How to be a Jewelry Detective by Jeanenne Bell

Table of Contents

Jeanenne Bell - One of America's leading authorities on antique jewelry, will help you discover:

• How to find clues that tell you if a piece is costume jewelry with rhinestones, or fine jewelry set with gemstones.
• How the "cut" of a stone can help you tell how old it is.
• What the marks and numbers inside a ring or on a brooch or pendant mean.
• What the terms gold, gold filled, gold plated, silver, silver-plated, and white metal tell about a piece.
• How the back of a piece can help determine its age.
• How to separate plastic from other plastic-looking materials such as amber and tortoise shell.
• Easy tests to determine if your black beads, bracelets, brooches, or lockets are jet, bakelite, gutta percha, vulcanite, onyx, or glass.
• How easy it is to use your basic tools-your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and hands-to help solve the mysteries of a piece.