Featured Finds Thread

Honora pearls, sterling clasp, keeper $5

ring lot- larger red stone ring HGE gold-plated, smaller red ring 925, other two just costume Uncas, pin is gold-filled, will add a small pearl dangle $10

Thirtft shop find 14k and CZ dangle earrings, $3

 

Thank you!

 

How in the heck does gold and silver end up at thrift shops??!!

 

I have helped family & friends clean out Mom’s/Dad’s condo/house. I went through their boxes of junk & pointed out you are donating Moms silver & no that is not junk jewelry, 750 & 585 are not just numbers - Some don’t know, some don’t care! Our attorney had us inventory, so this doesn’t happen.

 

We were at a heartbreaking Estate sale yesterday. It was my fault because I suggested it, but still.

The passing must have happened recently, as the Xmas tree was still up and lit, stockings still hung, just awful. Strangers trudged through this house laughing and being loud, I just watched in disgust.

A family Bible was there from 1903, just left to get trashed eventually, I'm sure. I would have saved it but it was $45 and I already have an older Bible here from another family that I don't know.

There were some coins and jewelry that I looked at, but nothing that made me leap. The husband appeared to have been a pilot in WW2, and this was what remained of his footprint on this Earth.

I know this happens all of the time but it just bugged me. We did bring home a beautiful cedar chest that envied eyes watched go out of the house. At least we preserved something.

 

I don't understand estate sale sellers. They would rather donate or trash goods instead of selling them cheaper. I know one is donating to a local thrift shop. They are "teaching" the volunteers how to spot gold and silver. I have made a small fortune off of this estate sale company's jewelry sales.

They are sad, especially when you see the walkers, canes, shower seats, etc.

 

All the silver was at an antique show or an antique mall.

 

It makes me so sad that some family members have no honor or respect when it comes to family things. I have a neighbor who purchased her mother in laws house fully furnished & dumped so many antiques & removed solid wood built in bookshelves so she can replace them with ikea bookshelves. Has no issues using her late mil’s depression glass however & puts it in the dishwasher with sterling silver. Yes I gasped loudly.

 

Yikes

 

Dunno how I missed that. Senior brain gap...

 

Meanwhile here those sales don't happen. Everything goes into the dumpster. THe little that doesn't goes into 'curated' on-line estate auctions. I always wonder what went into the trash.

The amber ones are 30s Czech. I've restrung those before. The foiled glass beads might have been redone once. They're knotted and long enough to be old. The foiled beads are more fragile than normal glass. I'm not surpised a few "died".

 

Only too familiar to me.

 

Thanks. It will be painstaking to remove the foiled glass from the knotting. The big main center stone is very chipped as well as a side smaller stone, but they were too pretty to leave behind.

 

The two damaged beads

 

Now here's an idea for rebeading!
https://sanwapearl.com.hk/en/synthetic-opal-bello-round-beads

 

I really like the inlay synthetic opal beads. I've restrung things like the foiled glass before; it's too bad about the big one, but if all else fails just restring and no one will ever know it was there in the first place. Foiled glass can chip if you look at it sideways.

 

When I go to estate sales, and the owners are in the house sitting in the living room I know this is not pleasant for them. Sometimes I will say hi and maybe make a bit of conversation.

Most of the estate sales near me people tear thru the homes, and even if there is a glass china cabinet which has tape on it and says do not open, they still do.

I took as much as I can hold in my apt from my parents and grandparents. But it was way too much. One of my siblings who did not visit my grandparents much if at all,
suddenly found it convenient to be there after my grandparents passed and helped himself to things on the guise of emptying the place for the new owners. The one thing I regret not talking is a recording of my grandfather and us kids when we were very young.

 

I've only been to one estate sale where the person who'd lived in the house was there. I think she was having a blast, but most people would be sad at best. -

That was the home with a sealed silk scarf that I scarfed up because it was cool. Paid not much. Put it on eBay, and got messaged by a dude in France that he'd pay 10x my auction list price, this was a long time ago, if I'd ship it to him right away. He did and I did. He was a scarf expert and wanted it bad; I still don't know why, but the design was a color wheel.

 

Families are very often overwhelmed and want to put the whole experience behind them.

When we moved my parents out of their house of 40 years to an assisted living place my siblings just wanted to trash everything and get the house ready to be sold. I rescued a lot of stuff and distributed a lot to my siblings a year or so later.

Years ago I went to a yard sale by a family whose parents passed away. I got a set of very nice etched wine glasses. One of the adult children started crying seeing them go. I thanked her for them and told her they were going to a good home.