AntiqueChic4U: November 2010

Over the past 35 years I have collected antique and vintage signed and unsigned costume and fine jewelry and through this experience I have found many ways to find and acquire the most amazing and collectible pieces, having values far higher than what I paid.

My tried and true secrets have worked and as a result I own an extraordinary collection of mostly signed and book pieces dating from the late 1800's up tio the present. I have acquired signed and unsigned Miriam Haskell (some of which were developed for Coco Chanel and have even been featured in Chanel print ads from the late 1930's and 40's),Schiaparelli, Pennino, McClelland-Barclay, Alfred Philippe for Trifari, DeMario, and more of the most sought after names in the antique and vintage jewelry genre.

There are three secrets I employ to acquire such desirable pieces.

The first secret is aligning myself with the companies that sell out estates from the homes of the deceased. I create relationships with the owners of these companies and ask if I can inspect all jewelry (whether costume or fine) prior to the estate sale dates. In exchange I help publicize their upcoming sale by notifying antique dealers, shop owners and specialty store retailers who may be in the market for great furniture, rugs and accessories. To the estate disposal companies this help is invaluable as it raises their chances of getting great traffic and better than fair market values for the estate. There is a second part to this secret and that is that it also works with auctioneers. Once you have developed the relationships, they will call you prior to an auction and sell to you before the auction preview at a box lot price.

The second secret is to align yourself with pawn shop owners. They do not sell costume jewelry which to them has no intrinsic value but will offer a bulk price for costume jewelry brought in by folks and for a small profit sell it to me. I have acquired the most amazing pieces this way. A person has unfortunately hit a rough spot and needs cash and will usually clean out all of their drawers which may include a lot of fine but most likely more costume jewelry. The pawnbroker knows they have an instant sale to me of any and all costume jewelry and most likely sell it to me as a box lot. The person needing the money wins, the pawnbroker wins and I really win, because many of the items have been in the family for years and may date to the late 30's or older. Some may be trash but there is always at least one or two pieces that made the transaction a great success.

The third secret and one that takes tact and sensitivity is when a widower or children of a recently deceased family member is trying to move on and feels the need to donate or "clean out" their loved one’s belongings and personal affects. The family hears of me through an ad I run in the local newspaper or "Penny Saver magazine" stating that I pay cash for any costume jewelry. The family will call and I always give them a more than fair price for the items they have and they are pleased and I have found more wonderful treasures to add to my collection.

All in all, after a few years of using the above secrets people will just come to know you as the "jewelry lady" and the calls will consistently come and the jewelry selections will continue to get better and better.

Good Luck in your treasure hunt and jewelry quest!!!

For more great tips about jewelry and collecting register at www.virtualgemsemporium.com and come sell or buy to your heart's content.