By Daye Salander, on August 27th, 2012%
In this business sometimes you are thrown a curve ball. Ya know, times when in looking at something it confuses you. Well, this is what happened just the other day and it had to do with vintage earrings…or were they antique?
I met up with a person that I was going to be buying some jewelry from and in the pile of jewelry were four pairs of pierced earrings. No brainer, right? Wrong.
Now granted, we were at Starbucks and it’s not like the light was really good but everything seemed to contradict itself. She they were gold and in looking at them and the pitting I thought “No, not gold”. But then I studied the post of the earring.
Continue reading Making Sense From the Confusion
By Daye Salander, on August 20th, 2012%
Cameos have a rich history as they have been around since before the birth of Christ – in other words, a long time. Just this fact alone provides a challenge in dating cameos. For the purpose of this article we will be focusing on cameos from the 19th and 20th centuries.
Traditionally the scenes portrayed either portraits of people or nature scenes. In so many ways they are snapshots in time. This fact alone can give you much information.
Continue reading Dating Antique Cameos – Snapshots In Time
By Daye Salander, on March 10th, 2012%
I say “stuff” because these guidelines will travel beyond a particular category. So, to keep it simple, we’ll just call it “stuff”.
As with many items in the collectibles and antiques world, knowing something about history will help in your mission to date an item. Czechoslovakia is no different – In order to date items that are Czech, you need to do need to understand a bit of history.
Continue reading Help in Dating Czechoslovakia “Stuff”
By Daye Salander, on November 7th, 2011%
As we all do in this industry, we are always on the hunt for new and exciting items to bring to our customers. Whether you are looking for hats to add to your own collection or whether your are buying for your shop, it is important to have a check list for the field. Here is a short list of clues for dating those hats and determining whether a “buy” is in order.
Continue reading Dating Vintage Hats
By admin, on October 26th, 2011%
First, let’s understand what a diamond dust mirror is. No, it is not diamonds, but, it is silver. Basically the silver was melted and used to cover the backside of a piece of glass. When first used it did not coat evenly.
Continue reading Is It a Diamond Dust Mirror?
By Daye Salander, on October 16th, 2011%
Someone uses the words “patent search” and most people’s blood runs cold. It sounds like so much work and brings visions of boredom. It may not be the most exciting thing but by locating the patent, you very well could add great value to your item.
Continue reading Dating Antiques Using a Patent Search
