Featured Look What Someone Did to a 14k Gold Brooch

This picture is from the auction listing...I wish I had taken a "before" picture when I got it in the mail.



They glued a ring of blue and clear rhinestones onto it. Glue everywhere on the ring of rhinestones.

Here's the after....

 

It never fails to amaze me what people do to lovely objects.

I recently bought a victorian leather "Lady's Companion" Someone had actually glued the thread box in, It completely ruined it trying to get it back out.
Fortunately I was able to re-cover it with victorian "leather" and now you wouldn't know, Beats me why people do such things.

 

Asses full of dumb.

 

I get really annoyed when I find things like that, I always think that if people don't know what they're doing then they should leave them alone.

 

You did well to clean it up, Its beautiful.

 

Hi,
I hate it too, but I have restored some beautiful pieces that people played with. I had a wonderful piece of extremely rare Fiesta that someone "tarted" with. It was an onion covered soup bowl that someone covered with fake pearls and rhinestones to make a "fancy" jewelry casket. As I was soaking them off I kept praying that it was not repaired or cracked. It wasn't and my 10 cent item became a wonderful 200 dollar thing. Should have held on to it since they were going for 500 later on. My other one was a St Clair paperweight which was covered with glitter and a plastic unicorn glued on top.
greg

 

tastes change over time....and still...some have no taste at all.....

nice brooch.......after....not before !

 

That true, There is an upside to getting items people have "improved", They are often cheaper and if you're handy at restoring then you can make them nice again.
I actually like restoring and I'm always on the look out for a project.

 

All I can guess is that someone didn't realize it was gold when they started "crafting" with it. But it's clearly marked on the clasp, so I don't know what their excuse is about that!

Anyway, their loss is most certainly my gain!

 

Looking at my closeup of the "after", I can still see a spot or two of glue that I'll need to pick out. Oy.

 

It certainly is, It just makes your day when something like that happens doesn't it.

 

You sound like me lol, I can't stop until I get something perfect again.

 

Well with that zoom function they have on ebay, I don't want anyone seeing a discolored spot and thinking something's wrong with it.

 

Yeah, the funny thing is that I bought the lot because one of the other brooches looked like it might be gold. That one wasn't, but this one was.

 

Your lucky day.

 

It's a really pretty thing and thank goodness you rescued it!

 

Tie.die -
I was going to comment like greg and I see now yourself.
Sometimes it is to our benefit that things get decorated.

In my case it was a small Roseville Foxglove Shell vase that was painted gold. Marked 1.00 at a garage sale. Cleaned up and sold for over $200.

 

I must admit myself, I've ruined some pieces in the past in my bouts of creativity and boredom.

My advice to people is: never buy an item unless you really like it in its original form. If you feel like it needs a severe makeover, maybe it's a sign the item is not for you.

 

I have a Bohemian garnet owl brooch set in 14k+ yellow gold that someone glued a modern pendant converter onto the pin stem and the back. I guess they didn't like that it was top heavy with the converter. Took me 3 days to slowly remove the liquid cement or whatever they used, what a mess. It was even inside the rollover clasp.

 

I'm with everyone out there who bemoans the "ruining" of lovely items by prior owners.

At the same time, however, I have to believe that if someone OWNS something, he/she is entitled to do with it as he/she pleases, you know?

It's like the "destruction" of my childhood home (that I was lamenting here not all that long ago...) The folks who own it ARE entitled to do with it as they please, however AWFUL I may think it looks!

As for tie.dye's lovely pin, YES, it seems ridiculous that someone glued on those gaudy rhinestones, but maybe - just maybe - the added "glitz" simply made somebody's day!

As someone up there ^^ surely said, there's no accounting for taste!

-C-