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The beauty of antique jewelry

What’s so good about old jewelry? A better question might be ‘What’s not great about antique jewelry?’

The popularity of vintage jewelry never wanes. Instead, it seems to grow with each passing year. Rings, brooches, necklaces, charms, bracelets, medallions and other adornments quickly become treasured family heirlooms as they are passed from one generation to the next.

What makes antique jewelry so admired? Is it the conquest of love? The glowing mystery? The radiant elegance of jewelry? Maybe it’s all of these things and more. What is more inspiring for a little girl than rummaging through her grandmother’s jewelry box in search of the wonderful treasures it contains? Only the memories of such undertakings, along with the historical accounts of each jewelry item, can endear grandparents to their descendants in unexpected ways, forming close personal bonds forever.

The amazing thing about antique jewelry family heirlooms is that you don’t need to create such items from expensive materials. Even cheap trinkets can unite lives and hearts. Cheap beads can become a woman’s most prized possession if they once belonged to her mother, grandmother, or great-grandmother.

Antique jewelry doesn’t have to be a family heirloom to capture the imagination. Visualize the stories that a mind can forge when a person examines a jewel created two hundred years ago somewhere in Europe, the Middle East or Asia. Fortunately, you don’t have to know the full history of a certain piece of jewelry for it to spark mental images of the people who once owned it and gifted it for formal or not-so-formal settings.

Of course, while it can be fun to display vintage jewelry in front of friends, family, and associates, it can also be a great investment. Even if the jewelry components have little inherent value, they can become something of value by virtue of their maturity. Jewelry can become valuable simply by surviving to old age. Can you imagine what the 14th century beads would be worth today? Jewelry designs and styles change regularly. Many people love to beautify themselves with jewelry from various periods such as Edwardian, Art Deco, Retro and Art Nouveau, or even older when they can be found.

There are people all over the world willing to sell you pieces of antique jewelry. If you plan to purchase from jewelry dealers, be sure to use reputable ones. There are unscrupulous dealers who will make false claims about the products they are trying to pawn on you. On the other hand, with reputable dealers you can be more sure that you are buying genuine parts.

If you want to check out garage sales and estate sales, you might be able to find some nice vintage jewelry items. However, if you are not a jewelry connoisseur, you may be disappointed with some of your purchases. Some items may not be as valuable as you expect. Still, much of the pleasure comes with the search. Take a friend or family member with you. It’s twice as fun.