Featured Finds Thread

Finally our outdoor shows are coming back! I went to a biannual flea market Saturday, not much to start with. A lady came late and was selling her mother's jewelry. A local dealer and I were right on top of her. He let me have this, I did see it first and put it back down, 18k etched gold, diamond, blue spinel, needs a side blue stone, $100.
I love it. I saw one not as nice, 14k, in an antique mall for $600 recently. He bought some other 14k rings I wasn't interested in. Story about us later. Then I got a Bisbee Bob piece, research him, what a character, $25. This is huge and heavy.

The lady had sterling clip earrings for $5 a piece. I had picked out the earrings you see on the plate plus two more Native American pieces. The dealer said
" I was going to buy them. I let you have the ring." So I let him choose one of the two pair, and they were a turquoise pair I really wanted. After that, he left, and I spotted this

Natural material, 14k bale, diamond, coral, blue enamel on a 18" 14k chain. She said $25. So.that was the universe rewarding me for letting the dealer have the earrings. I also found the marcasite and carnelian earrings after he left.

I decided to let the dealer have the other pair of earrings for $5 before I left. He is a disabled Viet Nam vet who has serious health issues. He always gives me good prices and I have made good money off of his pieces. He was very grateful. I then went to my usual weekend flea market, really late in the day, just for fun and to eat lunch and buy Amish donuts. Around 11:30 am, I found a guy with a big box of jewelry. Here is some of it.

14k gold mabe pearl earrings, $3. Single heavy 14k earring, $1. 14k cultured pearl earrings, $3. Bone? brooch/pendant with diamond and black star sapphire, $2. I bought another 14k teardrop mabe pearl set that needs a small pin repair on the omega back for $3, and I dropped them off for repair there, will show you when they are fixed. I think they are Pierre Cardin. The ring is 14k and blue topaz from the first flea market lady, $50. This next piece was $3, long goldwashed sterling chain, citrine and/or smokey quartz. $3.

And....the guy had these cool costume earrings for a dollar.

Except the stones test as diamonds, and while I cannot find a mark, they are most likely 14k matte gold. I will try to photograph the rest from yesterday, and I still have to photograph what I got from my friend.. karma.

 

yay, marko !!!!

 

Marko hit the jackpot! NICE!

I finally got a neighborhood-wide tag sale grouping to hit. Usually these happen in May or June, but finally in October. Some of it is packed away or packed off.

But.... I had to show you the Ray-o Special, a blue ceramic duck. The bracelets are sterling and so are the rings. I thought the knots were gold but the backs say Krementz, so probably knot.(ahem) The pearl on the chain is 14k. There are 9 of the Tudor crystal sherry glasses - cost $5. The last three...two will get their own thread probably. One started out as a baggie of beads from the antique store. Cost $5 and took me two days to restring - knotted between the beads. The barrel beads are as found. Maybe faturan, maybe???? Dunno. The brooch in the center is signed Weiss - possibly actually D&E but I didn't look a gift horse anywhere but at its lead rope.

 

Ooh good treasure hunting @Marko and @evelyb30 !
So satisfying to find lovely things for not too much cash!

 

Very nice all. Am jealous.

 

Nice!!! Especially nice is that moonstone bracelet. What is the length?

 

We all have our days... I have had one big dry run most of the summer. Estate sales are especially non-existent here due to Covid. I am also working so many hours....hard to get up on the weekends.

 

Marko here the sales have been dismal to say the least. Some of the ones coming up look to have promise. I saw one that is loaded with cook books. I hope I can go and find some plus other stuff. I see some estate sale runners here are going back to in house sales rather than auction, thank goodness for that.

 

No idea. It went straight to the Sell locally pile. It's not an old one, so not too short.

 

A nice little haul from hoodwill today. First up is an astonishing Buccalletti silver dish for a red hot $1 ! I never find silver in that one,so it ws really fun.



2 very well done little 4x6 oil paintings


and 2 Fiesta platters. Not what they once were,but I just had to for $2 each

 

Nice haul. I like the pictures.

 

They were in a bin and at 1st glance I thought they were those dollar store ones you see everywhere,but 2nd look and I thought "wow,those are really nicely done".Good thing they are tiny,as I have no wall room ,even in a new house!

 

And silver in the Ill Will for a buck. They missed the mark on that one. Literally. Just plain missed it.

My take from the Hoodwill today was two rolls of scotch tape for a dollar. I have a tape dispenser but no rolls for it. Now I have tape for a long time.

 

That silver bowl!!!

 

I’ve never seen any silverware like that dish that’s been missed in the UK!.
You can see the sellers sniggering when you look at the bottom as if to say ‘yeah, right, like we are going to miss a hallmark’!
I’m biding my time though and I smile sweetly as I pay my £1.50 for the 9K brooch and my £2 for the 9K and diamond bracelet that they missed in the jewellery .
My favourites are the dealers who say ‘You won’t find any gold in there love’ as I fish out a very expensive costume piece….naughtily satisfying!. Gold comes in many guises.

 

Not many decent cheapo finds lately in the Charity shops but here’s a few recents.
The little gold C pendant was £1. The 50 inch long Pranella pink stone necklace was £2, these are around £60-70 new from the British designers. Silver rings and earrings. The leaf dress clip was sold as a book mark for 30 pence.

 

I rest my case! Most of the time they are clueless about costume.

 

True about the costume.
I occasionally find 800 silver in the U.K. Charity shops but only ever found one good silver piece. It had been next to something metal that made a bit of it go green and they took no notice of the word silver underneath! Tested fine and took it to local Bonhams office who said worth about £250.

 

Ooh lovely. Nice spot

 

The best piece of sterling I ever found at a thrift was missed (I figure) because the marks were on the top. If they look at the bottom and don't see anything, they figure it's not silver.