5 Tips For Purchasing And Starting An Antique Jewellery Collection

The art of collecting involves a lot of trial and error and the road to becoming a collector means constantly learning and acquiring knowledge. In the case of antique jewellery collecting, it all starts with getting to know what qualifies as antiques and buying your first pieces of period jewellery.

Apart from familiarising yourself with the distinct characteristics and styles of each era, here are 5 tips to make collecting antique jewellery a pleasant experience:

1. Decide which eras you are most attracted to.

Identifying the era that you like best will help direct how you build your collection. A lot of information about each time period can already be found online. Books are abundant on the subject matter as well. You can also be more physically proactive and get to know about these historic periods by visiting museums, attending auctions, and you may want to check out antique jewellery found at Kalmar Antiques . Use the most popular jewellery pieces of that era, their prevalent characteristics, and the styles that define the period as your standards. With everything you learn in your research, you will likely be attracted to one or more eras that you would like to start your collection with.

2. Learn to decipher if it’s authentic or just a reproduction.

Practice makes perfect truly does bear merit. Make time to frequent local antique shows and fairs and go to auction previews happening in your area. With more experiences shopping for antique jewelleries, the more collectors learn, especially when it comes to authenticity. An important skill that collectors need to learn is the ability to read hallmarks. How can you tell that a piece of jewellery was genuinely produced during the Victorian era and not a modern piece that resembles the style of the era? Familiarise yourself with the different feels and looks of the materials and motifs of different time periods. Talk to experts. Learn as much as you can until eventually, you can already tell an authentic from a reproduction without assistance from the experts.

3. Find out where the bargains are at.

Hunting for bargains adds to the thrill of collecting antique pieces. If you are a first-time buyer, then make sure you shop around first before you purchase an item. If you know of a seasoned collector who can tag along as you scout for your first antique piece of jewellery, allow them to assist you. Take this chance to observe how they shop and bargain. Your starter jewellery can be unique treasures you find from flea markets, booths, and fairs.

4. Set a budget before you go shopping.

Truly, one of the most basic tips in shopping is setting a budget. Don’t break the bank trying to get your hands on rare Georgian jewelleries or autographed pieces in excellent condition when you’re just starting to build your collection. Be smart about your purchase. A jewellery piece from the Victorian era is recommended for new collectors.

5. Collect items that you can wear too.

Unless you plan on building a museum for your collections or if you plan to sell them in the future, choose antique jewellery pieces that you can wear. Investing in “wearability” makes a lot of sense as this will also help you decide if the period pieces are right for your purposes or not.

Choose durable pieces and avoid pieces of jewellery that are too delicate to wear. Take, for example, the exquisite Georgian rings, which feature a foil between the stone and the setting. Simply washing your hands while wearing these rings will ruin the foil, cause the stone’s colour to fade, and desecrate your precious investment.