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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;mirana, post: 10064844, member: 79705&quot;]Yes, in this thread plus time spent observing as many as you can. Honestly, best advice is read the thread... [USER=5833]@Bronwen[/USER] has conducted numerous teaching examples and quizzes in here so everyone can be informed when they buy.</p><p><br /></p><p>Even then, a photo can still fool if its a bad photo or a material (like fine glass) that is good at mimicking other things.</p><p><br /></p><p>If you have doubts on a piece, you should speak with the seller on their return policy, especially if they misrepresent something. Then you can inspect the item yourself up close, and/or take it to a jeweler for testing (precious metals usually mean carved cameos, testing stones, etc.)</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p>A closed back can be a good start, but definitely not definitive. These pieces are mine, and the first 4 out of 5 are all plastic and every one of them have open backs (the beaded pendant has a felt back):</p><p><br /></p><p>[ATTACH=full]505339[/ATTACH] </p><p><br /></p><p>The 3 on the left i got knowing they were plastic but liking their uniqueness (I&#039;ve not seen another of the swag or middle Bacchante yet and the blue Erato I&#039;ve only seen one other in black). The other 2 were included in lots and i kept as examples of type.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;ve also seen many closed back pieces that were carved. Some because of how the mount was constructed to be a locket or similar (and in that case, precious metal content may help) and others that i think were remounted on available replacement findings.</p><p><br /></p><p>I would say a definitive way, when only viewing photos is A. Having seen the mold before or B. Seeing popped bubbles in the surface (could also be a type of glass or lava paste, but molded nonetheless). There are other things to look for like a closed back or base metals, or unlikely colors like blue as above in mine, but they can have exceptions imo.</p><p><br /></p><p>Again, I learned a LOT about this from the members here in these threads, and on Bronwen&#039;s site <a href="http://Cameotimes.com" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://Cameotimes.com" rel="nofollow">CameoTimes</a>. <img src="styles/default/xenforo/smilies/wink.png" class="mceSmilie" alt=";)" unselectable="on" />[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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