Where do you find your jewels?

[dream*peddler]

Interested in hearing where you joolies find your jools.  Not looking for specifics.  Just general places like auctions, flea markets, yardsales, ebay, antique malls, friends and family. Craig's List, etc.  Any good tips for thinking (or buying) outside the box to find jewelry?

[gauntlettgems]

Actually, all of the above! Lol Wherever the deal is

[sheilakrm]

Mostly large auction houses or area estate auction for me.

[mforjan]

For me, yard sales, estate sales, church sales, ebay and the best is friends who have "old junk in drawers from family members that have been hanging around for years and they don't know what to do with"! I don't get a lot that way, but that stuff turns out to be old sterling, micro mosaics set in gold from the late 1800s, Victorian gold filled jewelry and other items. I have learned a lot from "the old junk" 🙂

[monkeys55]

A few years ago, my daughters (around 10 & 11yrs old)  rescued a jewelry box thrown out by a moving neighbor from an overflow of boxes next to the dumpster. I was NOT HAPPY that they salvaged the smelly box full of brooches, but my girls were so excited about their find that I agreed to let them keep them.  I threw away the jewelry box (I regret that now) and put the jewelry in a cardboard box with dryer sheets in our garage for weeks! When we took them out and looked them over, those gaudy looking brooches started to grow on me. They actually were very pretty flowers and the more we marveled at them we found that they were signed. So we googled those brooches and found that we had quite a collection of vintage PARK LANE brooches.

That is how we began our love of and search for vintage jewelry, although I've insisted,  NO MORE DUMPSTERS. We love to go to estate sales, resale shops, flea markets, and we stop at a few garage sales~but I dont recall any jewelry finds from there. It is a contagious hobby that has infected my mother who often sends me pictures of things she's discovered inquiring if I'd like her to pick them up for me. It  has even spread to my husband, who was suckered into stopping into a resale shop with one of our girls after an orthodontist appointment. 

[1940fc]

Wherever I can 'stumble' across anything  . Mostly at a flea markets Never at a church sale.

 So very hard to find around here..maybe a piece here & there. On rare occasion I can nab something online..but that is really rare!  lol 

[southernmermaid8]

All of those places sound great . I will look at used jewelry wherever they sell it . You never know what treasure you may find . I love Church sales and yard sales but those are very seasonal here , spring and fall . I also love to score here on eBay but you have to be patient and not over pay !
Lately I have 4 favorite places on my rotation .
1 Salvation Army on the nice side of town - Amazing jewelry . I always leave with a few pieces .
2 My local Shabby Chic store - there is a booth in here , the girl has been collecting forever . She won't tell anyone where she scores her stuff and I don't blame her . You are guaranteed to find great jewelry at a decent price . She likes to sell stuff fast so most things are underpriced to undercut the competition .
3 Consignment Shops - I have 2 that I use to sell my stuff that does not sell on eBay . At both of these I tend to find vintage and signed pieces that are overlooked for the fine jewelry or more modern Costume . Not always but every once in a while - SCORE !
4 Antique Store in the country - way less expensive then the ones up by the beach ( like half ) and guaranteed to find very nice pieces !

[dream*peddler]

Thanks for your replies!  I was just curious.  Me, I'm a yardsaler.  I hand out my cards at just about every yardsale and get some callbacks that way.   I've only been to one auction in my life and felt awkward and a little overwhelmed.  I think if someone were with me I would have enjoyed myself more.  I'd like to try again sometime.  I only started going to thrift stores about 2 years ago and occasionally hit the flea markets.  I have one woman I call my "costume lady" who has the most fantastic stuff and is ready to sell whevever I scrape up the cash.  Her prices are high but her jewelry is fabulous, so when I need a jool fix and can see my way clear I go see her.  No matter where we find it, it's always fun to be on the hunt for jools! 

[evelyb30]

I hit the synagogue rummage sales here too, but those are usually in July. Church sales, estate sales, thrift shops, yard sales. One antique store a ways out has turned up big scores once or twice. At this point the MS is really acting up so my activities are limited. Online is a last resort, but I've scored a few times that way too.

[jayceerichjr]

I get mine from old ladies who can't run fast on the Walmart parking lot at night.

Carolyn

[markowitz57]

I find my best jewels at antique malls anymore. It is amazing what people miss. Outdoor antique shows are my favorite pastimes. Love all antique shows. Not too much at flea markets or yard sales.... people around here go to the homes as things are advertised and get there a day before things even start, knocking on doors. We have eclectic combination shops around here that are like antique/second hand/thrift shops that are pretty good.

[bluedaemon23]

It varies. Thrift shops used to be good sources, but they've dried up lately and are charging higher prices. Most of the goodies we've found in the last several months have come from estate sales. Last year the yard sales were pretty dry and we didn't go to many. I tend to avoid antique malls and shops except for research - too pricey. And church and charity rummages are usually a waste of our time so we avoid them.

[vernon1959]

Usually I get my "best" stuff at local auctions and Goodwill.

The estate sales are crazy, they ask more than you could ever possibly re-sell for,

I also do very, very well at Church fairs. The Christmas fairs are the BEST!

Tag sales are hit & miss... the season is just too short.

Pauline

[dins9187]

Most of my purchases are at auctions.  I can go to one every Sunday.  I can bid with them on line or I preview the day before give them a list with the highest bid I I am willing to spend and they do the bidding for me.  I love to go in person but seems that my social life gets in the way.  Buyers premium is 18% if I bid online and 12% if I bid in person or let them do it for me.  I do buy my more nicer and signed pieces from sellers on this board.  I love the thread we have on what we plan to list for the week.  Most of the time those purchases are for myself.  We also have estate sales at homes and I can really score at those but I only go to those if it in the direction I am going that day.  Love this board and the discussions we have!!!!  WARNING if you do try auctions on line - beware of the shipping charges.  That's why I go to local auctions so I can pick my stuff up in person so not to pay shipping.  

[peachstategal]

I actually get most of mine from my DH who goes to many estate sales/garage sales.  I used to get loads of delightful stuff at the GW but then they hired people who put retail prices on anything that looked decent.  Now I occasionally get good buys at garage sales. I find that if you ask the seller if they have any old jewelry they want to get rid of they sometimes go back in the house and bring out boxes.