This is a question that I am often asked and I have given much thought to my answer. The conclusion that I have come to is fairly simple. Are there paintings or other antiques that I would buy regardless of the economic conditions? The answer to that is a resounding yes! And, if I feel that way, then it only seems logical that others feel the same way. Very few people are in the business of Antiques and Fine Art solely for the money, you will find that most of them truly enjoy the items that they purchase. Most antique and are dealers are also collectors.

I can share my want list with you. These items remain constant regardless of other factors with the exception of price. First are paintings by Patty Thum, a Kentucky artist who painted around the turn of the century. You should add this to your list of things to watch for because I am obsessed with her work and so is my wife. We are also interested in other Kentucky artists such as Harvey Joiner, Carl Brenner and Paul Sawyier to a lesser degree.

But those aren’t the only items that stay on my want list. I am always looking for Doulton pieces by leading artists including: Hannah Barlow, George Tinworth, Eliza Simmance, Mark Marshall, Frank Butler and Emily Stormer. By having constant items on your wish list, it helps you begin to associate with other collectors of these items therefore letting those collectors know you are a buyer. In addition, it provides you with a sell list of customers for items that don’t meet the requirements for your personal collection.

It will subsequently become apparent to other people and they may consider you an expert in the area or items you choose to deal in. This provides you with a base of business and it will continue to expand as your name is shared with others. One of our first rules in the 31 Club is to let everyone we meet know what we’re doing and after we have become established, we tend to forget to continue to follow this rule.

Make your list of items that you are most interested in and share them with everyone you come in contact with. This is the best way to promote yourself and it costs you nothing. Save money and help make money - what could be better than that?

Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle’s 220 Page Book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
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Years ago when I went to auctions often, I would find spinning wheels and looms that were used to make cloth for clothing but I seldom see these today. But this doesn’t mean they never show up and there are still collectors searching for them everyday. The best examples of spinning wheels and looms can be valued at thousands of dollars. I purchased a very fine spinning wheel out of a barn once in Indiana and took it to a flea market to sell and before I could get it out of the truck, I had people fighting over who was first in line to purchase it. However, there are several types of collectibles that were used to make life enjoyable and more interesting. I will mention a few that may be helpful in your pursuit.

It is very seldom that I attend a house sale that I don’t see some type of food mold. There are candy, cake, ice cream, butter and other food molds that are eagerly sought after by the avid collector. I have seen candy molds sell for over $500 and they come in every shape, form and fashion. Santa candy molds should sell at a premium as we approach the Christmas season. Be sure to keep a close eye out for them and they can reward you handsomely when found.

Now, cake molds are a different thing. I was attending a farm sale once and there in the out building; you from the city won’t know what this is but thats okay, I found a Griswold Santa cake mold in the box. I asked the price and was told $50 and so it was added to my growing pile of items to purchase. Not really wanting to part with this piece, I entered my Santa mold in a sale with what I thought was an outrageous reserve of $550 just to see what its real value was. As you may have guessed, it exceeded my reserve and I knew that even though I personally collected Griswold at the time, I would probably never own another original Santa cake mold in the box. I haven’t found another one to this very day.

As for other molds, butter molds have always been a very desirable. They have been made using several different materials through the years, but the wooden ones seem to do the best in the market place. The better the design on the butter pad, the higher their value is. I once saw one with an Eagle pattern and dated, if I remember correctly, somewhere in the 1700 bring over $1,500.

I have just touch on a few of the collectible items that are available to you. It is a real tribute to the early woman that she wanted to pretty up the common things found in her house for her family. Taking pieces of colorful cloth to make wonderful quilts and homemade clothing, all the while cooking in the kitchen and making the food more appealing.

Remember this when you are out there hunting for those items that were used to make life better. These items were used and functional so few survived intact, making them rare and unusual. This is the reason the true collector is willing to pay large sums to acquire the true quality items from year’s past. No one every expected them to have the value they have to day.

Learn to Grow Your Bank Account Trading in Antiques & Collectibles. Register for the 31 Club. Daryle’s 220 Page Book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your Membership.
Plus You Get FREE MENTORING with Daryle.
Join Today!

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How do you know you haven’t already passed on that special piece? Every time someone finds a treasure, you can be sure that many people have passed on it because they didn’t know what it was or because they were afraid to take a chance. Our goal is not to let either of these excuses stop us from reaching our financial goals in the Antique and Fine Art Busness.

This week, a gentleman called me about a pair of Oriental vases he thought might be a great buy if he could acquire them. His potential customer had e-mailed him about the pair.

I asked him what the customer was asking for them.

“Nothing yet,” he said. “They want to know what they’re worth.”

“Are you going to be paid to do the appraisal,” I asked him?

“I don’t think so.”

“Why don’t you respond to the email saying you’d be interested in the vases, if they’d give you a price. You could also state the vases could possibly be worth $500 up to many thousands depending on their history.”

With his knowledge in this area, it might be well worth the risk of investing $1000 to $1500 in this pair. If he is wrong, the chances are he will still make a profit. But what if he’s right? Then the rewards could be a profit of $20,000 or more. No, he isn’t sure which of these scenarios will play out, but he can’t be hurt very much by either of them. I am hoping he gets that call and the price they ask for the vases is reasonable.

Some of you will remember when I entered an antique shop close to my home and was told they had nothing for me that day. Still, I asked, “Are you sure?”
” I do have a painting here, but it’s sold,” the shop owner told me. This gave me an opening.

“May I see it,” I asked?

He took me to the back of the shop where I laid eyes on a wonderful early painting of two little girls skipping rope.

“What did you get for this wonderful painting,” I asked?

“Twenty-five thousand dollars,” he proudly stated.

I asked if he’d been paid for it, and he told me the painting was on hold and he hadn’t been paid yet. Now the door was wide open for me, so I ask him if he’d call me in a couple of weeks if he hadn’t been paid. Sure enough, two weeks later I got that call. I purchased this painting for $16,000. I didn’t really know what it was worth because I wasn’t familiar with the artist, Frederick Morgan, but I was willing to gamble that its value was at least $16,000.

The advantage that you have over me in these situations is that the 31 Club is there to help determine values. Did I know that this would turn out to be a great find for me? Absolutely not. But, it was. This painting later sold at Christie’s for $115,000. What would the results have been if I had said I wasn’t interested because I didn’t know what its worth was or I didn’t know the artist.

I could tell you many more stories like these, but the important thing to remember is that if the price seems right on a piece your looking at, take the chance. You won’t always make a fortune on every piece, but I’ll bet your decisions will be correct most of the time, so little mistakes are just learning experiences. This is why 31 Club Members just learning the business start with a trading account of only $100. That’s so their mistakes won’t cost them big while they’re learning.

When you buy something, sell it as quickly as possible. This should not take longer than 3-6 months. This way, you will have your money back in circulation to move on to your next purchase, win, lose or draw. Don’t hold on to marginal items trying to get more for them than the market will bear. Turn, Turn and Turn your money over and over until one day you wake up and the world is yours.

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LINK: 31 Club Article July, 2007

I know that you may get tired of me writing about the knowledge you need today to be successful in the Antique, Fine Art and Collectible markets but I hope that after reading this blog it will help you understand.

I went to a house sale on the North side of Chicago over the weekend and when I approached the sale, I could see that there was a long waiting line. Parking the car, I did as usual and started talking to the people standing in line. After a short period of time, I noticed the line wasn’t moving much so I sought out the owner of the sales company and asked how long it would be before they would get to my number. Patience isn’t one of my strengths. Again, I walked up to the son of the lady conducing the sale and asked if there were any paintings, pottery or art glass in the sale.

I know you won’t believe what I am going to tell you next - but this is what we are dealing with. “No!” came his reply, “if there was anything good, mom would have sent it to auction.” I couldn’t believe my ears. I asked him why I was there if all the good items had been sent to auction and his answer was “I don’t know.” You see, the house sale companies have now started their own businesses by selling at auctions instead of doing a service for their customers and selling their items at the house sale. Of course, the customers come out on the wrong end of the stick because they still pay the house sale companies their fees and the auction houses take their cut, and I am sure the auction houses pay the house sale companys a fee for bringing them merchandise to sell.

If you ask the house sales companies why they sent the good items to auction their answer would be the good stuff brings more at auction. How do they know? The people arriving at their sales before daylight might very well pay a fair price for the better things – however, they don’t even get a chance and the seller gets least amount of money in the end.

The logical answer is that the house sales people do not have the knowledge to price better items appropriately so they let the auctions do that job for them. If they did have the knowledge, you would bet that they would try to sell the items at the sale first at a fair price and then if the items didn’t sell - they could be sent to auction. This is what I consider “servicing the customer where the customer retains a greater part of the sale proceeds.”

Why have I written this blog? Because you can still find bargains at these sales, often real treasures are not recognized by the house sales companies. For instance - the plates I bought for $150 and sold immediately for $1,250 or the Rookwood lamp that was bought for $1,500 has an auction estimate of $4500. Remember the Tarzan book purchased for a couple of dollars that sold for $18,000. I know a man who bought a Rookwood plaque for about $50 and sold it outside of the same house sale for $4,500. But the best example might be the Newcomb vase that I bought for about $3,000 and later sold for well over $14,000. Yes, there are bargains at house sales, but you have to be very knowledgeable to find them because it they are recognized by the selling companies, they will either be overpriced or sent to auction.

I hope that as we walk through this journey together you will grant me permission to continually feed you information that will make your journey easier.

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Uncut Diamond, the Sierra Leonean Giant Sefadu, was found in 1970 weighing in at 620 carats. Photo from BBC News

Last week, I had the opportunity to buy some nice resale jewelry, some for trade and a few pieces for my wife. There is wonderful money to be made from buying and selling resale jewelry, but you must have an iron will and a few set rules when buying resale jewelry.

I have never been offered great items at reasonable prices, so there has to be a lot of negotiating before you find a bargain. Since you likely aren’t a gemologist, you will be guessing as to size, color, and quality of the stones mounted in that ring, broach or necklace. Even if the piece comes with an appraisal, be skeptical. These can be easily made.

The content of the metal mounting is one thing that helps to reassure you of quality. If it is 24 carat gold, there is a much better chance the stones are real, and the same can be said about a platinum mounting. Once you get down to 10 carat gold, these pieces might very well have artificial or semi precious stones.

The rule I use goes like this: I know what the gold or platinum is worth, and usually the offer I make is never more than twice the price I can get for the metal in the mounting. This way, I seldom get hurt, and often I end up with a bargain. Jewelry is one area that you should never feel guilty about your offer. To give you an example of what I’m talking about, I was once offered a tennis bracelet by a woman who showed me the receipt from when she bought it. She paid $3,500. Knowing the gold was worth close to $600, I offered her that, and she accepted it. To this day I don’t know what it’s worth, because I gave it to my wife. However, I do feel safe in saying that at today’s metals prices, I could at least double my money should I decide to sell it.

I’ve previously written a Blog about my friend Warner, who purchased a 24K designer gold watch for $200. One of the reasons he was able to do this was because it didn’t say 24K, but instead had a mark from France that indicated this was 24K gold. Today, this watch might bring as much as $10,000.

My grandfather was originally from Cuba, and when he came to this country he worked for the L & N Railroad all his life. Once when he was traveling though Kentucky, he stopped at our house, and before he left, he handed my mother three large stones that looked like common rocks. He told her they were diamonds. My mother stashed these away in a safe place for many years.

After my Grandfather’s death, my Dad suggested they check out whether or not these rocks were really diamonds. Louisville was the only city large enough to get this information, so off they went.

They shared the story with a store manager in Louisville and asked if they would be willing to cut the largest stone they could from one of the rocks. The store manager agreed to do that, so they left the rocks in his possession and returned home.

They soon received a letter stating that the diamond had been cut, so they returned to Louisville to a very suspicious and inquisitive greeting. Two men started to question my parents about the rocks, but after a lengthy period of time informed them that yes, the rocks were indeed diamonds, probably from Arkansas. The rock they were able to cut turned out to be about the size of a nickel, perhaps larger on its crown.

The manager handed them the bill for the work they’d done and told my folks that if they would allow the shop to keep the cuttings from this rock, they wouldn’t have to pay for the work. Being young and not having to pay out any money sounded like a good idea to them, so a deal was struck. They took their stone and other rocks home.
There is a sad chapter to this story, however. Over the many years and numerous moves, the other two rocks were lost. Boy, would I like to speak to my Grandfather and get the full story about where these stones came from and how they ended up in his possession.

The reason that I share this story with you is to state that everything that sparkles may not be a diamond, but everything that doesn’t sparkle may be a diamond in the rough.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your treasure hunting skills. Get FREE Mentoring. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to make high profits and continue to grow your money buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Visit our Website, here.>

Uncut Diamond, the Sierra Leonean Giant Sefadu, was found in 1970 weighing in at 620 carats. Photo from BBC News

Last week, I had the opportunity to buy some nice resale jewelry, some for trade and a few pieces for my wife. There is wonderful money to be made from buying and selling resale jewelry, but you must have an iron will and a few set rules when buying resale jewelry.

I have never been offered great items at reasonable prices, so there has to be a lot of negotiating before you find a bargain. Since you likely aren’t a gemologist, you will be guessing as to size, color, and quality of the stones mounted in that ring, broach or necklace. Even if the piece comes with an appraisal, be skeptical. These can be easily made.

The content of the metal mounting is one thing that helps to reassure you of quality. If it is 24 carat gold, there is a much better chance the stones are real, and the same can be said about a platinum mounting. Once you get down to 10 carat gold, these pieces might very well have artificial or semi precious stones.

The rule I use goes like this: I know what the gold or platinum is worth, and usually the offer I make is never more than twice the price I can get for the metal in the mounting. This way, I seldom get hurt, and often I end up with a bargain. Jewelry is one area that you should never feel guilty about your offer. To give you an example of what I’m talking about, I was once offered a tennis bracelet by a woman who showed me the receipt from when she bought it. She paid $3,500. Knowing the gold was worth close to $600, I offered her that, and she accepted it. To this day I don’t know what it’s worth, because I gave it to my wife. However, I do feel safe in saying that at today’s metals prices, I could at least double my money should I decide to sell it.

I’ve previously written a Blog about my friend Warner, who purchased a 24K designer gold watch for $200. One of the reasons he was able to do this was because it didn’t say 24K, but instead had a mark from France that indicated this was 24K gold. Today, this watch might bring as much as $10,000.

My grandfather was originally from Cuba, and when he came to this country he worked for the L & N Railroad all his life. Once when he was traveling though Kentucky, he stopped at our house, and before he left, he handed my mother three large stones that looked like common rocks. He told her they were diamonds. My mother stashed these away in a safe place for many years.

After my Grandfather’s death, my Dad suggested they check out whether or not these rocks were really diamonds. Louisville was the only city large enough to get this information, so off they went.

They shared the story with a store manager in Louisville and asked if they would be willing to cut the largest stone they could from one of the rocks. The store manager agreed to do that, so they left the rocks in his possession and returned home.

They soon received a letter stating that the diamond had been cut, so they returned to Louisville to a very suspicious and inquisitive greeting. Two men started to question my parents about the rocks, but after a lengthy period of time informed them that yes, the rocks were indeed diamonds, probably from Arkansas. The rock they were able to cut turned out to be about the size of a nickel, perhaps larger on its crown.

The manager handed them the bill for the work they’d done and told my folks that if they would allow the shop to keep the cuttings from this rock, they wouldn’t have to pay for the work. Being young and not having to pay out any money sounded like a good idea to them, so a deal was struck. They took their stone and other rocks home.
There is a sad chapter to this story, however. Over the many years and numerous moves, the other two rocks were lost. Boy, would I like to speak to my Grandfather and get the full story about where these stones came from and how they ended up in his possession.

The reason that I share this story with you is to state that everything that sparkles may not be a diamond, but everything that doesn’t sparkle may be a diamond in the rough.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your treasure hunting skills. Get FREE Mentoring. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to make high profits and continue to grow your money buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Visit our Website, here.>

Uncut Diamond, the Sierra Leonean Giant Sefadu, was found in 1970 weighing in at 620 carats. Photo from BBC News

Last week, I had the opportunity to buy some nice resale jewelry, some for trade and a few pieces for my wife. There is wonderful money to be made from buying and selling resale jewelry, but you must have an iron will and a few set rules when buying resale jewelry.

I have never been offered great items at reasonable prices, so there has to be a lot of negotiating before you find a bargain. Since you likely aren’t a gemologist, you will be guessing as to size, color, and quality of the stones mounted in that ring, broach or necklace. Even if the piece comes with an appraisal, be skeptical. These can be easily made.

The content of the metal mounting is one thing that helps to reassure you of quality. If it is 24 carat gold, there is a much better chance the stones are real, and the same can be said about a platinum mounting. Once you get down to 10 carat gold, these pieces might very well have artificial or semi precious stones.

The rule I use goes like this: I know what the gold or platinum is worth, and usually the offer I make is never more than twice the price I can get for the metal in the mounting. This way, I seldom get hurt, and often I end up with a bargain. Jewelry is one area that you should never feel guilty about your offer. To give you an example of what I’m talking about, I was once offered a tennis bracelet by a woman who showed me the receipt from when she bought it. She paid $3,500. Knowing the gold was worth close to $600, I offered her that, and she accepted it. To this day I don’t know what it’s worth, because I gave it to my wife. However, I do feel safe in saying that at today’s metals prices, I could at least double my money should I decide to sell it.

I’ve previously written a Blog about my friend Warner, who purchased a 24K designer gold watch for $200. One of the reasons he was able to do this was because it didn’t say 24K, but instead had a mark from France that indicated this was 24K gold. Today, this watch might bring as much as $10,000.

My grandfather was originally from Cuba, and when he came to this country he worked for the L & N Railroad all his life. Once when he was traveling though Kentucky, he stopped at our house, and before he left, he handed my mother three large stones that looked like common rocks. He told her they were diamonds. My mother stashed these away in a safe place for many years.

After my Grandfather’s death, my Dad suggested they check out whether or not these rocks were really diamonds. Louisville was the only city large enough to get this information, so off they went.

They shared the story with a store manager in Louisville and asked if they would be willing to cut the largest stone they could from one of the rocks. The store manager agreed to do that, so they left the rocks in his possession and returned home.

They soon received a letter stating that the diamond had been cut, so they returned to Louisville to a very suspicious and inquisitive greeting. Two men started to question my parents about the rocks, but after a lengthy period of time informed them that yes, the rocks were indeed diamonds, probably from Arkansas. The rock they were able to cut turned out to be about the size of a nickel, perhaps larger on its crown.

The manager handed them the bill for the work they’d done and told my folks that if they would allow the shop to keep the cuttings from this rock, they wouldn’t have to pay for the work. Being young and not having to pay out any money sounded like a good idea to them, so a deal was struck. They took their stone and other rocks home.
There is a sad chapter to this story, however. Over the many years and numerous moves, the other two rocks were lost. Boy, would I like to speak to my Grandfather and get the full story about where these stones came from and how they ended up in his possession.

The reason that I share this story with you is to state that everything that sparkles may not be a diamond, but everything that doesn’t sparkle may be a diamond in the rough.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your treasure hunting skills. Get FREE Mentoring. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to make high profits and continue to grow your money buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Visit our Website, here.>

Uncut Diamond, the Sierra Leonean Giant Sefadu, was found in 1970 weighing in at 620 carats. Photo from BBC News

Last week, I had the opportunity to buy some nice resale jewelry, some for trade and a few pieces for my wife. There is wonderful money to be made from buying and selling resale jewelry, but you must have an iron will and a few set rules when buying resale jewelry.

I have never been offered great items at reasonable prices, so there has to be a lot of negotiating before you find a bargain. Since you likely aren’t a gemologist, you will be guessing as to size, color, and quality of the stones mounted in that ring, broach or necklace. Even if the piece comes with an appraisal, be skeptical. These can be easily made.

The content of the metal mounting is one thing that helps to reassure you of quality. If it is 24 carat gold, there is a much better chance the stones are real, and the same can be said about a platinum mounting. Once you get down to 10 carat gold, these pieces might very well have artificial or semi precious stones.

The rule I use goes like this: I know what the gold or platinum is worth, and usually the offer I make is never more than twice the price I can get for the metal in the mounting. This way, I seldom get hurt, and often I end up with a bargain. Jewelry is one area that you should never feel guilty about your offer. To give you an example of what I’m talking about, I was once offered a tennis bracelet by a woman who showed me the receipt from when she bought it. She paid $3,500. Knowing the gold was worth close to $600, I offered her that, and she accepted it. To this day I don’t know what it’s worth, because I gave it to my wife. However, I do feel safe in saying that at today’s metals prices, I could at least double my money should I decide to sell it.

I’ve previously written a Blog about my friend Warner, who purchased a 24K designer gold watch for $200. One of the reasons he was able to do this was because it didn’t say 24K, but instead had a mark from France that indicated this was 24K gold. Today, this watch might bring as much as $10,000.

My grandfather was originally from Cuba, and when he came to this country he worked for the L & N Railroad all his life. Once when he was traveling though Kentucky, he stopped at our house, and before he left, he handed my mother three large stones that looked like common rocks. He told her they were diamonds. My mother stashed these away in a safe place for many years.

After my Grandfather’s death, my Dad suggested they check out whether or not these rocks were really diamonds. Louisville was the only city large enough to get this information, so off they went.

They shared the story with a store manager in Louisville and asked if they would be willing to cut the largest stone they could from one of the rocks. The store manager agreed to do that, so they left the rocks in his possession and returned home.

They soon received a letter stating that the diamond had been cut, so they returned to Louisville to a very suspicious and inquisitive greeting. Two men started to question my parents about the rocks, but after a lengthy period of time informed them that yes, the rocks were indeed diamonds, probably from Arkansas. The rock they were able to cut turned out to be about the size of a nickel, perhaps larger on its crown.

The manager handed them the bill for the work they’d done and told my folks that if they would allow the shop to keep the cuttings from this rock, they wouldn’t have to pay for the work. Being young and not having to pay out any money sounded like a good idea to them, so a deal was struck. They took their stone and other rocks home.
There is a sad chapter to this story, however. Over the many years and numerous moves, the other two rocks were lost. Boy, would I like to speak to my Grandfather and get the full story about where these stones came from and how they ended up in his possession.

The reason that I share this story with you is to state that everything that sparkles may not be a diamond, but everything that doesn’t sparkle may be a diamond in the rough.

Don’t just follow the daily Blog. Join with like-minded 31 Club Members and put a turbo charge on your treasure hunting skills. Get FREE Mentoring. Learn Inside the Industry Secrets. Learn to make high profits and continue to grow your money buying and selling antiques, fine art, and collectibles. My 220 page book, 31 Steps to Your Millions in Antiques & Collectibles is FREE with your membership. The book is also available on Amazon.com. If you buy the book on Amazon, then the membership is FREE.

Visit our Website, here.>

Uncut Diamond, the Sierra Leonean Giant Sefadu, was found in 1970 weighing in at 620 carats. Photo from BBC News

Last week, I had the opportunity to buy some nice resale jewelry, some for trade and a few pieces for my wife. There is wonderful money to be made from buying and selling resale jewelry, but you must have an iron will and a few set rules when buying resale jewelry.

I have never been offered great items at reasonable prices, so there has to be a lot of negotiating before you find a bargain. Since you likely aren’t a gemologist, you will be guessing as to size, color, and quality of the stones mounted in that ring, broach or necklace. Even if the piece comes with an appraisal, be skeptical. These can be easily made.

The content of the metal mounting is one thing that helps to reassure you of quality. If it is 24 carat gold, there is a much better chance the stones are real, and the same can be said about a platinum mounting. Once you get down to 10 carat gold, these pieces might very well have artificial or semi precious stones.

The rule I use goes like this: I know what the gold or platinum is worth, and usually the offer I make is never more than twice the price I can get for the metal in the mounting. This way, I seldom get hurt, and often I end up with a bargain. Jewelry is one area that you should never feel guilty about your offer. To give you an example of what I’m talking about, I was once offered a tennis bracelet by a woman who showed me the receipt from when she bought it. She paid $3,500. Knowing the gold was worth close to $600, I offered her that, and she accepted it. To this day I don’t know what it’s worth, because I gave it to my wife. However, I do feel safe in saying that at today’s metals prices, I could at least double my money should I decide to sell it.

I’ve previously written a Blog about my friend Warner, who purchased a 24K designer gold watch for $200. One of the reasons he was able to do this was because it didn’t say 24K, but instead had a mark from France that indicated this was 24K gold. Today, this watch might bring as much as $10,000.

My grandfather was originally from Cuba, and when he came to this country he worked for the L & N Railroad all his life. Once when he was traveling though Kentucky, he stopped at our house, and before he left, he handed my mother three large stones that looked like common rocks. He told her they were diamonds. My mother stashed these away in a safe place for many years.

After my Grandfather’s death, my Dad suggested they check out whether or not these rocks were really diamonds. Louisville was the only city large enough to get this information, so off they went.

They shared the story with a store manager in Louisville and asked if they would be willing to cut the largest stone they could from one of the rocks. The store manager agreed to do that, so they left the rocks in his possession and returned home.

They soon received a letter stating that the diamond had been cut, so they returned to Louisville to a very suspicious and inquisitive greeting. Two men started to question my parents about the rocks, but after a lengthy period of time informed them that yes, the rocks were indeed diamonds, probably from Arkansas. The rock they were able to cut turned out to be about the size of a nickel, perhaps larger on its crown.

The manager handed them the bill for the work they’d done and told my folks that if they would allow the shop to keep the cuttings from this rock, they wouldn’t have to pay for the work. Being young and not having to pay out any money sounded like a good idea to them, so a deal was struck. They took their stone and other rocks home.
There is a sad chapter to this story, however. Over the many years and numerous moves, the other two rocks were lost. Boy, would I like to speak to my Grandfather and get the full story about where these stones came from and how they ended up in his possession.

The reason that I share this story with you is to state that everything that sparkles may not be a diamond, but everything that doesn’t sparkle may be a diamond in the rough.

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