Worth Point Review

Worth Point (dot com) is a website that will apparently tell you what your vintage or antique item is worth. Recently, I am going through a shift in selling. I have an entire room full of vintage items that need to be cleared out from a recently deceased step father who loved to buy anything and everything he could at auction. My husband and I were looking for values of the first box of items: Franklin Mint series "Birds and Blossoms of the World". I signed up for the "free" trial on the Worth Point website which gives you a month of unlimited searching for items on the site for about $50.00 USD. Be careful if you do this! After the 7 days of trial, if you don't cancel, you will have to pay the money for the program you signed up for! After I signed up, it became apparent that the values for the items were based off Ebay auctions and various internet sites that have closed more than three years ago.

So, overall, I concluded that Worth Point is not worth your money for a number of reasons. First of all, Ebay auctions are not a reliable source for the valuation of your vintage items. Secondly, they base the worth of your item off one auction that closed (in my case) more that three years ago. This does not seem like a realistic valuation of my items. In looking further into Worth Point, it seems that what they do is pull values off different internet sites like Rubylane or Tias or Ebay. So if I have the same item that you have and I have no idea what it is actually worth and I price it at $25.00 on Rubylane or Tias, Worth Point will pick up the sale and state it as a value on their site with no extra valuation expertise or experience. I suggest instead, going directly to rubylane.com or tias.com or etsy.com to get the true internet value of your items. If you do the footwork yourself and take an average of the value of the items sold or listed that are like your item, you will get a better idea of value than if you went only to Worth Point. In addition, you should consider buying some of the many valuable resource books that are available to the general public on the topic of vintage collectibles.

These sites will give you a more realistic view, however, not the full retail value. That is because they are malls with many competing vendors. That is why the values at these sites should be consistently less than book value.

I will continue with my "free" trial and let you know how it plays out. Hopefully I will find some worth in Worth Point.

Unusual, Strange, Unique Vintage Jewelry and Value

Why Would You Wear That?!

There are many pieces of jewelry out there the average consumer would look at and think are too strange to wear.  Some might think they are just plain ugly!  But others look at them and appreciate their oddly unique appeal and collectability.

Collectability is individual and is about you, the buyer.  Don't ever let a guide book or dealer tell you the value of something.  You determine market value as a consumer. Only ever pay as much as the item is worth to you and don't buy something just because it has a high perceived market value.  These are some ways you can maintain the actual worth of your collection.

Sometimes, it's these distinct pieces that are worth the most money for a few reasons. First, they often have a strong emotive attachment, meaning that it stirs, in the potential buyer, a strong emotional reaction due to subject matter, uniqueness and/or unconventional beauty.  Also, jewelry that was produced in larger quantities was generally more streamlined, less interesting and easier to construct so unique pieces are harder to come by which increases market value. Sometimes, it takes a strong knowledge of art, design and construction to appreciate a piece so what the average person doesn't see in it, a trained eye might.

Having said that, just because something is bizarre or peculiar, doesn't mean it's worth anything.  There are other factors involved such as availability, designer, construction, condition and  theme. 

Here are some of the strange and unusual pieces I have had over the years.  Do they appeal to you?  Would you wear them? What kind of value would you expect them to have and why? What do you have in your collection that you think would fit in this discussion?  

Whimsical Bakelite Flower Earrings - click to see in store

Lucite bubble ring

Elzac Lucite face brooch

Coro snake and lampwork glass eggs brooch - click to see in store

The Results Are In! Vintage Jewelry Survey

Vintage Jewelry Survey - Results Published June, 2008

What do other people who buy vintage jewelry collect? What kinds of designers do people enjoy? How many pieces do they own? Are their interests similar to yours? Here are the most popular answers given by our newsletter subscribers. 

Q. What is your primary reason for buying vintage jewelry?
A. I enjoy collecting it.

Q. What types of costume jewelry do you enjoy buying?
A. Rhinestone, designer signed and "Whatever I like."

Q. 3. Where do you like to buy your jewelry?
A. Antique malls and shops.

Q. Have you bought any vintage costume jewelry in the last year?
A. Yes.

Q. How many pieces do you currently have in your collection?
A. More than 100.

Q. What sources do you use for learning about vintage jewelry?
A. Mostly internet, then books.

Q. How many vintage costume jewelry resource books and guides do you own?
A. 1-5.

Q. Do you have a favorite vintage jewelry designer?
A. No, I like many different designers.

Q. If you had to pick a few, who would be your favorites?

RESULTS (each list of designers is ordered from most to least votes within each category)

Very Popular (Chosen by more than 20 people): Miriam Haskell, Weiss, Trifari

Popular (Chosen by 10-19 people): Coro, Eisenberg, D&E (Juliana)

Moderately Popular (Chosen by 5-9 people): Sherman, Kenneth Jay Lane (KJL), Florenza, Har, Sarah Coventry, Hobe, Kramer, Boucher, Various Mexican Sterling Designers

Less Popular (Chosen by 2-4 people): Mazer / Jomaz, Lisner, Joan Rivers, Joseff of Hollywood, Hollycraft, Demario, David Andersen, JJ, Chanel, Art, Heidi Daus, Matisse, Ciner, Vendome, Schreiner, Nolan Miller, Cini, Pennino, Kirk's Folley, Van Dell, Monet, Whiting & Davis, Panetta, Alice Caviness, WIlliam Kerr

Special Mention (Chosen by 1 person): Bogoff, Hattie Carnegie, Schiaparelli, BSK, Barklay, VRBA, Staret, Sandor, Sweet Romance, Lunch at the Ritz, Piddley Links, Miracle, Sphinx, Butler & Wilson, Selro, Christian Dior, Avon, Jensen, DeRosa, Laguana

So why do all these people like to buy vintage jewelry? What do they do with it? Some answers may surprise you!

The answers in no particular order are:
- to restore
- to wear
- to study
- for re-enactment purposes
- to frame for art display and keepsake
- to re-sell
- for gifting
- to appreciate
- to remind of a loved one
- to brighten up the day
- to capture art and beauty of the past
- to play with

Do you have an interesting collection? Tell us about it!

Some New Jewelry Finds in San Francisco

I've been shopping! If you ever go to San Francisco, be sure to visit Haight Street. There are lots of fun and eclectic stores including the following:

Information from The San Francisco Neighborhood Guide.

Urban Antiques: It's easy to pass the garage door that serves as the entrance to this shop, but inside is filled with 2,700 square feet of antiques. Turn-of-the-century music boxes and clocks are the specialties, though Urban Antiques also offers good deals on well-preserved furniture. Old phonographs and other musical items, such as a mahogany piano stool, are inside as well. 1767 Waller St., (415) 221-0194.

Off the Wall: While one side of Off the Wall focuses on colorful concert posters, mainly limited editions and signed, numbered and silk-screened specimens, the other half spotlights vintage French posters, black-and-white photos of old movie stars and fine-art prints by the likes of Van Gogh and Monet. All posters are in mint condition and can be purchased with the frame or custom-framed at the gallery. 1669 Haight St., (415) 863-8170.

La Rosa: This upscale vintage boutique focuses on clothes and collectables from the '20s to '50s, though there are some items from the '60s and '70s in stock. Dinner jackets, formal dresses, feather hats and other accessories come from all over the world. While shirts range from $65 to $265, some carry as much as a $1,000 price tag, while gowns can cost up to $2,000. 1711 Haight St., (415) 668-3744.

*Photo Information (All images and content Copyright © 2007 VintageCostumeJewelry.com. All rights reserved.

1. Jomaz Star Shaped Earrings

2. Celluloid Link Necklace

Vintage Jewelry Blog....Slowly But Surely

Hello jewelry lovers! I haven't advertised this blog quite yet as I wasn't sure about the color scheme and template but it seems so difficult to edit a blog in the beta version of blogger. So, in the meantime I've been working on a few other projects.

The first one is the Ebay store of Wendy Gell who is a famous jewelry designer who was very popular in the 80's. She designed for Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Charles Jordan, Disney and Napier. Famous clients and collectors of her line include Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Isabella Rossilini, Cher, Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John—designed sunglasses for him, Hillary Clinton, the late Andy Warhol and Princess Diana.

You can find out more about Wendy Gell and visit her About Me page on Ebay here.

The second project I've been working on is the grand reopening of Booth 11 Collectibles and Antiques. It's not open yet but but the opening is scheduled for November.

As of yet, no guesses for the maker of the brooch in my last post. We'll see if anyone replies.

Take Care!

Welcome to The Vintage Costume Jewelry Blog!

I am very excited to announce the opening of The Vintage Costume Jewelry Blog!

Bookmark this blog for information, news and discussions covering a wide variety of topics under the broader topic of vintage costume jewelry. Topics may include designer marks, construction, current fashion, hot trends, remakes, design, style and our current findings.

My name is Jo-Ann and I am the proprietor of Vintage Jewelry Girl, an online store and resource site for vintage jewelry. That's my picture in the top right corner. I have been dealing in vintage jewelry for 8 years and am self taught with the help of various excellent internet resources and zillions of books which are the most precious part of my library. I treasure them as much as I treasure my jewelry!

We'll start off with a new find for today which is not yet listed on the site. The brooch above is a pink diamond or square (depending on how it is worn) piece with molded iridescent glass stones. Do you know who made this piece? Leave a comment with your guess and I'll update the blog later to tell you if you were right.

Well, that’s all for today. Take Care!
Jo-Ann