Newbie looking for good identification books for Vintage Costume Jewelry

I have a set of Julia Carroll's books. I was dealing in a lot of jewelry at the time so it was worth the investment. Now I just bug my friends when I get a piece here and there! Obviously, with a book, the prices aren't going to stay the same, but it will help you identify pieces so you can do price searches online. Look for used copies. I'm sure Ebay or other places would have some.

 

I saw someone on eBay listing jewelry books, check it out

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Books/267/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_ssn=hertzgirlz

 

Nice! Thanks! ❤❤

 

The prices in books never have been accurate, except by accident! They're generally full retail or pie in the sky retail. Time changes values and some go up while others tank. I'm a jewelry addict, mostly because you can pack an awful lot of "ooh pretty" into a small space and it's really easy to ship.

Another book series that isn't always cheap but is useful is "Inside the Jewelry Box"; there are multiple volumes again. Another you might need is the Little Book of Mexican Silver Hallmarks. It's out of print and tends to be not cheap. Obviously if you aren't doing a lot of Mexican silver, you can skip that one. Books on Gemstones are also a good thing; sometimes you can spot something that looks out of place in a piece of "costume" jewelry. That isn't. Whoops. Professional dealers don't tend to make those mistakes, but every once in a while one of us screws up.

Other than that, the best way to learn is to look at a lot of the stuff. Sometimes that "ooh pretty" instinctive reaction is a good guide. So is the "that's seriously weird" reaction. Sometimes the weird pieces are worth the most.

 

Thanks! That's great advice! Which one do you think I should buy first? If you had to pick only one.

 

pick the one you can find first.......you're gonna need the others anyways......so..one at a time.

 

Whichever shows up at the library used book sale first.(LOL) Library book sales are hit or miss, but the hits around here tend to be dirt cheap. Even if it's outdated, the images won't be. I tend to use the internet more than anything. But then I'm a cheapskate.

 

I love the "Little Book...." I think I paid around $25 for it, but it's indispensable for Mexican jewelry. Good stuff

 

Is THIS the thread you're talking about????

https://www.antiquers.com/threads/jewelry-id-library.452/
Lots of links!!!!

Edit: Jeez.....guess I just don't type fast enough...... sniped again!!