Excellent Vintage Costume Jewelry US Patent Reference Web Sites

Let's say you have a piece of vintage costume jewelry with a patent pending stamp or a patent # on the back. There are excellent web sites that are dedicated to identifying costume jewelry which was produced when jewelry designs were patented in the US. Patenting as a practice died out in the early 1950s and the heyday of patented costume jewelry was from the 1920s-1940s. The Trifari pin featured above is patented and is dated to 1953.


These sites can help you determine who manufactured and sold a piece of jewelry, the name of the designer, the date of patent, as well as other details. This information is extremely important in determining the value of a piece of vintage costume jewelry.

The following links show sites with comprehensive research resources. The sites are organized by jewelry maker and dates, along with design drawings and patent dates.

www.jewelrypatents.com

www.vintagejewelrypatents.com

Also, if you want to see a site with loads of high-end magnificent costume jewelry that was produced during the hey-day of design check out the link below. Many of these pieces have the patent information provided.
www.trifari.com

My site: www.midcenturyjewelry.com.

1970s Lanvin Enamel Pucci-Inspired Pendant Necklace

This 1970s era Lanvin signed enamel pendant necklace came from an estate in central Ohio. It appears to be inspired by Pucci's wild geometric prints of the time.

Where To Find and Buy Vintage Jewelry

I get asked fairly frequently where I get my vintage costume jewelry. Below is a list of the different sources I use to obtain jewelry. I've listed the sources in descending order based on my personal success in finding quality jewelry there.

1. My Contacts -- over the years I have cultivated different people who I've met while conducting business. These people know that I am always looking to purchase jewelry. I contact these people every couple of months to see if they anything to sell me. Most often, these "pickers" are my best and most reliable source for jewelry. These pickers are often out in the market doing the same thing I'm doing...working their own contacts, attending sales and auctions and garage sales.

2. Auctions -- I read the auction section of my local classifieds each week and also check a website named www.AuctionZip.com. Both of these sources advertise local auctions in my area each week. I only attend auctions which advertise a decent amount and quality of jewelry. I like www.Auctionzip.com because sometimes photos are posted that allow me to preview the auction. I have a pet peeve about auction listings, though....if an auctioneer is going to feature jewelry as one of the main highlights of an auction then he/she should PLEASE post some photos!

3. Local Jewelers -- Sometimes local jewelers (I'm talking about independently owned jewelry stores, not mall stores or chains) come across vintage costume jewelry in the course of doing business. I've fostered relationships with a few local jewelers who do not consider me to be competition and are happy to sell me costume jewelry in bulk. I try to reciprocate by telling everyone I know how wonderful these jewelers are. I respect these guys and have confidence in their honesty and am happy to refer potential business their way.

4. Pawn Shops -- I've visited local pawn shops and have found very good deals in the past. Again, pawn shops sometimes end up with vintage costume jewelry in the course of doing business. The only way to find which particular shops do deal in this type jewelry is to go in and ask.

5. Scrap dealers (AKA Jewelers and Coin Dealers) -- Some jeweler and coin dealers will be happy to let you pick through the scrap jewelry that they originally intended to sell at scrap value. Lots of jewelry is scrapped when there is absolutely nothing wrong with it other than scrap value has, at times, exceeded the value of the jewelry itself (but jewelers don't know costume jewelery and will scrap a real treasure). Don't be embarrassed to go into a store and ask if they are willing to sell you scrap jewelry. The worst thing that they can say is "no".

6. Antique Stores/ Antique Malls -- I do walk through antique stores in the hopes of finding unidentified or underpriced "treasures". This technique takes a lot of patience since it's typical that once something is being merchandised in a store that there's not too much profit margin there for me. But if I have time to kill and really need jewelry, I will visit stores in my area. I have found some wonderful things over the years.

7. Craigslist -- I look at Craigslist every day and most of the jewelry there is not what I'm looking for. Every once in a while, though, I've been successful in contacting a seller and making a good deal.

8. Goodwill -- Not usually a good place in my experience but I still visit periodically. Usually low end items are there.

9. Garage Sales -- I don't attend too many because I'm not interested in getting up at the crack of dawn and fighting other people for jewelry. I haven't found too much good jewelry at garage sales. But when I do attend a garage sale, I ask the seller if they have any additional jewelry. Surprisingly, the answer is sometimes "yes" and then they bring out the jewelry still in the house.

10. Estate Sales -- I went through a spell where I attended these for a while. However, estate sales often require you to get there and line up to get a number hours before the sale starts -- only to get into the house and see that there's nothing there. It can be a crap shoot but is an option.

11. Online auction sites -- there are sites that conduct auctions in real time online. I've had some excellent but spotty results at these auctions. Read the terms of the auctions closely so that you are aware of shipping costs and additional charges.

www.midcenturyjewelry.com.

Maximal Art Jewelry

I have a large group of Maximal Art holiday motif jewelry, some of which is listed on eBay now. Maximal Art, designed by John Wind, features images from vintage postcards and other printed materials, Austrian crystals and 14K gold plated settings. This jewelry has charming, vintage-inspired designs. My Maximal Art jewelry is new old stock.

Another Angry Ebay PowerSeller

First of all, let me state that I've been a seller on Ebay since 1998 and these sales have constituted the majority of my income at times. I've been a PowerSeller for years and usually have 100% feedback. I have my complaints about Ebay but the feedback system is what is going to cause me to leave for good.

About a year ago, Ebay revised their feedback system so that only buyers can leave negative feedback. This has been a TERRIBLE change for honest sellers. About 99% of buyers are great. There is a tiny percentage of the buying population which create all the heartache.

I recently sold a vintage ring for $19.00 on Ebay. The description was clear and accurate with lots of close-up photos. The ring was made of silver and glass, as was clearly stated in my description.

Next thing I know, I receive a negative feedback from the buyer. According to their eBay feedback, I am a LIAR. The buyer is angry that the ring is not gold. What? Nobody said the ring was made of gold. It's silver, just like the description and photos show.

I contacted the buyer, asked why they did not write to me prior to leaving negative feedback and I offered a return with a full refund. My correspondence with the buyer left me convinced that this person was getting a real charge out of the conflict. The refund was not what the buyer wanted...the buyer wanted to engage someone in a back and forth contest of long-distance insults. This was the kind of Internet correspondence that left me wondering about the mental health of the person I was dealing with and the idea that maybe it's not totally safe to engage this person. The kind of emails that made me check the shipping address of the buyer to make myself feel better that he/she would not show up on my lawn some afternoon with a knife. Seriously...

Then the buyer revised their feedback and called me a CROOK.

I called Ebay and was told that a buyer can say just about ANYTHING they want about sellers on Ebay unless there is profanity or racism involved. This is Ebay's policy because feedback reflects the buyer's opinion. If the buyer wants to call me a liar and a crook or say untrue things about me, this is their opinion and their prerogative.

Unbelieveable. I have no recourse other than to take a deep breath and let it go. And I'm taking a vacation from Ebay until my disgust evaporates. I know that this is not such a big deal in the grand scheme of things but it's so unjust.

I've read that sellers are leaving Ebay in droves and that Antique Week had to call a moratorium on angry letters to the editor about Ebay's policies. Ebay needs to wake up before it's too late and give some support to the people that actually pay their bills.

Antonio Pineda Mid-Century Modernist Sterling Silver Link Bracelets

I purchased and then sold these two vintage Antonio Pineda signed sterling bracelets within just a few days in January. I try not to think too often about them or I'll be sorry I sold them. One is a comma style bracelet and the other, I'm not sure what it is.

What is a Japanned Jewelry Finish?

In costume jewelry, the term "japanned" denotes jewelry that has a black and glossy finish on the setting. See the photo!