How Can You Know If The Vintage Jewelry You Want To Buy Online Is High Quality
How can you know if the vintage jewelry you want to buy online is of high quality? Here are some essential tips to solve the mystery and be sure you won't waste your money.
More than often, when you want to buy various pieces of vintage jewelry online, you are not sure if they are made of quality materials. And if they are not, it's a common problem that, after a few wears, your earrings, ring, bracelet, or necklace will take on a different hue, lose their shine and even cause you different allergies.
To avoid such unpleasant situations, it is important to inform yourself carefully before buying such vintage jewelry from an online shop.
So, how exactly can you tell if the pair of vintage earrings you want to buy, or that fancy ring or gold necklace is worth your money? If you want a quality piece of jewelry made of precious metal, here are the things you should bear in mind before making an online purchase.
How To Tell If The Vintage Jewelry You Want To Buy Is Of High Quality?
A vintage jewelry piece of high quality is usually made of gold or silver.
If you've bought, for example, a pair of gold earrings online, you can check whether the precious metal they're made of is genuine or not.
In general, the international jewelry mark is inscribed in an ellipse for gold jewelry, a rectangle for silver jewelry, a rhombus for platinum, and an irregular hexagon for palladium.
According to US standards, vintage gold jewelry that is less than 10 carats is fake. The carat number is stamped on any gold jewelry next to the number indicating the purity of the metal.
If we're talking about a pair of 24-carat pure gold earrings, they should be marked 999. However, gold jewelry does not contain 100% gold. They would be too fragile. They are always made by alloying with another precious metal. The most common is 18K gold jewelry marked with 750 or 14K gold jewelry stamped with 585.
Another way to check if a vintage jewelry piece is made of high-quality gold is to use a magnet. Bring an earring close to the magnet; if the jewel is attracted to it, then the earring is not just made of gold.
The Mysteries Behind The Color Of Gold
Another thing that can cause confusion is the color of the gold. Sometimes vintage gold jewelry can have a yellow, reddish or white hue. However, this color is given by the alloying metals and not by a different type of gold.
For yellow gold, the alloy used may include Au, Ag, Zn, and Cu.
For reddish gold: Au, Cu.
For white gold: Au, Ag, Zn, Ni or Au, Ag, Pd.
If you have an allergy to any of these metals, you should choose your vintage jewelry carefully and find out beforehand.
For example, if you buy vintage gold jewelry pieces from our DSF Antique Jewelry online store, you can ask our experts for more information about the materials from which they are made. The high quality is, of course, guaranteed.
Are The Gemstones In The Jewelry I Want To Buy Genuine?
Yes, there are a lot of fake gemstones on the jewelry market, just like there are fake precious metals. This is the world we are living in, unfortunately, and we have to be on our guard when we are buying vintage jewels online.
So, there are a lot of imitation gemstones for precious stones that decorate rings, earrings, necklaces, brooches, or bracelets. Many of them are simple pieces of glass or synthetically reproduced materials. However, it's true that all these imitations can be quite difficult to detect without rigorous laboratory analysis.
If you've bought a pair of diamond or ruby earrings online, or a vintage diamond necklace or bracelet and want to check whether the stones are really precious, you can ask jewelry experts for help. There are many analysis laboratories and staff authorized than can carry out checks and expert appraisals of precious metals and precious stones. But you have to pay extra money for this, and is also time-consuming.
The good thing is that when you buy your vintage jewelry from established dealers on the market - such as ourselves - you won't have any problems. You won't have to worry about their high quality.
Compare The Prices Of Vintage Jewelry Pieces
Before buying a piece of vintage jewelry online, it is important to compare prices. If you want some precious metal or gemstone rings, you may want to check prices in other vintage jewelry shops. Often, we can be lured by good value offers without considering other aspects.
In the case of precious metal vintage jewelry, of high quality, prices can be considerable so a substantial discount should also be taken into account.
Also, before buying a high-quality piece of vintage jewelry, you should check whether the delivery or after-sales service is included in the price. Often, servicing can include additional operations after purchase: shrinking or widening the earrings, removing certain accessories, etc.
If you want to buy a piece of vintage jewelry, it is important to find out details about the prices and quality of the products on the market beforehand. Even though the vintage jewelry market is one without trade barriers, information is essential.
Whether you choose to look for data from magazines, the internet, or various trade brochures, the most important aspect is the confidence that the supplier of such goods offers. Try to buy your vintage jewelry from a reputable online shop that has visibility in the market and only trades high-quality vintage jewelry.
Read reviews from other customers, compare prices and offers, and then place an order.
With over 40 years of experience in the field, DSF Antique Jewelry offers you a wide variety of high-quality vintage and antique jewelry pieces. Explore now our online store and buy the perfect jewel for you!