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I love collecting Jewelry. Especially one of a kind or rare pieces. Handcrafted Jewelry is always made better in my opinion. When it is made by professional crafters. Usually the art is passed down in the family.

I buy from E-bay, Garage Sales and Auctions as well as QVC and HSN. Flea markets often are high priced but you can find the occasional deal. QVC and HSN you get brand new for a decent price when buying silver a lot of it is handcrafted.

When you go to buy a piece, make sure it is what you will wear. To buy it and not wear it is ashame. Look for any marks to see who made it. Check for marks to see what metal it is. You wouldn't want to buy something plated if you were expecting solid gold or silver. Gold is usually marked with the weight of gold by number and KT(14kt). Gold can be from 9KT to 24KT. 24KT is very soft as it is most pure. 10-14KT is what most wear as it is most sturdy. There is slight color variations in the gold the more pure it is. White Gold is made with Gold and Nickel, Palladium plated for good color and added strength. Palladium is a derivative of Platinum. Silver is marked Sterling, 925, or 999. Platinum is marked PLAT. Platinum is the most costly and the strongest metal. There are also other metals used but I mentioned the precious metals. If you like Silver and intend to collect many pieces, I suggest a anti tarnish jewelry box to save you from having to polish it all the time.

I find that if you know what to look for you can find great deals. Hobe', Taxco, Nickie Butler, RLM studios, are all great makers, if you are looking for stylish up to date jewelry that is made well. You will also find that Taxco and Hobe' have been made for many years. You can often find great older pieces and they can be quite valuable. There are other great makers of quality jewelry out there, I just wanted to name a few popular ones. You will find rings, bracelets, necklaces, earrings, pins, pendants, chains. There is so much to choose from!

Cameos are another beautiful handmade piece. Usually in Gold or Silver Frames. They can also be in brass or bronze frames. They are hand carved. Most made in Italy. You can tell if you look through a loup if a piece is carved or glued as in 2 pieces. I recommend getting a loup 10X magnification. They are not expensive and can be a invaluable tool when shopping for jewelry. Back to the Cameos, I digress. Cameos are made of Shell, Agate, Onyx, and many other hard objects able to be carved. They don't always have

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