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How to Research Antique Jewelry

Identifying and pricing antique jewelry often requires some detective work. Perhaps the relative from whom you inherited the piece has long since passed on, and no other family members have clues to its origin. You can patch together a piece's history using makers' marks, old magazines, and, as a last resort after all other sleuthing has failed, a reputable antiques dealer.

Things You'll Need

Computer
Internet connection
Magnifying glass
Old Vogue and/or Harper's Bazaar magazines
Antique appraiser

Instructions

Becoming A Jewelry Sleuth
- 1
  Find out where your jewelry came from. If you inherited it, ask family members who originally owned it where they might have purchased it. If it's in a box or a bag, examine them for store names or company names.
- 2
  Examine your jewelry with a magnifying glass. Turn it over and look for hallmarks. You might see a mark indicating what kind of metal the piece is made of. For example, 9K stands for nine-carat gold, and 925 stands for sterling silver. You may also see a manufacturer's mark. It's helpful to have an illustrated list of common makers' marks to which you can compare your jewelry's mark. You can find one in the book "How To Be A Jewelry Detective."
- 3
  Look for a patent number on your jewelry. You can now search Google Patents to see what patent your piece of jewelry holds: the database is searchable by keyword or number.
- 4
  Look for a copyright mark on your jewelry. These marks were more common after 1956, when it became cheaper to copyright jewelry designs than to patent them.
- 5
  Look in old magazines for jewelry ads. You may not find your exact piece, but there may be an advertisement for something similar, which can give you a clue to the manufacturer of the piece and the date it was produced. Old Vogue and Harper's Bazaar magazines often had jewelry ads. There are also several places online that have extensive archives of jewelry advertisements.
- 6
  Look at the style of your piece. Is it a long flapper necklace? It's likely from the 1920s. Is it a set, with a rhinestone-studded necklace, brooch and earrings? It probably was made in the 1950s. Is it a black cameo or carved pendant? It may be Victorian mourning jewelry. You can double-check your instincts against online pictures of jewelry from the same time period.
- 7
  Consult a recently published antique jewelry price guide to see what amount of money your piece, or similar pieces, have sold for recently. Also, check eBay to see what people are bidding for similar pieces.

Antiques