Last year, I picked up an amazing pair of 14kt gold blue topaz earrings. The 1.75ct blue topaz stones are authentic, not synthetic which is very common today. They are pierced, but have a threaded screw back post and are from the 1920s – 1930s. These earrings have a value of $175. The reason I know all this is because the lady selling them at the estate sale had them appraised by Kurt Teeters, GG. She mentioned that he has been appraising fine jewelry for decades and at the time, he was appraising jewelry for Demi Moore. If I remember correctly, the jewelry was from a movie.

Kurt does not buy and sell jewelry which is a plus because it’s more likely that you’ll get an unbiased appraisal. The lady also mentioned that it’s not a good idea to leave your jewelry with precious stones at the jewelers. It’s better to be there with them as they’re doing the appraisal (unless, of course, you have a trusted jeweler). I’ve heard that there’s a chance that the jeweler will replace your precious stones with cheaper ones.

We haven’t used his services, yet, but if you need an appraisal on precious jewerly, contact Kurt at Allied Gem Appraisers, 55 E Washington, Ste 404 in Chicago. The phone number is (312) 263-0090.

As for the elegant, gorgeous, yummy blue topaz earrings, I’m keeping them. They’re mine. Keep your paws off.

Not long ago, Tanya and I met with Elissa Pappas who works for New York Jewelers. We’ve started to acquire jewelry with semi-precious stones, but we don’t yet have the eye to tell if it’s a real stone, a crystal or glass. So Elissa wielded her magic jewelry loupe and along with her boss, they were able to browse our collection and tell us about the stones. Little did I know that blue diamonds existed. They also confirmed that Tanya’s diamond shaped ring is garnets, that the gold stone in her other ring is a citrine and that my little red, white and blue number is rubies, sapphires and diamonds.

It was awesome to have experts letting us know about our jewelry pieces. The shop not only had new fine jewelry, but they also have an amazing vintage collection of precious pieces. I would love to get my hands on gorgeous jewelry like that! One day . . .

Anyway, if you’re in the market for fine jewelry, talk to Elissa and she’ll set you up. The shop is on 11 N Wabash in Chicago and the phone number is (312) 855-4999.

I have really enjoyed learning about the jewelry I have purchased and collected.  When I go to an estate sale I tend to have an idea of the ‘designer’ names and the quality I want, but for the most part I pick up pieces that catch my eye.  While at the sale I talk with the estate sellers and pick up as much first hand information I can get. Then the excitement continues as I get home and do the research.  I have used multiple resources to look up the information on the jewelry purchased.  The most common resource is the internet.  There are multiple collectors and dealers that have posted information.  You really need to delve into the information and look at multiple sources to make sure what you are reading is correct.  One of the websites that I have found incredibly helpful is www.morninggloryjewelry.com. On the right side of the page they post “Jewelry Articles” with jewelry information and great images of both the front and back of the jewelry.  The other main resource I use are books.  One of my favorite books is Collecting Costume Jewelry 101 by Julia Carroll.  I really like that the book is organized by designer name and that she has great summaries and photos of the jewelry companies.  The only downside to the book is that the photographs are mostly of the front of the jewelry, not the backside.  Finally, my most recent resource has been an antique class.  The teacher is a certified appraiser.  He would teach about an antique/vintage era or subject for the first hour and then allow you to bring in one to two items to get appraised for the second hour.  This was very helpful when I couldn’t quite get the hands-on information from the internet or books.  I would also learn from the other students in the class and the antique or vintage items they would bring in.  All of these resources have been of help to me and I feel my brain expanding.  If you have any jewelry questions, please feel free to ask and I will help as best I can.