eBay Tips: Shopping for Vintage Costume Jewelry

Some of my pre-owned jewelry (also shown in video)

i like antique gown earrings. those portions may be scored at charge factors similar to F21 and H&M, but are a whole lot more precise and have more man or woman. additionally, buying pre-owned manner you don't need to marvel approximately the first-rate and whether or not or no longer the jewelry will oxidize, flip inexperienced, or collapse after some wears. I realize now not everyone has a amusing Savers thrift shop nearby (where i found much of my loot), but eBay may be just as fruitful. right here is my shopping /surfing approach (hints are at the cease of this publish):

1. pass on eBay and sort on your seek. right here I used "gold chain necklace," but the options are endless. different things on my wish list include "collar necklace," "locket," "cuff bracelet," "stone ring," "pierced rings" (tons of clip options too), and so forth.

46,786 results? No thank you, not tonight...

2. subsequent, I pick out the class "vintage & antique earrings." unfortunately, this can clear out a number of excellent vintage pieces that were simply now not classified under right here. I take delivery of this in trade for having to weed via forty,000 less listings. And except i'm looking with specific keywords like brand names, I maintain the "consist of description" box unchecked so eBay simplest searches list titles. otherwise, you may get numerous irrelevant outcomes.

3. in case you're beneath a price range, installed a max fee (you may should scroll down to locate this discipline), then hit enter. Now i'm left with 542 listings. At this factor, patient scrolling is key. upload ability objects in your "watchlist," and check returned in an afternoon or two to see if you're nevertheless in love with it.

Here are some pieces that came up in my above search, each under $10....

if you're short, some of the above listings may still be available on eBay. strangely, when I began scripting this post two days ago there was a plethora of gold chain necklaces, but nowadays I should simplest discover a handful. there is plenty other treasures available, even though.

a few extra on-line jewelry-buying hints:
- Have a measuring tape (or ruler + piece of string) available. Drape it round your neck to look where a necklace would hit. If the measurements of the piece aren't listed, ask for them. earrings can regularly look deceptively-sized in snap shots, mainly rings.
- buy (or locate in a bf/hubby's toolkit) a few tiny pliers. Chain earrings is straightforward to re-size to the proper length.
- in case you need to shop for from a acknowledged brand, not unusual vintage costume earrings labels encompass Monet, Napier, and Avon. My gold chain necklace is signed by Monet and bracelet is through Napier.
- To reduce hazard, stick with domestic sellers who've excessive remarks (98%+)
- make sure to scrub pre-owned purchases thoroughly. I clean thrifted rings with rubbing alcohol from CVS.

Happy shopping! Readers, please share some of your own shopping tips and favorite vintage jewelry finds!