In these days of counterfeit and fakes, how does one know if an antique item or piece of jewelry is really antique? We buy a loop and look for that nasty green mold and gook.We smell the item and then decide if we want to clean it or sell it AS IS. I always clean it. That’s why my items look like new. I steam and have my own favorite solution for jewelry. I soak my items in a large bowl of water, ammonia, dishwashing detergent, denture cleaner,and some antibacteria cleaner. I don’t have dentures but I learned that it works great on cleaning pearls:)))))))) This works also on old china. I still get headaches with every new lot I buy.No wonder sellers love to buy lot’s and sell stuff AS IS..

Wear gloves and a face mask? Are you kidding me?????? NO I’m not kidding you!!!!!!!!!
Don’t be fooled about gold. Very rarely will an antique piece have a huge 14k or 18K stampted deep into the metal. In early days gold was hardly available. Gold fill was commonly used. A mark would be small and worn. A mark would be close to the clasp. Gold plate used to be thick. Gold plate can be literally washed off with my solution. You might find some great sterling underneath though. Old gold is normally 9 or 10K 18K solid (rarely) and a funny color of yellow or brass like. Forget those tester’s and machines or acid. These were not made to detect plate fill alloy’s etc. It would be great to have a best friend who is allergic to gold around:) A good way to screen gold at first is to buy one of those kids magnet sets. They come in packages for hobbies. They are powerful sticks that can really pull items.

I have yet to see that fail.

It’s frustrating to get so many customers who rely on those marks which by the way you can buy the tools on ebay. The best detection tool is a magnet and a high grade loop……Jewelers are often hired off the street with little knowledge of gold detection. A true test is from an appraiser who will charge a fee. He also has to be licensed….So when you go to the mall or other be careful….Sometimes they tell you to buy at they’re store. I bought a 14K gold necklace for myself at Diamonds international. It was 10K.

I can’t tell you how many times stampings will be hidden from the human eye. It takes a lot of work but well worth the effort. The older the piece then the harder it is to see the mark…..Trust me.

Buy for beauty. I hate it when someone asks about weight or grams. Some sellers count the stones as weight!!!!! I find the ugly, large items are usually the most valuable:)))))))

I hope you and I can survive this germ infested jungle of aged treasures.