lsst
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posted on April 20, 2002 11:40:14 PM new
At an estate sale, I purchased a neat pair of drop earrings. They have a wonderful art deco look to them.
I know very little about vintage jewelry. At first, I thought they might be costume but I now notice they are stamped 750 which I understand is the European stamp for 18k.
They are in a Tiffany and Co. New York Box but the earrings are not signed Tiffany and Co.
Can some one please offer suggestions on how to find out more about them?
Should I take them to a jewelers or should I seek out a local dealer in vintage jewelry?
I am thinking about selling them on e-bay but have no clue what the names of the stones are or even if the stones are real. Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you, Lauren
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Libra63
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posted on April 21, 2002 10:19:47 AM new
They sound great, but remember if you bring them to a jeweler to appraise them they might charge you a percentage of the apprasial amount. Find a jeweler, one you can trust, that charges maybe only $50.00. Don't leave them overnight, have him/her do it on the spot. There are jewelers out there that rip people off, like replacing insides of watches and also replacing diamonds when you leave your rings there. I was in a jewelry store one day and a lady came to pick up her watch and the jeweler said that the inside of the watch didn't belong to the case. She did admit that she had it serviced another place before that. There are crooks everywhere.
Good Luck.
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rarriffle
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posted on April 21, 2002 01:17:02 PM new
if you deal with any BM antique dealers in your area, take it to them first. do not, do not sell it to them, just ask their advice. many time this can be very helpful.
if the antique dealer thinks they may be worth something, then take them to a reputable jeweler in your area. many will look at the item and give you their opinion for free. if you want an official appraisal for insurance purposes or for any other reason, then there will probably be a charge.
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lsst
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posted on April 21, 2002 02:34:15 PM new
Thank you!
I did not pay a lot for them so I hesitate to pay for a full appraisal if the stones are costume.
I do think the Tiffany box was added later as I assume all Tiffany jewelry is signed Tiffany.
Lauren
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on April 21, 2002 02:42:50 PM new
f you deal with any BM antique dealers in your area, take it to them first. do not, do not sell it to them, just ask their advice. many time this can be very helpful.
Only if there's a quid pro quo.
A local woman won $7 million dollars in the lottery a couple of weeks ago because she went into a store to get change for the bus and felt that she should buy something. The owner said, "Here, buy a lottery ticket."
To the original poster:
No, not all Tiffany jewelry is marked "Tiffany and Co."
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lsst
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posted on April 21, 2002 04:27:26 PM new
Thanks, fluffythewondercat- maybe they are from Tiffany and co.
I will definately have to do more research! Are there any good books out there where I can learn more? Lauren
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on April 21, 2002 08:56:55 PM new
There are at least a half-dozen books on Tiffany products. Hard to know where to point you, therefore.
You could start by posting a scan of the earrings.
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lsst
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posted on April 21, 2002 10:08:31 PM new
Hi, I have scanned pics and uploaded them to AW image hosting. How do I get the pics to show up here? Thanks, Lauren
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on April 22, 2002 07:48:07 AM new
Beats me. I use my own server, not AW's.
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lsst
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posted on April 22, 2002 01:08:53 PM new
I am still trying to make the pics show up.
O.K. I hope this works-
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/preview/ls/lsst/750.jpg
http://imagehost.auctionwatch.com/preview/ls/lsst/7503.jpg
Oh, Well, back to the old drawing board!
[ edited by lsst on Apr 22, 2002 01:28 PM ]
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Libra63
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posted on April 22, 2002 04:49:32 PM new
It is clickable in the email that we get./
Those are beautiful. They look like they fit the box also. What I would like to know is, is the part that dangles clear stones or foil back stones?
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kiara
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posted on April 22, 2002 04:56:51 PM new
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rarriffle
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posted on April 22, 2002 05:00:09 PM new
wow, these are gorgeous. I will be interested in hearing what you find out about them.
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kiara
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posted on April 22, 2002 05:03:46 PM new
I agree, those are gorgeous!
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lsst
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posted on April 22, 2002 05:57:40 PM new
Kiara, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The bagette stones are actually black and not blue. I think they are onyx.
The little stones at first look like diamonds but upon closer inspection are a topaz color- sort of a gold color. I can not tell if these are foil backed as they are sealed from the back with the 750 gold.
The red stones look clear red/orange from the back(no foil )
If I recall- foil backed means rhinestone-right?
One of the black stones is chipped.
I bought them because I liked the style and was intrigued after researching the 750 mark.
I was looking for a 14k or 18k mark. I had no clue 750 was the European mark for 18k.
I really appreciate all your responses! Lauren
[ edited by lsst on Apr 22, 2002 06:08 PM ]
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kiara
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posted on April 22, 2002 06:07:44 PM new
Hi Lauren
You have the right Url for your pics. To post them here it is easy. You just put [img$] in front of the Url and [/img$] behind it but remove the dollar signs from the code first.
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on April 22, 2002 06:08:15 PM new
Look, folks. There are some common-sense rules to identifying jewelry.
One is that manufacturers or craftsmen very rarely put fake stones in real gold or platinum. The earrings are marked 750 for 18k gold; therefore, it makes sense that the stones are real also.
750 isn't necessarily a European mark; it's shorthand for 750/1000, meaning the metal is 750 parts gold and 250 parts some other metals or metal. I have seen Chinese jewelry marked 750.
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lsst
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posted on April 22, 2002 06:13:18 PM new
Thanks, fluffythewondercat. I hope you are feeling better!
The reason I questioned the authenticity of the earrings is on the front in the "fan Area" the gold appears worn as if plated. I have not tried to clean them as I do not want to ruin them.You can see the area in the pics.
[ edited by lsst on Apr 22, 2002 06:14 PM ]
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on April 22, 2002 06:33:24 PM new
You can see the area in the pics.
Not well enough, unfortunately. It's a shame you don't have a scanner. They're perfect for most jewelry. Digital cameras are OK but rarely capture enough detail on small objects like earrings.
I will propose one possibility, though: that
the "wear" is actually tarnish, as it seems you might already suspect. If you have a family jeweler (rather than a run-of-the-mill mall jeweler) I'd take these in and get an opinion. I spent nearly $3,000 with my jeweler last year so she's happy to help out.
I hope you are feeling better!
Thank you. You are very kind.
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on April 22, 2002 06:34:54 PM new
Something else I meant to ask: Is there any enamelling on these earrings? They almost have an Egyptian Revival look to them (or maybe that's my virus talking). Thanks.
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lsst
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posted on April 22, 2002 07:08:10 PM new
I do have a scanner but the scans of the earrings are not that good. I need to play with it.
No, there is no enamel on the earrings, just the stones and gold.
I have to take my wedding band to the jeweler tomorrow for the annual insurance inspection. I am going to take the earrings too.
[ edited by lsst on Apr 22, 2002 07:09 PM ]
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lsst
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posted on April 22, 2002 07:33:24 PM new
O.K. I scanned them. Let's see if this works-
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kiara
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posted on April 22, 2002 07:43:36 PM new
That's better. If the stones are an orange red they may be Pyrope garnets?
There are pics of that stone here.
http://www.gemhut.com/pyrope.htm
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hair2dye4
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posted on April 23, 2002 02:18:48 AM new
Beautiful earrings!! And so many helpful people, great thread.
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lsst
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posted on April 23, 2002 12:01:45 PM new
Well I am back from the jewelers and the small stones are marcasite. He was very busy and did not tell me what the red stones were but he said they were not garnet or ruby.
He did say the stones are costume.
If the stones are costume, does anyone have a quess of what the black ones could be? The jeweler did not even mention those.
Ironically, I did an e-bay search on marcasite and a seller has the exact same style earrings but they are sterling silver and the stones are marcasite amd lapis. The seller is from England. He has them listed as art deco style from 1920-1930.
The earrings are at a price of $97 but the reserve has not been met yet.
Fluffythewonder cat, The jeweler said they had an egyptian look to them, too!
Lauren
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