Sharon stone jewel diamond ruby

Sharon stone jewel diamond ruby

Diamond Ruby Eagle style

Diamond Ruby Eagle style

DIAMOND & GEMSTONE RINGS - REAL BLING BLINGS!

Shown Above: Offers considered on this incredible large EMERALD and diamond ring appraised over $10,000 at VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE at RUBY LANE and VIANVI JEWELRY at RUBY PLAZA.


When it comes to REAL bling bling, you can't beat the real thing i.e. real diamonds and real gemstones. Sure, costume jewelry is often super pretty, nicely designed, and if it's vintage, generally of high quality when it comes to the crystals and rhinestones used. But let's face it: that costume jewelry takes a beating over time. Unless you keep it all in a box and never wear it, sooner or later stones chip, become cloudy or discolored or fall out altogether. And those old crystals are often hard to replace: after all, the pieces were made 20 - 50 years ago. Finding the perfectly matching crystal can be an impossible job, even more so if the designer is a famous one like Sherman.

But of course, costume jewelry is so much more affordable than real diamond and gemstone jewelry. So while many of us dream of owning a gorgeous emerald and diamond ring like the one at the top of this post, dream is all we can do ... unless we consider buying "used", "second hand" or what sounds nicer "pre-loved". Let's stick with pre-loved as often, that's exactly what the original owner probably felt: love for that special ring. She may not have worn it every day. She kept it boxed and put it on for special occasions. Being real diamonds and genuine gemstones, it wouldn't go cloudy or discolor. Being real diamonds and gemstones, chipping was much less likely as the stones are so much harder. Oh sure, they can be chipped or scratched, but if your seller is honest, they'll disclose any flaws. Even flawed, a diamond or gemstone still retains value. And if a stone does fall out and is lost, replacing them isn't anywhere near as difficult, though it is more expensive.

These are some of the reasons we like selling genuine diamond and gemstone jewelry at VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE and VIANVI JEWELRY. We try to give a buyer the chance to own truly valuable and beautiful rings, necklaces, brooches or bracelets at a fraction of what they would have paid had they bought it brand new. We go all out looking for quality items. We avoid chipped stones. We steer clear of diamonds with carbon deposits or poor clarity ie.. the diamonds look cloudy or milky. (If we do happen to have some that don't quite meet our criteria, you can count on us to have priced it according to its lesser quality). You might not know it, but many of the rings being sold in retail outlets today, if they seem affordable, are often of a diamond quality we won't touch! It sometimes shocks us looking at new rings in modern retail shops with price tags of $2000 - $3000 ... and offering diamonds we wouldn't want! But folks buy them because they're new. The little pinpoint lights make them twinkle in those glass displays and the buyer thinks they're awesome. We don't. The ones that are awesome, if new, are many thousands of dollars more!

So that said, feast your eyes on some of the diamond/gemstone rings we currently have in our VIANVI shops. These are true quality ... and the appraisals we have done back that up. No, they are not cheap. But we're selling them at a fraction of their value. What a way for you, our buyers, to afford quality jewelry!

Above: RARE natural ALEXANDRITE & diamond cocktail ring appraised at $8950. Our price: ONLY $3795! CLICK HERE TO SEE & LEARN MORE.

Above: Stunning cocktail ring feartures 1/2ct of diamonds set around a brilliant pink TOURMALINE. Fabulous ring at fabulous price during our 50% OFF SALE. Only $350!! CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE & LEARN MORE

Above: Appraised at $3800, it doesn't get much prettier than this RUBY and Diamond dinner ring, on sale now for only $1079. CLICK HERE NOW!

Above: Unheated, natural SAPPHIRE and Diamond Ring, appraised at $8850 is set in platinum. Only $3299. Rare gemstone! LEARN MORE HERE!


There are so many more gorgeous diamond and gemstone rings available in our shops, and right now, with our 50% OFF SALE in full swing, you can't get much better for so much less. Be sure to drop by and look for those items marked 50% OFF. Necklaces and bracelets too! Lots of real BLING BLING!

OUR EBAY EXPERIMENT: RESULTS & WHAT WE'VE LEARNED

Well our little experiment with selling at auction on ebay, after not having done so for months, is nearly finished. We still have a few auctions running but it's easy to project already how those will end up i.e. dead. Here's our conclusions:

1) Ebay will bring lots of page views and even bidders  ... IF the auction starts at 99 cents or less!

2) Ebay will bring few page views and almost no bidders if the auction starts at what an item is worth, unless it's worth very little

3) Lots of "watchers" doesn't mean lots of bidders. Now we know that's not news but in general, if you have 50 watchers, you're lucky to have 10 real bidders.

Of the 13 items I had listed, 5 were sold. Three of them went for between $30 - $46, at the opening bid price! The other two, higher end pieces, went for less than 1/10th their appraised value!! I let a $6000 Jabel ring go for $650! There were 13 watchers. Only one person bid. What were the rest doing? I suspect the rest were probably other eBay sellers just curious to see if that Jabel with one carat of diamonds (worth more than the entire ring!) would sell at all before they list theirs.

The other item that sold for 1/10th its appraised value had actually been previously "sold" on Ruby Lane for twice what I got on ebay ie.. $395. The original buyer never paid up. But here's the rub: either she or her relative bid on the eBay auction and got it for half price! Well good for her you might say ie. smart bidding and smart shopping. True. But for me as a vendor, it sucks.

Then there's my daughter's auctions. Several of hers finished yesterday and she still has several to go. The ones that started at 99 cents all sold. Did she get her money ie.. what it was worth? Well on one ring she got back her cost. But since ebay fees come out of that, she's down. On a second ring which miraculously she had priced with an opening bid of $475, she got all her money back but didn't make anything. Interesting that that one did gets bids and didn't start at 99 cents. The gorgeous diamond cross pendant shown in my previous blog post? It went for less than $100. Then take off ebay fees. It started at 99 cents. Now what if she'd paid $200 for that in the first place? Ouch!

Of the items still at auction, only one, a semi-mount for a ring, has any bids. All the others are high end items with the bidding starting where she must start or lose her shirt. On all those items there have been very few page views and just about no-one has a "watch" on them.

So final conclusion as far as we little sellers go: don't sell on ebay unless you can afford to start your auctions at 99 cents!! And don't complain if item sells below what it's worth if you do list there: that's the chance you take when you sell on ebay.

Our auction items are now back in our shops at RUBY LANE and RUBY PLAZA. If you're reading this and are a vendor or buyer, we're open to offers on all items, even when it doesn't state "make an offer". As summer sets in, sales slow down so we're a little more flexible, especially when we're overstocked. So why not drop over and take a look. Don't be shy. We'll listen :))

We have the gorgeous original set by STANLEY HAGLER (shown below) that's a real collector's item: Make us an offer!

Or how about this recently added sapphire/diamond brooch and earring set (below) that we've just added this past week. It's incredible!

VINTAGE JEWELRY IS LIKE VINTAGE CARS - RARE, SPECIAL, ESPECIALLY IF IT'S CARTIER OR TIFFANY

My daughter and her boyfriend are looking for their first car. Of course, what they like they can't afford and what they can afford isn't necessarily what they like or want.

It's a bit like that with jewelry, isn't  it. There's always newer, bigger, brighter and more expensive jewelry on the market. And women do so love to have the latest thing or follow the newest trend. But unless we're rich, we can't always afford what we want.

I suppose that's why I like vintage jewelry, especially designer signed. If it's a famous designer, like a Cartier or Tiffany, it's still going to be expensive, but comparatively speaking, it's affordable.

Just like today: hubby and I went out for a walk and stopped to look at cars. I spotted a Mercedes I liked. It was sold. Just as well. I couldn't afford it even if it wasn't. Then I saw another car I really liked, a BMW. It was a 2000 model but in nice shape, and being 10 years old, quite affordable. And for me, there was something so appealing about both cars: older but classy. Well made. Recognized names for quality. No, none of the fancy modern gizmos like GPS or something into which I could stick an ipod, but one lovely car. Again, a bit like that vintage 14k gold diamond Tiffany watch shown above: older, recently serviced but ever beautiful, elegant, classy and relatively affordable.

I wore that gorgeous watch to one of my daughter's shows last night (she's an entertainer). I don't usually wear something we purchase to sell, but I just had to have the experience of wearing a gold Tiffany watch for once in my life. It felt great! I kept looking at it, admiring it on my wrist, checking to see it was still keeping perfect time (it was) and secretly hoping every other woman around me might notice it LOL! Do  you ever do that?

Now on my other wrist, I wore the incredibly beautiful vintage 18k  Cartier Double C motif bangle/bracelet shown below (also a very new addition to our shops:

Yes, I really went all out! With the Tiffany watch on one wrist and this fantastic  rather rare Cartier diamond bangle on the other wrist, I felt, well, special! I could never had afforded them new when they were new, but now, being vintage, while they still cost a lot, they were far more affordable. For just one night in my life, I felt like the rich and famous ie.. wearing valuable designer pieces of fine jewelry. And it felt great! And boy, did those pieces look marvellous. It really helped me appreciate why owning a Cartier and Tiffany is so desirable. 

Well now, they're both back in their boxes where they will stay until some other woman who loves fine designer jewelry decides one of these is for her. They are both listed now in our RUBY LANE and RUBY PLAZA shops.  I've also been lucky to just today acquire the matching 18k Double C Diamond Cartier ring that matches that bracelet. It will be listed sometime in the next 3 -4 weeks. But what an incredibly valuable matching set that would be ie. an 18k Diamond Cartier Bangle and Ring in the tri-colored Double C motif. Gorgeous, collectible designer vintage jewelry. Watch for it!

EBAY SELLING EXPERIMENT PROCEEDING AS EXPECTED - POORLY!

If you read my previous blog post, you know that for the first time in a very long time, we decided to list some of our gorgeous fine jewelry on auction at eBay. Their offer of free listing i.e. no fees for a change, was an opportunity to compare eBay as a selling venue to our usual venues at RUBY LANE and RUBY PLAZA.  We were also hoping to use this as a chance to lure visitors to our new Ruby Plaza shop as it carries quite a few items that aren't or cannot be listed in our Ruby Lane Shop. We hope YOU  have checked out the new shop by now (hint! hint!)

So here we are with auctions ending in the next 24 -48 hours and going by the "page views" eBay supplies, traffic to the auction items have been dreadful! Whether that's because they're buried under so much other stuff at ebay that folks don't find them until the last minute (much to our disappointment of course) or they simply aren't what buyers want, we don't know. But we do know this much: eBay shoppers are still very loathe to bid or buy anything that priced higher, or where the opening bid is high, even if it's worth every cent and you can prove it by an appraisal. We have rings listed, like the glorious diamond and emerald cocktail ring below (which comes with an appraisal for $2150 CAD) on which the opening bid is a

very low $695, almost my cost, and no-one is even watching it. OUCH! This ring has 0.40 cts of VS - H diamonds (top quality) and 5 genuine, not lab-created emeralds! It's a absolute steal at that opening bid price.  But no, instead there's more watches on simple rings starting at $29 that aren't a patch on that one and will never match it for value. 

Well we do have bids on some items. Of course, they are the ones starting super low, like that incredible diamond cross shown at the top of this blog. That beauty comes with 0.65cts of diamonds and no kidding ... that one is worth bidding on. But here we are with 4 days to go in the auction at the bidding is stalled at $21.75!! How typical. We know what the watchers are doing of course: they're going to wait till the very last second and try to snipe it for pennies. And whoever wins it will score bigtime. But will they pay what it's really worth? I'm betting it doesn't even reach $200 and it's certainly worth more than that. 

Here's another example: the ring shown below comes with an appraisal for over $2200 CAD. The main diamond in this one is about 0.29cts and again, high quality. Bidding has opened (started at $49) and has reached a grand total of $87 at this point. Whoopee! NOT! Is this going to be another one of those items we lose our shirts on? Probably. Why do eBay sellers put themselves through this!

One thing's becoming abundantly clear to me: to sell successfully (ie. make any money) on eBay you either have to be able to buy items at rock-bottom prices or be a masochist. You certainly shouldn't rely on it as your only source of income ie. better keep your day job and do ebay for fun. Did I say fun? What's funny about losing money?!

One of the other rings we have at auction (there's plenty more) is the fabulous emerald-cut solitaire shown below. About a year back, we couldn't keep this style of ring in stock. Everyone was after emerald-cut solitaires. Well right now, this one's had lots of looks but only 4 watchers. Let's hope they're serious and not just curious. This is a 0.28ct solitaire engagement ring whose diamond is VS - VVS clarity and F-G color ... just a gorgeous and valuable stone. We have the opening bid on this at our cost! Someone will get lucky if they're smart enough to bid. But you can bet they'll do the usual eBay thing: wait till the last second.

For me, I find this type of selling utterly nerve-wrecking. I try not to worry but I know that I'm one of those unfortunate sellers who doesn't buy her stuff at bargain basement prices. We pay a lot for each and every fine piece of jewelry we carry. So if we list on eBay, we can't start auctions at 99 cents like the big guys do, though I must admit some of them do amazingly. I guess the difference is they have huge followings on eBay. Maybe they have retail outlets. Maybe their buyers are other jewellers who know the value of the pieces. I wonder how many "ordinary" buyers who'd just like a nice ring for themselves or someone they love know the real value of what they're looking at. We know the quality we're selling. We spell it out in detail in our shops at RUBY LANE and RUBY PLAZA. We provide that same detail to eBay buyers but they don't bite. Why! There sure is something different about buying and selling on eBay. 

And thank heaven for our loyal Ruby Lane/Ruby Plaza customers who buy from us again and again, knowing that that they'll get what they see and it's worth what we say. Make no mistake: there are some very good, honest sellers on eBay who do bend over backwards to serve the customer and who stand behind their product. But there's one thing we have seen time and again too ie.. sellers who sell diamond and gemstone jewelry, making lavish claims about the quality, and then, even when you prove to them it ain't what they say, they refund your money and relist the item exactly as they had it before! Hmmm! 

Well, we'll see how our auctions go over the next few days. I know we'll be disappointed. I'm willing to bet most of the items won't sell at all, even at the super low opening bids, and those that do sell will bring sad $$ for the value. Those who buy our pieces will be very happy as they'll get top quality for low dollars. As for us, it'll be back to where we like selling: RUBY LANE and RUBY PLAZA. Oh, while we have you: that's a genuine diamond and garnet JABEL shown below and bidding on that one starts at only $295!! That's giving it away!

IS EBAY STILL THE BEST PLACE TO SELL YOUR VINTAGE JEWELRY?

A few days back, a member of our jewelry group posited this question: "Is there really no alternative to ebay for selling items by auction"? From the answers members gave him, one couldn't help but sense a tiny bit of despair. Yes there were alternatives out there, but if you really wanted to sell by auction, eBay still rules.

Many, like me, prefer not to sell auction-style: we know that invariably we'll lose money in one or more ways:

1) eBay buyers are bargain hunters ...they have a garage sale mentality ie.. get it as cheaply as you can. Take advantage of a seller's need for funds at that moment etc etc. Hence, the seller rarely gets what they really would like or need for the item.

2) if you do get a price you're happy with, ebay's fees will cut steeply into your profit.

Either way, you usually end up with less money than you wanted, less than the item was worth, or if you had the misfortune of paying too much for it when you first bought it, of losing $$ altogether.

I guess that's why we deserted ebay over 2 years ago as sellers. We felt we were being eaten alive there. We moved over to RUBY LANE and everything changed. It's been great for us. We like it so much, we've even dared to open a second shop at their sister site, RUBY PLAZA. That one will take time to grow but we're confident that ultimately, we're better off on both those sites than selling on ebay.

BUT, eBay is trying hard to lure the sellers back. They've been running a very special offer that ended today, June 1st. They let vendors with good DSR's list auction-style for FREE! Well, since things have truly been a bit slow in the last couple of months, we've decided to test eBay out for the first time in a long, long time. We know we won't get the price we want for the items we've listed, but we're curious to see what will happen. Are the shoppers still bargain-hunting on ebay? Will they recognize value when they see it or decide that it's still too expensive for them? In short, we're conducting an experiment of sorts. It'll be interesting to see if we sell anything at all LOL!

If you'd like to have a look at what we've listed, you'll find our auction listings HERE There's quite a mixture of items: gorgeous diamond and gemstone rings, some Shermans, some fine jewelry like the necklace shown at the top, and even loose genuine gemstones. Auctions start as low as $29 for rings. The better rings, several with appraisals, start at only 1/4 to 1/5 or even in some cases, 1/10 of the appraised value! This is a great chance to get some of our fabulous jewelry at a price lower than we've had it in our SHOPS, presuming you win the item for the opening bid. Yes, we were careful not to cut our own throats on this experiment. We've done that too often on eBay LOL.

But if you're the type who doesn't like buying on eBay, but you want one of our items, here's what you do: locate that item in either our RUBY LANE or RUBY PLAZA shop and email us. We can talk about it ie. if item doesn't sell on ebay, after the auction ends, you can buy it from us that opening bid price. How's that sound?

Visit the EBAY LINK to our items today. Except for the gemstones, you can link straight through from the item listing in eBay to the listing in our shop and vice versa. Then contact us. Have fun!

red diamond kiss

Cushion cut diamond

blue-rose blue-diamond

Dolphin rings

Gemstone Jewelry

Thailand Jewelry centres

INDIAN FASHIONS

We offer India's largest collection of Indian Fashion Jewelry (also Know as Costume Jewelry), Like Kundan Necklace, Bridal Necklaces, Polki Necklaces, Victorian Necklaces, Bangles, Jhumka Bangles, Lakh bangles, Polki Bangles, Gold Plated Bangles, Beaded Jewelry, Stone Studded Jewellery, Fashion Jewellery, Western Jewellery and Lac jewelry (also known as lakh or lakhha jewellery), We have over 19,500 designs of various Jewelry items, readily available in Wholesale Quantities, at the Cheapest Prices Possible. Our fashionable & exclusive Jewelry items are available in variety of colors & patterns.
Fashion jewelry are forever popular, whether as a stand-alone or combined with other metals and stones. It is unrestrained by terms like value and rarity and can be fashioned to form any ornament. The best thing about fashion jewelry is that it never goes out of fashion.

Ancient Symbolism in Popular Fashion

Daniel K engagement rings and platinum jewelry

Thailand Jewelry centres

DIAMOND & GEMSTONE NECKLACES: FASHION THAT NEVER GOES OUT OF STYLE!

Why did vintage designer costume jewelry become so popular in days gone by? The answer is simple isn't it.  Designers like Schiaparelli, Sherman, D & E, Miriam Haskell, Stanley Hagler and so many other renowned vintage designers set beautifully colored stones, crystals, beads, baroque pearls etc into gorgeous designs that were affordable for the masses. To gather rubies, emeralds, diamonds and set them into 14k, 18k etc. in the same designs would have made the end product unaffordable for any but the rich and famous. Beautiful designer costume jewelry made a woman feel rich even when she wasn't, and let's face it, little has changed. Costume jewelry remains popular, even though right now vintage costume jewelry sales are in bit of a slump (if I'm to believe my associates) but that will turn around too. Sales in all areas come in waves: what's hot now is dead tomorrow and vice versa. So I'll say as I did in my SHERMAN BLOG that this is a buyer's market for costume jewelry right now and smart shoppers would be wise to buy up now, whether you're a collector or seller. But that's not what I want to discuss today.

Today I want to chat about fine jewelry, specifically diamond and gemstone necklaces. While my daughter (and it seems the bulk of our customers) are into rings, I'm a necklace person. I find it hard to resist a lovely piece when I come across it but of course, buying real diamond and gemstone jewelry is expensive. I do buy it, and it costs me the earth. But I look at it this way: fine jewelry with real diamonds and gemstones is never out of style and it's a valuable investment. If things get tough, you will always be able to sell off diamond and gemstone jewelry. It's not quite the same with costume jewelry ie. those jewelers who have estate sections in their shops don't show costume jewelry but they will show "the real thing" because they know there's always a buyer for a lovely diamond necklace, bracelet or ring.

And the other side of investing in fine jewelry is the family heirloom aspect: I never really thought much about that until I asked one of our dear regular customers why she buys so much fine jewelry from us. Apart from "I just love it" she also said the thought of leaving such valuable pieces to her family is very satisfying. Whether they wear them or sell them down the road, they'll always be worth lots of money.

Now take that absolutely magnificent Jadeite and diamond necklace shown at the top of this post: how often do you come across a piece as beautiful and valuable as that one? We were in a high profile jewelry shop last week that has an estate section. Prices for pieces like the one above were $80,000 or more! Well ours costs nothing like that. This necklace comes with an appraisal for over $13,500 and during our GRAND OPENING SALE at RUBY PLAZA  which ends May 31st, you save a further 15%. CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE & LEARN MORE!

But perhaps that one's out of your budget (we do layaway by the way). Well then, what about that stunning 18k diamond necklace above? It's appraised at nearly $5000, comes with over 1.5cts of VS diamonds and you can take 15% off our asking price on that one as well. CLICK THIS LINK to see more photos now.

Perhaps you're into sapphires and diamonds? Then take a look at the superb sapphire and diamond necklace on the left. Set in 14k white gold, it has 0.87cts of diamonds and a whopping 1.37ct deep blue sapphire in its center. Its appraisal is well over $3000 but it's very reasonably priced and again, during our GRAND OPENING SALE at RUBY PLAZA, you can take another 15% off that price. SEE MORE HERE.

 Perhaps your taste (and budget) would prefer something simpler? Check out the super pretty diamond heart pendant shown on the right. It has nearly .65 cts of diamonds. Don't you just love that design? So different! There's no chain with this one but perhaps  you have one of your own. We do have some fine white gold 14k chains that will go well with this one if you don't. Oh, yes, it's set in 14k white gold.  I think it's gorgeous. See more photos and read up on it HERE.


Well I could go on and on but it's easier if you just jog on over to OUR NEW SHOP AT RUBY PLAZA or OUR SHOP AT RUBY LANE and poke around for yourself while this GRAND OPENING SALE is on and can save you 15% on our regular prices for a lot of items, including coral necklaces, costume jewelry, diamond and gemstone rings, bangles, bracelets and even designers like CARTIER and TIFFANY. Our sale ends May 31st so why not save 15% NOW?

And in case you didn't know, while both our shops carry all the same items, at this point only the RUBY PLAZA SHOP has more contemporary jewelry and hence, more items to choose from. We hope you come visit soon!

THE CANARY SINGS IN YELLOW DIAMOND RINGS

If you've been watching trends in diamond rings lately, especially amongst celebrities, you might have noticed that colored diamonds are the latest craze. Celebrities are sporting red, blue and especially yellow diamonds, everything from the soft canary yellows to deep, saturated yellows, and in our VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE at RUBY LANE, yellow diamond rings are indeed, our hottest selling item. But here's the thing: unheated, untreated, natural colored diamonds of great clarity and color are hard to come by and cost a fortune. That's why wearing such rings is pretty much only for the rich and famous. The rest of us make do with treated or "enhanced" colored stones as these are more affordable. Sadly, they are also likely to be less permanent, more prone to chipping etc. So when we're shopping for colored diamonds rings for our shops at RUBY LANE and the new shop at RUBY PLAZA, we spend hours searching for affordable "natural" yellow diamond rings because we want our customers to have only the best they can afford.

Take that fabulous cocktail/dinner ring shown at the top of this blog. It has 2.14cts of NATURAL (not enhanced) diamonds ranging in clarity from VS - Si1 and with E - G color. This applies to both the clear and yellow diamonds. The radiance and sparkle in this ring is incredible. It's 18k yellow gold and weighs over 13 grams. We had it appraised just this month and the appraisal came in over $8500 CAD. You can see more photos and learn more about it only at VIANVI: VINTAGE and CONTEMPORARY COLLECTIBLE JEWELRY at RUBY PLAZA, our new shop where we can now sell newer and even brand new items that we weren't able to sell in our VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE at RUBY LANE.  This ring is for the lady with larger fingers (like me) but if you want a yellow diamond ring for a smaller finger, then how's this one shown below:

This ring, available in both of our RUBY LANE and RUBY PLAZA shops, features a 0.57ct cushion-cut natural fancy yellow diamond surrounded by another 0.86cts of brilliant Si1 - i1 clear diamonds. Appraised at around the same price as the other ring above, this is the chance for a woman who wears a small ring size (4 3/4 - 5) to snap herself up a yellow diamond ring. Again, please consult the actual listing (click on LINKS above) for more photos and full details.

Below are some more photos of jewelry with canary yellow diamonds that we've already sold from VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE at RUBY LANE:

Aren't these gorgeous? And one thing is certain: we can't keep them in stock. Almost as soon as we list a new canary or fancy yellow diamond ring in our shops, they're gone! Of course, the reason for that is simple: we carry only the best quality we can find in natural, untreated diamonds and offer them to our customers at reasonable prices. We're not saying everyone can afford them but those who can know they'll pay less with us than they will with other vendors who are looking to really cash in on this latest trend: colored diamonds! And it won't be over in a hurry because right now, canary yellow diamonds sing!

While we have you, you might want to slip over to OUR NEW SHOP at RUBY PLAZA now. While you'll find a lot of the same items we carry in our SHOP AT RUBY LANE, you'll find others you'll never see there. On top of that, we're kicking off our new shop with a GRAND OPENING SALE that starts on Saturday, May 15th. We haven't decided when it will end but as usual, it's first in, best dressed. So if you've had your eye on something in our RUBY LANE SHOP for a while, you might want to GO! to our RUBY PLAZA SHOP this weekend. It just might be on sale there in our GRAND OPENING SALE. See you there! Look for items marked GO!

IS THIS A GENUINE TIFFANY BANGLE OR NOT?

Okay, any Tiffany experts out there? I need help as I think that maybe, just maybe, I've been duped again, but I'm not sure.

I attended an estate auction about a month back. They had 4 pieces of "authentic" Tiffany jewelry there. Whoo-hoo I thought! My lucky day. If I didn't buy anything else, I was determined to win all four pieces of Tiffany. Well I won and congratulated myself. So did the other bidders around me.

During a lull in the auction ..well a lull for me as they were auctioning off die cast car collections, comics, and all the crystal in the world it seemed (doesn't anyone value real crystal anymore ... this stuff was going for peanuts ) ... sorry, I digress. So while that was going on, I took out my Tiffanys and began examining them. Something didn't seem quite right on two of the pieces.  The weight of a necklace seemed too light for silver and a charm wasn't stamped. Hmmm... Then there was one of those bangles that looks like mesh: lo and behold, the Tiffany stamp was crooked. Okay. These had to be knock-offs. The other two pieces were harder to decide. Everything looked good with them. I got my money back on the two suspect pieces and told the auctioneer I'd be testing the others and to expect a call from me if I wasn't satisfied they were the real thing. Thinking back on it, why didn't I just hand the whole lot back!

Well we tested the silver when we got home and couldn't find any reason to believe the last two pieces were bona fide Tiffanys. We took photos so we could list them in OUR NEW SHOP at RUBY PLAZA (these weren't vintage enough for Ruby Lane) and were all set to go when my daughter stopped me dead: she questioned the 1837 logo on the Tiffany bangle shown above.  She'd been poking around the net and found a different logo for "1837 Tiffany" It wasn't fully oval with rounded edges. It actually had a hard edge with a little corner at either end. So, was my Tiffany bangle authentic or not? Wasn't it possible for Tiffany to have more than one logo over the years? After all, designers do modify their logos from time to time, don't they?

Well I spent several hours yesterday trying to find photos of authentic "1837 Tiffany" logos. It was hard to find. Nor could I find any written material on the logos. There was tons of really good information on eBay about how to spot fake Tiffanys. I learned a lot from that but my question is still unanswered.

You see, what I read on eBay is that real Tiffany is stamped thus in many cases:
Year, Tiffany & Co., 925 along with the copyright symbol. Well that's exactly what is on my bangle:

The spacing is perfectly even between the letters. The stamps are definitely engraved, not lasered (apparently if it's lasered on you can see dots under magnification ... not the case here). It's scuffed enough to have been worn and loved. The outer stamping (top photo) is consistent with authentic Tiffany. 

And now here's what's really confusing me:  I visited the Tiffany website in Canada and at the top of the page on BRACELETS is a photo showing that "1837" logo identical to the one on my bangle!! Click that BRACELETS link and see it for yourself... curved edges on that oval, just like mine! Below is a photo I found on eBay of the other logo:

Here's another : 

See how the "1837" logo is slightly squared on the edges of that oval? Not nice and round like mine ... or like the one shown on the Tiffany website!!

So I need help. What do  you think? Any Tiffany experts out there who can resolve this for me? I'd already listed this bangle in my RUBY PLAZA SHOP but I've taken it off for now until I get some definitive answer ... if I can. Can you help? Is this bangle of mine an authentic Tiffany or not?

HARD LESSON BUYING ONLINE: YOUR WORD AGAINST THEIRS!

What a headache! I found this wonderful 1940's bracelet by Cartier about a month back. After lots of dickering back and forth, the seller and I finally agreed on a price....expensive!! But given it's a signed and numbered piece from the 1940's, I felt it was well worth buying. The description said it was in top condition and the accompanying photos agreed.

I'd initially seen this bracelet when I was checking prices for Cartier jewelry on eBay. The seller didn't sell it at that time so it was no longer listed there. The only way to buy it was directly.  I had no real problem with that since the seller and his wife operate a real world antiques store in California and the bracelet was being offered for sale in their retail shop.Formal receipts would be issued etc.

But the seller didn't want to go through PayPal because of their fees. I offered to include those fees with my payment as that little inner voice was saying there's at least a recourse if something goes wrong if you use PayPal. Given the amount I was paying, I wish now I'd listened to that inner voice.

Now don't get me wrong: everything proceeded as it should: the seller shipped quickly, sent me scans of the receipts and did all that stuff right. I eagerly awaited the arrival of the bracelet. Well it came a week back. I opened the package with anticipation, removed the bracelet and rested it on my wrist. It was lovely ... hard to believe it was 70 years old. I was now the happy owner of an authentic signed and numbered vintage Cartier bracelet weighing over 46 grams of 18k gold. Wow!

I was just about to lock it on my wrist when I noticed that if I did so, there was no way to open it. To  my horror I realized the little 18k locking knob was missing. As you can see in the photo, at some point it had broken off. That didn't show in the photos I'd originally seen, nor was it mentioned in the description. The little gold ball that should have been there wasn't in the plastic baggie with the bracelet so it hadn't broken off in transit. Canada Customs hadn't opened the package when they hit me with duty, so they hadn't broken it. When had it snapped off?

Curbing my panic, we immediately contacted the seller and sent him that photo above. That's when the trouble started. He took 2 days to reply to my courteous email requesting a small refund to help cover the repair. When he replied, he intimated that I must have broken it as he'd sent it in perfect condition. How could that be?! He said they always take photos before shipping and the photos are dated. He said he'd wait for the film to be developed so he could see if it was missing when he shipped. 5 more days went by. No response from him despite more emails from me. Naturally by now I was getting antsy. I'd been in touch with Cartier Customer Service who told me it would probably cost me between $350 - $450 to have this repaired. OUCH!

I wrote again and waited. Surely, in the interest of good customer relations and service he'd be willing to help me out with the cost of the repair. After all, though he might think it, I certainly hadn't broken the ball off and wasn't trying to pull one over him. Why would I do that when repair will cost that much. I waited some more.

While waiting, I visited http://www.toolhaus.org  That's a very useful site if you're purchasing from eBay sellers. YOu can type in their eBay ID name and see all the negative and neutral feedback they've received for several years. That's when I saw what I didn't want to see: these sellers had a whackload of neggies and neutrals dating  back years, lots of mention of broken items, unco-operative sellers, poor communication etc etc. Oh stupid me for not checking that before buying. I'd placed too much faith in their current feedback percentage on eBay which looked very good.

Well I won't bore  you with more details, but bottom line is I really messed up on this one and learned some hard lessons on the way: they refuse to give me any kind of refund saying my claims have no merit. They say their photos are accurate. They haven't shared the photos they say they took before shipping ... wonder why? Want to bet they never  took any? And here I am with nowhere to turn. This wasn't an ebay sale. We didn't do it via PayPal. So I can't open any disputes and given his attitude, he'd just stick by his claim that it was perfect when he shipped. Oh yes, I've contacted my Credit Card company and could open a dispute through them. As long as I have an expert testify in print that the gold knob is missing (hello ... see photo?) and supply all the emails regarding this matter, I can open a dispute. But the seller says "All Sales Final". He won't take a return (I already offered to send it back at my expense). And even if Credit Card company says send it back with tracking etc., if he doesn't accept it, then what? My daughter's been dealing with another guy over just something like that for a week now. He won't accept the returned item because US customs has hit with duty (they shouldn't have) so he keeps rejecting the package!! It's now on its way back to us ...and we'll just not accept it here either. But hey, that's another story for another blog post.

Bottom line: when it's your word against theirs, there seems to be no such thing as "customer is always right". I'm just proud of the fact that we don't treat our customers that way. Even when they're wrong, it's their right to return the item if they're not happy ...even if they just don't like it! In my case, I love it but it's broken and I have to have it repaired at my cost now. Bah!

SPRING IS IN THE AIR: TIME FOR COLORFUL COSTUME JEWELRY

Well I don't know what it's like, weather-wise, where you are but up here in Canada where we still sometimes get snow in April, Spring has surely arrived. We've been enjoying summertime temps going as high as 27 C ... record-breaking for our city at this time of year. The funniest part for me was returning from our trip to Venezuela for the last week of March: it  was hot and humid on Margarita Island and I was almost looking forward to returning to cooler temps. What a shock to come home to this! No complaints of course, but it was a reminder that when it comes to jewelry, it's time to start thinking Spring. And not only Spring: Mother's Day is just over a month away. So what will those shoppers who still have some money left after tax time be looking for now? 

One of my loveliest recent finds is the delightful pink glass bead necklace and earring set by DeMario shown above. No way could I pass this up. Everything about it, from its pretty color to its design suggests spring and flowers.  This is an 82 gram necklace; yet it doesn't feel or look heavy. It's satiny smooth on the skin and feels cool to the touch. 

For those not familiar with DeMario, he designed between 1946 and 1960. In both design, quality, construction and the use of beads and findings, he's comparable to Miriam Haskell. He later worked with Stanley Hagler, one of the most lauded vintage designers.  According to the book, COSTUME JEWELRY 101 by Julia Carroll,  DeMario's pieces, especially those in good condition are hard to come by, getting pricier all the time, and definitely worth collecting. So this lovely set above should be added to your wish list: it's in fantastic condition and the gorgeous pink color is always popular. You can see more photos and learn more about this DeMario set HERE. 

Speaking of Stanley Hagler, before I went away I began looking into that designer too. I'd seen his pieces in books on costume jewelry. They were always expensive and from what I was reading, highly collectible. Since starting that research, I've acquired several remarkable pieces signed Stanley Hagler N.Y.C. and will be featuring them in time as we get our photos done. But one that is available now is this incredible brooch shown below: 

Now let me tell you: no books nor photos ever prepared me for this one! For starters, it's "huge" at least by my standards.  It measures 4" X 2.5". But wow ... what an amazing example of the work of a master! The glorious intricate bead work that must have taken hours to complete is mind-boggling. And the lovely combination of colors! This brooch represents a butterfly in a garden, resting near a massive amethyst colored cabochon. You just have to go see this brooch in OUR SHOP AT RUBY LANE. Note its construction, condition and workmanship. Then realize that no photos, not even ours which are very good, shows you just how beautiful this is. Now wonder Stanley Hagler is revered amongst vintage costume jewelry designers. 

WHAT'S HAPPENED TO OUR LOVE OF GOLD JEWELRY? WHY HAS YOUR TREASURE BECOME TRASH?

I've decided to share with you one of my recent, almost unsettling experiences with gold jewelry. What I've copied and pasted below is from a blog post I wrote for RUBY LANE. If you don't follow that blog, you may never read this piece that I think is of interest to anyone thinking of attending those currently popular "gold parties" or who've recently discovered lots of gold jewelry sitting in their drawers that they're no longer wearing and are thinking "why not turn it into cash"? Well, why not indeed if you're no longer wearing it or in love with it. But is selling it off at gold parties or taking it to a refiner the way to get the most for your gold jewelry? Read on!

As a seller of fine jewelry on Ruby Lane, I'm rather appalled at how people are now flocking to those gold jewelry "parties" carrying their rings, bracelets, necklaces, even gorgeous 18k gold pieces left to them by a mother or grandma, only to sell them for well, peanut money. Whatever happened to the value, in our eyes, of precious metal jewelry? After all, gold, silver and platinum values have never been higher but it seems only stock investors appreciate that.

I recently acquired the magnificent 18k gold bracelet shown below:

This bracelet was passed on to the lady who sold it to me by her mother. Mom had received it from dad when they were on a trip to Spain over 50 years ago. The workmanship and beauty of this bracelet is second to none. My friend had originally asked to sell it on consignment in our shop. If I didn't want to try to sell it for her, she'd take it to a gold refiner as this just wasn't her kind of jewelry and she'd never wear it. She didn't really need the money but it was just sitting around in her drawer, as is the case, I guess with a lot of the ladies attending these parties.

Well, though it cost me a small fortune to take it off her hands, I couldn't stand the thought of her taking it to a refiner to just melt down. I purchased it outright from her and then decided to get it appraised, just for the heck of it. After all, it weighs nearly 87 grams of 18k gold ( a gold refiner's dream!) and its vintage design had to be worth something, didn't it? Well it was. To my delight, the bracelet was appraised over $9000. Whatever I decided to do with it in the future i.e. offer it in our shop or keep it in my safe, or pass it on to my children, this was a good investment ... at least in my humble opinion.

Then an ad in the paper this past weekend caught my eye: the jewelry refinery was coming to town and would be at the local Courtyard Marriott for a few hours on Sunday. "Bring in your unwanted gold and turn it into cash" shouted the ad. I got curious. These were the same people behind all the gold jewelry parties. What would they offer me for this heirloom bracelet with so much gold in it? I decided to find out. 

My husband and I were the only ones there by the time we arrived. No-one, including the buyer, was in the designated room. We were just about to leave when he dashed toward us blowing cigarette breath in our faces and asked what we had for him. I pulled out the bracelet. His face registered nothing in particular. He grabbed a magnet. Though I knew what he was doing, I played dumb and asked why he was touching the magnet to the bracelet in various spots. This was, of course, to test if there was other metal underneath, as would be the case in gold plate. The magnet didn't grab. He gave me the good news: it was indeed gold. Good. He then said he'd have to acid-test it to check the karat. "Would that damage it"? I asked. He said 'most likely". Well of course, I wasn't wanting that, not on a piece in nearly unused condition! So I asked him what karat he thought it was. He said, by color, it looked like 18k. Well I'll grant him that much: he knew enough about gold to gauge it simply by looking at it. He then weighed it and verified it was indeed 86 - 87 grams and said if it's 18k, it's worth a lot. I held my breath. How much? He told me he'd give me $1000 if it tested at 18k.

$1000!! Wow. If I didn't know better, I'd have been thrilled. But I also knew what I'd paid (a heck of a lot more) and what the spot price of gold was right that minute: 87 grams of 18k was worth $2118 CAD just as gold. He was offering me $1000 CAD to take it off my hands so he could sell it to a refiner to melt down.

He didn't have to ask whether I wanted him to proceed with the test. In fact, what he did next actually surprised us and turned this into a positive experience: he told us not to sell it to him! He confirmed what I'd felt all along: this was too beautiful and valuable an heirloom to condemn to the smelting pot. He suggested we put it back in the safe or at least find a private buyer who wanted it not just for its precious metal content but for its vintage and unique beauty. In effect, he confirmed that the lady who sold it to me did the smart thing: she'd found a buyer (me) who appreciated it and would pay what it was worth instead of selling it to a gold refiner.

He then pulled out several plastic baggies marked 10k, 14k, 18k and 22k. They were full of discarded gold chains, diamond and gemstone rings, some still with the stones in them. "This" he said "is the kind of thing we don't mind melting down". What about the diamonds and gemstones in them? What happens to those? Well they have folks they can sell those to as well he said.

We walked out of there with a good feeling, mixed with some bad. The good came from his being honest enough to tell us not to sell the bracelet to him for $1000. The bad was the fact that he'd offered us 50% of the spot value of 87 grams of gold! Furthermore, his offer was about 1/10 of the appraised value. How "unprecious" had precious metals become!

I wanted to share this experience with you in case you're considering attending one of those gold parties or looking for a refiner to unload that precious gold jewelry kicking around your drawer. Yes, it's appealing to get fast money, especially if you need it. But you might just consider selling it yourself or asking someone who sells on Ruby Lane, like us, or eBay or any of those other sites if they'd like to have a crack at selling it for you. Or maybe, as I did, they might even want to buy it from you. One thing is certain: they'll give you a better dollar than any jewelry refiner or gold party buyer will offer you because there are still some of us around who value jewelry made from gold.

Since this blog piece was published at Ruby Lane, I have indeed listed this lovely bracelet in our shop just in time for our MARCH MADNESS SALE.    I'm offering it, during this sale, at $600 below the original asking price, and at about 1/3 its appraised value, given that the appraisal and insured shipping by UPS is included. This is a wonderful chance to get a rare piece of valuable gold jewelry at an amazing price. You can never lose on this one, with gold going up steadily. What will it be worth in say, 10 years time? It could help finance your child's college education or buy you a cruise if you sell it then. Think about it. Gold has always been a good investment. But our sale ends March 15, 2010. You know what to do ...

MARCH MADNESS SALE at VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE is underway now!

As the end of February draws near, it's time for our annual MARCH MADNESS SALE to begin. So we kicked it off yesterday with some incredible savings to be had on everything from fine diamond and gemstone jewelry (rings, bracelets, bangles, necklaces) to designer vintage costume jewelry (Sherman, Haskell, unsigned beauties) We even have a vintage 18k and 925 silver set by Cartier on sale ... and it's just a new addition to our site.

We took a look at what our customers have added to their "wish lists" and that's what we've reduced, in some cases by several hundreds of dollars. If ever there was a time to snap up a knockout diamond ring or necklace at a fantastic price, this is it! How about something like this killer vintage diamond necklace below, just recently appraised at $4875 CAD. We had it listed at $2495, but during our March Madness Sale, it's yours for only $1895. But you must order it by March 15th!

CLICK THIS LINK to see the appraisal and more photos of this knockout piece. 

Been dreaming of owning a genuine emerald and diamond ring? That 0.75ct stunner above is set in Platinum and flanked by 2 brilliant baguette diamonds on either side. During our MARCH MADNESS SALE you can save $100 on this beautiful vintage ring which is now a very affordable $595 until March 15th. Emerald is May's birthstone: know someone with a May birthday who love to get this as a gift? Learn more about it HERE. 

Designer costume jewelry collectors might like to save on the few remaining SHERMAN pieces we have in our SHOP AT RUBY LANE. We've reduced prices on those for the MARCH MADNESS SALE too. How about this magnificent sunburst necklace below for only $195! That's $100 off our original asking price. What a beauty to add to your Sherman collection! See more photos AT THIS LINK

We have other SHERMANS being offered at reduced prices too. These include a rare "mink" Swarovski crystal AB set in topaz, a Siam red, japan-backed bracelet   & earrings, a knockout larger-stoned pink Sherman set, and a pretty fuschia set. Both of the latter are necklace/earring sets. Just type SHERMAN into our search box in our RUBY LANE SHOP. 

There are so many wonderful pieces available at reduced prices during our MARCH MADNESS SALE that I couldn't possibly list them all here. So why not  slip over and take a look around. And while you're there, you might enjoy checking out some of our latest arrivals too. We've added 5 new items in the past few days, including this incredible unsigned beauty shown below: 

This has got to be one of the most beautiful necklace/earring sets I've ever seen. It was impossible to believe it wasn't signed. When I first saw it, I thought it was a JULIANA by D&E, because of the hand-painted "easter-egg" cabochons. Well it's not a Juliana but it certainly rivals it for beautiful design and workmanship. This piece came from the huge collection of one of my customers. She has been collecting for years and now circumstances have forced her to sell off some of her treasures. So we're selling her pieces on consignment. She's open to offers so please slip over to BLACK BEAUTY and take a close look at this one. 

And though it's already too late for you to buy the Miriam Haskell glass bead necklace shown below, I wanted to share it with you. This is also from this lady's collection. It was snapped up by a smart buyer within hours of my listing it. But I wanted to show it here as it's such a fabulous Haskell necklace. It'll also give  you an idea of the quality pieces our lady will be offering shoppers who visit OUR RUBY LANE SHOP. I hope that will be you who are reading this! Now, come on over and see what else we have for you during our MARCH MADNESS SALE at VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE at RUBY LANE.