How to Buy Vintage Jewelry at Thrift Shops

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Some of the best places to find great vintage costume jewelry are thrift shops. You’ve seen the big stores – Goodwill, Salvation Army, Savers…and then there are the charity shops run by churches and non-profits. All of them receive donated jewelry, and I have found some amazing pieces in thrift shops. It seems to me that the larger chain shops have better prices than the smaller charity shops, but it really depends on who is pricing the jewelry when they put it out for sale. Some shop employees are very savvy about values, but some aren’t and they often price jewelry very low. Maybe they figure that if it isn’t real gold it isn’t worth much. Good for us!

Thrift shop shopping has lost the stigma of being just junk shops or places where the down-and-out shop.

A great tip is to become friendly with the staff of the shops that you visit. One clerk lets me rummage through the jewelry bins before she prices them and puts them out on the floor. Another lets me know when they get a large amount of jewelry donated.

Find out when the shop has their specials. One store in my town has a 30% Senior discount on Wednesdays. Guess which day is my shopping day!

Sometimes the shop management will put a large amount of jewelry in a plastic bag and sell the bag for a fixed price. If you find these, examine the bag as closely as you can – you won’t be allowed to open it, and there’s lots of junk in there, mostly stuff that didn’t sell, and often lots of plastic Mardi Gras beads. I bought these bags a few times, and it was fun sorting through everything, but I wound up donating most of it to a nursing home for crafts projects. I have found a few really nice pieces this way, but I don’t think it was really worth the time and trouble.

Most thrift shops have a glass case where they keep the better stuff. Ask to see pieces that interest you, and examine them closely. Look closely at the racks where they usually hang the cheaper stuff. I found a sterling silver Native American belt buckle, with a turquoise stone in it and signed by the artist, hanging in a zip lock bag on a rack. I bought it for $2.80 and sold it on eBay for $52! It was badly tarnished, but I polished it up and it was beautiful.

There always seem to be lots of watches in those cases. Beware of copies of famous makes, and buy only name brands that you recognize. Make sure the band is in good condition and that there are no scratches on the crystal. The watch probably won’t be working, so plan to spend $5 to $7 for a battery. If you’re buying for resale, be sure to include the cost of a battery to see if the watch is worth buying. You’re taking a chance there – it might not work even after a new battery is installed.

Whether you are buying jewelry for your own collection or for resale, there are several things to look for when examining thrift shop jewelry.

1. Condition, condition, condition: You are going to come across all kinds of jewelry in all kinds of condition. Look for broken clasps, missing stones, worn metal finishes, and any green material on gold tone jewelry. The green stuff is corrosion, and it can’t be cleaned off. Pass on that one. Check that stone settings are tight, and if they aren’t, be careful with the piece – you should be able to tighten them. If the piece is dirty you can clean it. Bring a jeweler’s loupe or strong magnifying glass so you can examine the piece closely.

2. Is the piece signed? The name on the back of a pin or earring, on the clasp of a necklace or bracelet, or on an earring clip is the “signature” of the designer. Signed pieces can be more valuable than unsigned, but there are also many many “unsigned beauties” out there. Look for the name, and if there is a copyright symbol ©, that means the piece was made after about 1955. No symbol – you probably have a real vintage piece. Look for the numbers 925 on silver jewelry – that means it’s sterling silver, and if the price is right, you’ve got a steal.

3. Price: It’s hard to put a price on thrift shop jewelry – the cheaper, the better, of course! I try not to spend more than $3 for a pin, bracelet, necklace or pair of earrings. You might come across something really spectacular that costs more, and if you think you can profit from it, or you want it for yourself, go ahead and buy it. A good rule of thumb when shopping thrift shops is this: If you like it but aren’t sure, set yourself a limit, say $5. If it turns out to be not so great, you’re not out that much. As mentioned, some thrift shop employees know more about jewelry, and will price some pieces too high for you to sell and make a profit. But there seems to be quite a bit of employee turnover in these shops, so the next person pricing jewelry might not be as knowledgeable.

After Christmas is a good time to pick up Christmas jewelry. Some shops will mark down holiday items to get rid of them, other shops just store them away for next year.

I love shopping at thrift shops – just like Forrest Gump’s box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get. Every trip is a treasure hunt. Some days are slim pickin’s, but some days are very rewarding. Just yesterday I got 10 pieces for $15 – several are sterling silver, and one piece may be jade – I’m still not sure.

Be consistent in your thrift shop shopping. Try to go out every week, and find out when the shops have their special promotions. Most of the large chain shops put out new merchandise all day long, some other shops restock on certain days. Find out when those are, and get there early.

Read books about costume jewelry, and become knowledgeable, so when you shop the thrift shops you’ll be armed with information. Have fun with it, get to know the thrift shop staff, and you’ll come home with some fabulous jewelry at fabulous prices.

A Beginner’s Guide to Health and Fitness

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Some people believe that once they hit a particular place in their lives, they can not longer get into shape once again. Whether or not they blame it on acquiring old age or they simply believe that they are beyond the position of no return, they turn away from the health club and turn to their couches. You do not have to have to do this. You can get into form at any age; no matter how prolonged it’s been given that you last exercised.Enhancing Health and fitness Amount – Check out in with the PhysicianIf it has been a prolonged time considering that you’ve been able to perform out or given that you have made a decision to workout, it’s a excellent thought to examine in with your physician.You will then be able to discover out regardless of whether you have any issues you will need to retain in thoughts as you are working out – or if you can merely begin software. Together with your medical doctor, you can assess your fitness amount and determine what the ideal starting up place may well be for you.Begin Little by little and Create up Your Health and fitnessAs well often, novices will jump into a physical exercise system doing a lot more than they must.When they do look at to do as well much, they may well finish up injured or simply end up too sore. You don’t have to give your all in the 1st workout or even in the first month of workouts.What you do want to do is to test to workout at a pace which creates you breathe a tiny more rapidly and which creates your heart beat a small quicker. You don’t want to be out of breath or moving as quickly as you can.Commence by walking as much as you can, stop, and then the subsequent day, look at to stroll a single minute farther. Before you know it, you will be strolling for an hour and not having any troubles with it. Then, after issues become as well effortless, then you can move onto anything much more challenging, like carrying out tiny jogs in among periods of strolling.Discover Physical fitness Exercises Which Excite YouNewbie’s need to be excited by their workout programs in order to stick with them.So, you don’t want to choose anything you will not take pleasure in.Instead, try a entertaining dance class or bring your headphones with you when you walk to listen to your favorite music. The important is to do point which make you smile and which are issues you would do yet again and yet again.Newbie’s can sense as however physical fitness is far from their reach. But by beginning gradually and accomplishing actions they like, they can begin to see that exercise is not just something that can be fun, but it’s something which becomes an aspect of their lives.

Starting With Basics – Shooting With Knowledge

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In traditional (meaning non Digital) photography there are only three basic things to worry about in regards to your camera. These are: the aperture (also called F-stop), the shutter speed, and the film speed. These “Big Three” apply to all 35mm cameras (which is still the most popular format in the non Digital world of photography).F-Stops are located on the lens itself. If you have the ability to take the lens off and play with your f-stops, you will see a mechanical type of iris similar to that in the eye that controls how much light gets through the eye. The f-stop controls how much of the picture is in focus. This is referred to as your “Depth of Field”. In other words; if you are shooting pictures of a beautiful girl in front of a garbage truck you would use a small f-stop, because you want a small amount of the whole picture in focus. Girl yes, garbage truck no. On the other hand, if you were shooting this same girl in front of a huge waterfall you would use a large f-stop, because you actually want every thing in the whole picture in focus. Girl yes and waterfall yes.Shutter speeds are on the camera and control the shutter, (that small black curtain directly in front of the film itself). How slow or fast that shutter opens controls how much light actually hits the film. Shutter speeds are usually related to the speed of the subject. Using that waterfall example again; if you use a fast shutter speed, you will stop all the action. Water drops will freeze in mid air. On the other hand, if you use a slow shutter speed, the things that don’t move will still be clear, but the things that do will be blurry.These two items, F-stops and Shutter speeds affect everything else. They work together similar to the gas and clutch petals in a car. Don’t worry if you drive an automatic, I will get to that in a minute. What I mean by gas and clutch, is that it’s the combination of these two that determine what your exposure will be. Too little light (f-stops) and your pictures will be dark, too slow a shutter speed, and your pictures will be blurry. The light meter will tell you when these two are working together, but it’s up to you to control both. Be aware too, that the light meter only gives you an Average reading. If you want something to actually look white, you need to give it more light than the meter suggest. If you want something to actually look black, then you need to give it less light than the meter suggest.I mentioned the “Big Three”, the third of these is the film speed. This refers to the type of film you use and how sensitive it is to light. A slow film speed refers to a lower number like ISO 100 speed film. A fast film speed refers to a larger number like ISO 400 speed film. Slow film speed needs much more light, but looks extremely sharp because the grain is very close together. Fast film speed does not need as much light, but tends to look grainy if you make an enlargement. Personally, I always use 100 speed film whenever I can. It does take more light, but that’s why Heavenly Father invented the “Flash”.In Digital photography there are still only three basic things to worry about in regards to your camera. These are: the aperture (also called F-stop), the shutter speed, and the pixels. The difference here is that newer cameras, both digital and non digital alike have simplified things. You don’t usually see the actual F-stops or Shutter speeds, but the pictures they left behind still control the same things.The Green box seen on most cameras means “Go”. Go take your picture, don’t worry about anything . . .I (the camera) will take care of everything for you. For quick and easy snap shots it’s great. For being creative and in control of the results, it’s not so great.The Girls head on most cameras means “Portrait Mode”. In this case the camera will automatically use the smallest F-stop for the available light, then choose the correct shutter speed to give proper exposure. This is good for portraits where the subject will be in focus from about the tip of her nose to just behind her ears, then everything else will gradually go out of focus.The Mountain with a cloud means “Landscape Mode”. In this case the camera will automatically use the largest F-stop for the available light, then choose the correct shutter speed to give proper exposure. This is good for nature shots or anywhere that you want everything in focus. This way the girl is in focus and the waterfall behind her is in focus.The Flower means “Close-Up Mode”. When shooting very close this is the mode you want. It usually will also give a greater depth of field, but not always. If you have enough light, you can still shoot things from edge to edge. It is similar to the green box, but on a much smaller scale. It also will adjust flash exposure so you don’t wash out your subject.The Running Man means “Sports Mode”. The term Sports refers to all action, whether it’s a basketball game, or shooting a waterfall. If you want to freeze something, (stop the action) then this is the mode to use.Other modes often include letters like P for program mode, TV for Shutter Mode, Av for Aperture Mode, and M for Manual mode. These vary a lot between different manufactures, so you may have to look through your camera manual. Usually these actually show you more of what is going on. The information is usually displayed either inside the viewfinder or on top of the camera on a small LCD screen, sometimes both. If you don’t feel comfortable with all that technical stuff, use the picture mode; that’s what they’re for. You can still choose to be creative, without having to know every single detail of what the camera is doing.With a digital camera, when you press the shutter release, you capture an image on the image sensor. The image is then written to a pre selected format and transferred to some type of media card. There are several different types of media cards, the manufacture of the camera determines which media card works with your camera.The media card itself is like a blank canvas. Most artists would agree that one canvas is no better than another, what matters to them is what type of paint goes on the canvas. That’s where the basics of good composition come into play. Framing, Leading Lines, the Rule of Thirds, and Depth of Field are the type of things that make your images come alive. Learning the mechanics of photography is only the first step and can be learned quite quickly. Learning the art of photography is a life long process that even the best of us is trying to perfect each and every day.