I’ve been collecting Cameos for some time now and I have found along the way that I am not the only one as I find it very difficult to find a good vintage piece that is inexpensive. There are so many different styles of cameo jewelry and I find it hard to resist them when I find them, the older the cameo and the more unusual the better.

     Cameos are made by cutting away background material to make a design in relief. Some Cameos are made with stone often times a banded agate. Then the lighter band is used for the figure of the cameo which leaves the darker band exposed. A good artist will use Read the rest of this entry »

           As a collector, have you ever come across a piece of jewelry that you are not sure if the stone or gem is real or not? Wouldn’t it be nice to just know a simple way to determine if it is or not? Well the good news is there are many simple tests that can be performed on various types of jewelry, very easily and with materials you find around your house. If you are in the market to resell jewelry that you find at Read the rest of this entry »

            To those collectors interested in dating costume jewelry, original patents can be fascinating. Patents are a piece of history that is like a first-source record of the jewelry. There are two different types of patents that are used on costume jewelry. These are utility type patents and design patents. The utility type patent is what is used for a practical or mechanical invention and it has nothing to do with the beauty or the design of the jewelry. The design patent is Read the rest of this entry »

I have been collecting vintage costume jewelry for years. And it didn’t take me long to find out that there were plenty of others who had the same passion for vintage or antique jewelry as I did. Especially when bidding on estate sales, or online auctions. The competition for the best pieces Read the rest of this entry »