I seem to recall a (very) old thread in which D gave some great advice about buying vintage/estate jewelry on ebay (fine jewelry, not costume). But I can't seem to find it.
Can anyone point me to that thread, or does anyone have any thoughts/experience they can share?
I'm looking for a sapphire ring. Just generally trying to gauge how I can assess the quality of the stone, and if there are any special rules for assessing sellers of jewelry (anything different than regular sellers). I would love any tips. Thanks!
are you looking for a new or antique/vintage ring? white or yellow gold? style? with diamonds? would you consider buying a stone and setting separately? sellers of new jewelry and sellers of vintage jewelry have different criteria I look for. I'm very leery of new jewelry sellers on ebay...
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"Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." ~ Edna Woolman Chase
as for sapphire's the lighter cornflower or kashmir velvety blue are the most valuable. sapphires can be almost black, and the darker they are, usually the less valuable and attractive.
I'm a fan of vintage. I find the stones and construction tend to be of a higher quality, and the styling either more traditional or unique. Read the feedback carefully to see if they're a good seller. If the feedback is anything less than 100%, I'll check the seller out more closely.
again, sellers of new jewelry I'm very cautious of. read their feedback for similar items and make your best judgement.
when i search for jewelry, I put in my keywords like, sapphire ring, then sort those results for vintage/antique, then sort again for "fine." Be careful about antique reproductions too - typically lesser quality than a genuine vintage piece.