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Please share your story of an unbelievable, amazing, second hand jewelry find!!!

stracci2000 said:
@meesmom , have you been to our
"Who wants to see my haul" thread? In our Antique Jewelry forum.
It's full of stuff like this!
But here are my Hall of Fame items:

Mikimoto single earring found in a thrift store for $1.00
I converted it into a pendant.
IMG_20200526_201623.jpg

This is a 14k antique watch chain/necklace conversion.
Weighs 23 grams.
Yard sale $2.00
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I bought these 2 loose Muzo emeralds from my Columbian hairdresser for $250. I had them set into a ring and pendant.
img_20160917_213657835_hdr.jpg

Vintage 4.5 ct. sapphire ring from a pawn shop $69.00
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Baroque Tahitians online, I think the price was a mistake at $219
IMG_20171130_094529167.jpg

Old European .75 set in man's ring, a gift from a friend
IMG_20180406_073328499.jpg

Vintage white star sapphire and diamond, 18k, Ebay $29.00
The seller thought it was costume.
IMG_20180707_145840.jpg

14k Blue topaz and peridot fish pin, thrift store $2.00
IMG_20190813_205930620.jpg

10k herringbone, yard sale $2.00
IMG_20190504_204409868.jpg14k Ruby and diamond bee pin, pawn shop, $70.00
IMG_20190816_190347753.jpg

14k cameo, thrift store, 50 cents
IMG_20200117_151500009.jpg

Navajo sterling bench bead necklace $1.00, yard sale.
It was broken, and I restrung it.
IMG_20200802_221414.jpg

18K curb chain, weighs 15.3g, Thrift store. It was in a small bag of costume jewelry which I paid $6 for.
IMG_20200821_155745870.jpg
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Amazing!! You are the bargain queen!!! Lovely!!
You know, I thought I had seen a thread that was similar to this. I need to take another look, thanks!
 
Sitting outside work early one morning stalking a vague description on eBay of a pendant/brooch. I won the auction for $100.00! It's 14k, 11.5 grams, and marked with the Kaspar and Esh logo. It's one of my favorite pieces and I have seen others like it for way more than $100.00!!

IMG_8613.jpgIMG_8612.jpgIMG_8611.jpgIMG_8610.jpg
 
meesmom said:
Ok so finally I have pictures to share, and am ready to add a story.

A few years ago, I decided to get a Tiffany 5 stone platinum Diamond by the Yard necklace. I figured I would have to buy pre-owned, and get the smallest (.25 cts.) they make. So I started my search, keeping my phone right by my bed so checking ebay would b the 1st thing i did every day. One morning i saw a "new" one had popped up during the night. The pics were so blurry!!! I asked for better ones, and what i was sent was only slightly better, but i could see that the tag looked correct, as did the bezels. So i took a chance (only after asking her if i could return if i truly didnt like it, as i've been burned on one before; another great story for your "mistake" thread @Bron357! ) i paid $1100, and thought it was a good deal, as that is a little less than 1/2 of retail.
So finally the necklace comes, in a tangled mess, so i didnt even look at it until i got it straightened out. When i did i was astonished. The diamonds could not be .05 each. They looked way too big. I posted on another forum that authenticates pieces, and they also agreed that the diamonds looked too big. I left it alone for a while, since i dont live near a tiffanys.
About a year later, i took it to a local jeweler, who happened to work at tiffanys in the past as a buyer. He took one look and said "uh uh, you have the biggest one they make. .90 cts." I almost fell over. It retails for $7700!!! I had him appraise it and added it to my insurance right quick. It is my absolute favorite, and i never thought id ever own one so big, so its extra precious to me!!
Screenshot_20201115-095651_Chrome.jpgScreenshot_20201115-095125_Chrome.jpg
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You lucky lady! I hope you wear that necklace often! A dbty necklace is on my wish list...
 
LorettaB said:
Sitting outside work early one morning stalking a vague description on eBay of a pendant/brooch. I won the auction for $100.00! It's 14k, 11.5 grams, and marked with the Kaspar and Esh logo. It's one of my favorite pieces and I have seen others like it for way more than $100.00!!

IMG_8613.jpgIMG_8612.jpgIMG_8611.jpgIMG_8610.jpg
Click to expand...

I remember when you first posted this. It is just fabulous!
 
Diamond flower, about .50ctw
Ebay $100
IMG_20200209_155836.jpg

14mm peacock Tahitian pearl, estate sale, $70
IMG_20190502_203118582.jpgIMG_20190502_143745590.jpg

I found this 14k rose gold band ring at a flea market for $1.00
It weighs about 2.3gIMG_20200807_212704794.jpg
 
Last edited:
These finds are amazing
i am still to aquire this luck
 
jordyonbass said:
Not second hand jewelry - but I have a good story about someone who approached me with her 'junk rough Opal' that turned out to be anything but junk if anyone would like to read it =)2
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Please share.
 
OK @winnietucker and @Polabowla I'll share!

A number of years ago when I was first setting up M's Opal World, a close friend of my best friend's mother had contacted me in regards to a very large collection of rough Opal she had been gifted by friends that had done some mining in Coober Pedy. She had taken the Opal to a jeweler and the jeweler informed her that what she had was all junk and not worth anything, so she took it home and decorated her house, fish tank, garden and outdoor ponds with the rocks.

Fast forward about five years and she discovers me and my skills through our mutual friend, she gets in contact and asks me if I would take a look at what she has got. Usually I'm a bit hesitant with these sorts of requests as many times people have Opal that is specimen quality and not gem quality - but at the time she thought it was junk, she was a friend of a close friend of mine and was happy to pay all postage and cutting fees. So I said to send through a small sample of what she had that is representative of the rest.

Well - you could imagine the shock on my face when I opened her parcel and found 8 stones, of which I could see at least half would cut cabochons. But one of the Opals really made my jaw drop; it was a big rough piece showing golds, blues and reds. I ended up cutting that into a 16ct free form shape easily worth $200/ct. Plus another 100 gems from the rough that she had and there's probably more there but she was happy with the outcome at that point. I've gifted a couple of those Opals from that rough bag to PS'ers that helped me get some awesome memorabilia!
 
jordyonbass said:
OK @winnietucker and @Polabowla I'll share!

A number of years ago when I was first setting up M's Opal World, a close friend of my best friend's mother had contacted me in regards to a very large collection of rough Opal she had been gifted by friends that had done some mining in Coober Pedy. She had taken the Opal to a jeweler and the jeweler informed her that what she had was all junk and not worth anything, so she took it home and decorated her house, fish tank, garden and outdoor ponds with the rocks.

Fast forward about five years and she discovers me and my skills through our mutual friend, she gets in contact and asks me if I would take a look at what she has got. Usually I'm a bit hesitant with these sorts of requests as many times people have Opal that is specimen quality and not gem quality - but at the time she thought it was junk, she was a friend of a close friend of mine and was happy to pay all postage and cutting fees. So I said to send through a small sample of what she had that is representative of the rest.

Well - you could imagine the shock on my face when I opened her parcel and found 8 stones, of which I could see at least half would cut cabochons. But one of the Opals really made my jaw drop; it was a big rough piece showing golds, blues and reds. I ended up cutting that into a 16ct free form shape easily worth $200/ct. Plus another 100 gems from the rough that she had and there's probably more there but she was happy with the outcome at that point. I've gifted a couple of those Opals from that rough bag to PS'ers that helped me get some awesome memorabilia!
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I love a happy ending. What did she do with it? Jewelry set & then some?
 
stracci2000 said:
Diamond flower, about .50ctw
Ebay $100
IMG_20200209_155836.jpg

14mm peacock Tahitian pearl, estate sale, $70
IMG_20190502_203118582.jpgIMG_20190502_143745590.jpg

I found this 14k rose gold band ring at a flea market for $1.00
It weighs about 2.3gIMG_20200807_212704794.jpg
Click to expand...

Wow!
 
I don’t have any pics but I do have 2 cool stories that I actually recently told on PS!

first story was something that actually happened to a family friend of mine, super recently. He is planning to propose to his girlfriend soon but he couldn’t really afford a nice ring so he was planning to do so without. He lost his grandparents a couple years ago and some of his grandmother’s jewelry was never found, they looked and eventually figured it was lost (uninsured). A month ago his mom was going through her mother in law’s stuff and finally sorting it through and donating things, and she found a small pouch with a pair of 2ish ctw diamond earrings inside an old sewing kit! They got the earrings tested, and they actually are diamond and gold, and his mom gave him one earring to turn into a ring. So yeah free 1ct solitaire ring!!

As for a story of something purchased - my mom is a master at this. I told this story recently of how she went to this estate sale some years ago and after everything had been bought found this old brooch that was kinda dirty and bought it for a song. It had these stones in it and everyone thought it was glass (stones were white and coloured both) so she basically got it for gold scrap price + some extra. She told me she had a feeling it was rose cuts and not glass, so she took the risk. Turned out they indeed were rose cuts and natural coloured stones (of middling quality, emerald, tourmaline and ruby). Had it cleaned up and polished, mounted a large pearl at the bottom and had a bale attachment added so she could wear it with an existing string of pearls she had. I don’t actually know how much she paid, but the jeweler quoted her a price that was like 3x of what she actually paid to get that made new.
 
AllAboardTheBlingTrain said:
I don’t have any pics but I do have 2 cool stories that I actually recently told on PS!

first story was something that actually happened to a family friend of mine, super recently. He is planning to propose to his girlfriend soon but he couldn’t really afford a nice ring so he was planning to do so without. He lost his grandparents a couple years ago and some of his grandmother’s jewelry was never found, they looked and eventually figured it was lost (uninsured). A month ago his mom was going through her mother in law’s stuff and finally sorting it through and donating things, and she found a small pouch with a pair of 2ish ctw diamond earrings inside an old sewing kit! They got the earrings tested, and they actually are diamond and gold, and his mom gave him one earring to turn into a ring. So yeah free 1ct solitaire ring!!

As for a story of something purchased - my mom is a master at this. I told this story recently of how she went to this estate sale some years ago and after everything had been bought found this old brooch that was kinda dirty and bought it for a song. It had these stones in it and everyone thought it was glass (stones were white and coloured both) so she basically got it for gold scrap price + some extra. She told me she had a feeling it was rose cuts and not glass, so she took the risk. Turned out they indeed were rose cuts and natural coloured stones (of middling quality, emerald, tourmaline and ruby). Had it cleaned up and polished, mounted a large pearl at the bottom and had a bale attachment added so she could wear it with an existing string of pearls she had. I don’t actually know how much she paid, but the jeweler quoted her a price that was like 3x of what she actually paid to get that made new.
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I wonder if that was a thing, hiding jewelry in odd places so it wouldnt get stolen?? My mom found my great-grandmothers wedding band in the drawer of her sewing machine when they were cleaning out her apt. after she passed. There were other oddly placed valuables too.
 
I have so many second had jewelry purchases. This is the strand that got me hooked on buying pre-loved pearls on Ebay. Big Golden South Sea Pearls with a 14 kg and diamond clasp for $90. Came in a Pearl Source box.

IMG_7388.jpg

And this pre-loved red Burma Spinel ring.

burma spinel.jpg
 
Lisa Loves Shiny said:
I have so many second had jewelry purchases. This is the strand that got me hooked on buying pre-loved pearls on Ebay. Big Golden South Sea Pearls with a 14 kg and diamond clasp for $90. Came in a Pearl Source box.

IMG_7388.jpg

And this pre-loved red Burma Spinel ring.

burma spinel.jpg
Click to expand...

Ahhhh! Those pearls are amazing! And the price was amazing too!
 
My gram would hide jewelry and money in pockets of old coats, shoes, jars, etc- I think there must have been a lot of people who thought it was best to "hide" things in "safe" places! We were very careful when we went through her things after she passed.
 
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