But it's my own fault - I blew off my responsibilities this week more times than I could count.  Not for any good reason, just a bit of melancholy with a hefty dose of chum-in-the-water sharky goodness that made me haunt every thrift and consignment in a ten mile radius (fruitlessly, for the most part).

Gotta clean this house.  Gotta keep my promises.  Gotta win at least one battle with the weeds.

Maybe after I watch the newest Sherlock ...

The 13th Part Second

I didn't realize how much time had passed between my last post and this.  I reread my last post.  Huh.  A bit wild-eyed, no?  And yet, it's all true.

April was good to me.  May started well, took a break, then started up again, with a bang last weekend.  This week has been a series of great finds, some rare pieces at fair prices (a turn-of-the-century Eastern Star brooch for a bit under melt!) and a few amazing pieces at astonishing prices (five pieces of Bunnykins by Royal Daulton, including a nursery bowl, none dated, for $18).  Yesterday was Community Yard Sale heaven in my area so I stayed local.  However, because we're expecting a series of storms, I knew I had to get the entire front sweep of sidewalk trenched (no mere edging after a year of neglect) and so I vowed to limit my time in The Hunt, knowing that I would be fine no matter what (if anything) I found.

Amazing what a change of attitude can do for a Bunny.  Again.

Found:  Sterling (several pieces), sterling and 18K earrings (heavy and gorgeous), pearl necklace and matching bracelet (with 10K clasps), two Vera Bradley wallets, a 14K "World's Greatest Friend" pendant, several costume crosses and earrings, 14K and pearl studs, an old organizational pin marked "solid gold" (which, by the way, usually means plated but this time was actually 14K), a carved carnelian pendant (huge!), a 10K baby ring, a pair of 14K Zodiac studs plus two singles, a heavy duty stapler (for my SAT tests), a magnifying glass, and a gun rug.  Most of the jewelry was from just two sellers, one of whom brought it out because I asked if she had any jewelry!

Time spent:  about 3 hours, mostly in my own neighborhood's parking lot while people unloaded (did not buy a single thing there).

Total miles driven:  14.

Total spent:  $9.50.

Wild-eyed, maybe.  Crazy?  No way!

Superstition

I used to believe that Friday the 13th was lucky for me. I almost always got money on 13th days, after all, especially Fridays the 13th. One day I relized that I got money on 15ths and 30ths or 31sts more often (paydays), and that it was time for this triskaidekaphiliac to fuggitaboutit. So today I would've forgotten what day it was. Except Mama Angel had other ideas.

It began with my usual routine - up at 5:15, write for an hour or so, make some hot cereal then head to the bathroom for a few rounds on my portable Yahtzee game while I ... uh, let my breakfast cool. Since today is the Big Lug's day off (every other Friday) we talked about taking a day trip, but the day got away from us. Then I remembered the little pull I'd felt yesterday when I went out to hunt, the third store on a mental list of three that I didn't get to before my students got me. We decided to stay local instead and check it out.

In the store, one I hadn't been in for months, the twirly display thing was broken and had to be turned by a clerk, who was crazy busy - the store was packed! I waited. There were some very nice but expensive pieces on the shelf-type displays but I could also see very big prices - I was in a rich area surrounded by people who usually - but not always - know how much things are worth. I waited some more. Then help came, she spun, and I found a reasonably priced 14k toe ring (perfect for my summer feet) a pair of "sterling and diamond" earrings, and a huge pair in a style I thought I recognized (I did, they were 14k, tagged yesterday, and cheap). We had lunch at a fabulous Turkish restaurant, bought a couple more nice pieces at reasonable prices in an antique store, and headed home to eat, watch Lost Girl, and go to bed.

As I came back to bed, I realized those monster earrings I bought had been $13 (I checked) on Friday the 13th (and weighed 10.3 grams - extra zeroes don't count). I started laughing. I told the Big Lug I was tempted to become superstitious again, but that I knew it was just a super joke on me. He rolled his eyes.

Still chuckling at the feathered one's humor, I finished as I began the day - in the loo hitting the Yahtzee's "start" button.

First score was a Yahtzee! I guffawed. I know an affirmation when I see it.

Second, Yahtzee. I told the Lug and grinned.

Third and fourth, Yahtzee! I roared with laughter.

A few regular rolls, several four of a kinds, then a fifth Yahtzee and a full ticket.

Old record (between me and hubby) 636. New one ...

713.

(Okay, it was 710 but it's still a great day!)

Happy hunting!

Heresy

Warning:  this blog contains graphic images of dismemberment that could cause strong palpitations, offense, or just annoyance in weaker individuals.  Please read with caution!

But before we get to the investigative autopsy, I wanted to post a picture of "the ring" from the last blog.  Seriously, I wrote the entire post while I walked, even took the picture on my phone, but I couldn't figure out how to embed it.  Yes, I could've fixed it when I got home.  Where's the fun in that?

ACK!  Speak of the devil!  I just (literally now) went to retrieve the photo I emailed to myself from my phone camera, hitting the usual blogspot button to do so, and what do I find?  It asked me if I wanted to get the image from my phone!  Damn!  I leave for a couple of months, and they change everything!

No, not hard to tell I took this while walking - well, I paused there, of course.  (Crap, I have old hands, don't I?  Thank heaven for blurry pictures!)  If you didn't remember what "barley twist" meant, now you do.

And no, the ring isn't the focus of today's post, but it sort of fits in.  How?  It's all about learning.

So, a few years back, I found a pair of sterling ("weighted") candlesticks at a yard sale one day, another at an estate sale within hours.  Then a Revere comport (20's, I think) a couple of weeks later.  And dozens of plated things over the next few months.  I began a Gather.  I had the idea that I would have all sorts of formal, shiny things in my dining room (y'know, because I entertain so much ... not).  Well, long story short, I decided I liked color more than grayish, and decided to eject the silver and simply add to my great-grandmother's glorious, multi-hued collection of carnival glass.

Last Fall, I donated boxes of silverplate to an animal shelter (that has a thrift store), but not the sterling.  I decided to play mad scientist instead.  I really, really had to see what it meant when it said "weighted."

So I started in, first with a pair of pliers.  I thought it would be easy.  It's not plated, after all, but weighted, right?

No, that's not a demended tulip.  It's the top part of the candlestick, pried open at length by my semi-arthritic hands.  I can't tell you how much work went into that.

This was worse, though, trust me.  That little bit of tough foil took some seriously tight holding of pincers, twisting around to score the stuff before finding a purchase and stripping (which was more like peeling a tree rather than a banana).

Finally got the little bugger loose, though, and laid bare the steel bar.

Gross, right?  And I hurt.  If you're very observant, you might notice the base in the background.  Okay, okay, at some point I figured out I could use a hacksaw to get things moving.  Funny thing was, once I got a nice slicey hole and pulled with the pliers, I found it was actually just layered on anyway.  No hacksaw necessary for the base.

The interesting thing was what it was weighted with - looked like rosin.  Yes, the stuff you spread on a bow if you played violin, viola, cello or base (which I did).  Banged it out with a hammer.  Took less than a minute.

Overall, however, it took nearly 40 minutes to strip that first one.  Kind of theraputic, really - turning a pair of beat-up (yes, dented beyond belief originally) candlesticks into scrap turns out to be good for a treasure hunter's soul.  And knowing really helped, too.





This is the start weight of one candlestick (yes, a three-digit weight).

And that's the end.

Not bad for the pair, considering what I paid for it, but nowhere near what I see these things tagged at antique or even (these days) thrift stores.  Of course, the pair I autopsied in these pictures is not common.  These are.

Look familiar?  I see these all over.  I wish I knew why - they're not particularly pretty, are they? But they were affordable, and this company (especially) knew how to tap into the market.  Let's face it, people with serious money got solid sterling, gold, and porcelain.  The rest of us bought weighted, plated, and milk glass to emulate those whose ranks we aspired to join.  (And now we copy rappers and sports stars, and wear designer names on our asses.  Oh, how far we've come.)

Anyway, you can see it went from 146 grams to 13.  Not plated, true, but not much substance, either.

These particular sticks were weighted by plaster, by the way.  Very messy.  Very, very messy.

Okay, the next pictures might make you faint.  Oh, don't worry, it's not the Revere...

Yes, this is weighted, but it's really quite amazing.  It and a British inkwell are the only things of sterling-not-jewelry that I still own.  They have places of pride in my treasure cabinets (well, my imaginary cabinets, but you know what I mean).

Now.  Onto the pictures I warned you about.

Seriously, did you think it was stupid candlesticks??  Man up and keep watching.

Look familiar?  You've seen these pins in antique malls.  Gold, heavy, t-bar pins in the back, very Victorian, very collectible, yes?  Well, I found one a few days ago in a thrift shop, and since there weren't any hallmarks for the pricers to drool over, and the back was clearly silverish, not gold (which they are sometimes), it was ... quite reasonable.

So I ripped its throat out.

The top is, indeed, gold - and about the same thickness as the sterling "foil" of the candlesticks.  In fact, the things that look sort of like pecans are the bigger pieces of what was the "weighted" bit (and are rosin - very old rosin).  The back is low-grade silver, with two really bad solders that lifted the back from the front and justified, in my twisted mind, the total trashing of an antique.  Amount of gold here - less than 1 gram.  The feeling of relief that I'm recycling a piece of history, priceless.

"Buyer beware" isn't really the message today.  More like "buyer aware".  Many of us learn by blindly picking up anything shiny, with the assumption that it must be worth what it feels like.  Not always. But don't take my post the wrong way - I'm not saying don't buy these things, especially if you love them.

Just buy them smarter.

Happy hunting!!