As a vintage jewelry enthusiast, sterling silver makes up a very small portion of my jewelry collection. I usually go for the bling of colorful rhinestones or the sparkle of genuine gemstones set in gold. Over the years, I have kept only a few of my sterling silver pieces.  I still have my high school graduation ring along with a lovely engraved locket that was the only gift I can remember receiving from my grandfather.

Have you ever, while standing in line awaiting entrance to an estate sale, wondered to yourself, “Is this really worth it? Can there possibly be anything worth freezing my buns off for in this sad-looking place?” Or maybe it’s after you’ve stopped at the umpteenth yard sale, with nothing to show for a days’ hunting but a depleted gas tank, when you are tempted to just keep driving and go for an ice cream, calling it a day?

Susan Boyle isn’t a size two, and she hasn’t had a face-lift. Most likely, she doesn’t have a personal trainer or a massage therapist. She doesn’t shop at the Scottish equivalent of Bergdorf’s, and she isn’t spending hundreds of dollars at a fancy hair salon to have her hair dyed—until recently, that is.

In my last blog I discussed the importance of pictures and how a few good costume jewelry books would help you spot those valuable clues to identification and dating. Now I would like to share with you some of my personal favorites.

Many people mistakenly would designate the style of both rings as Art Deco. However while the ring on the left is Art Deco indeed the style of the ring on the right is called Retro (perhaps even early Fifties).

Last month, my partner, Victoria, blogged about that rare, highly prized and often high priced genuine gemstone, Alexandrite. If you missed that blog and are interested in real alexandrite, you owe it to yourself to read it. You'll find it here: http://blog.rubylane.com/node/778

Now, in light of the information in that blog, this month I'd like to focus on another form of "alexandrite", that which is often found in designer vintage costume jewelry, and which I've come to call "faux alexandrite". Why faux? For the obvious reason: these crystals are not real alexandrite. If they were, that Sherman or Kramer parure with the huge stones that change color would be pretty unaffordable.

A lot of the vintage and pre-owned jewelry I have collected has been purchased at flea markets, yard sales and online but every now and then, I have the opportunity to acquire some very special pieces for my growing  collection.

Reverse carved intaglio jewelry are miniature works of art. "Intaglio" means carved down into a material and in this case carved from the back. The materials used were usually Lucite, crystal, transparent glass, and celluloid. When a piece of intaglio jewelry is mounted or set with a back, it is difficult to see the actual carving without removing the back of the piece. The carvings were usually enclosed under a clear geometric dome. The two necklace and earrings sets you see here are set without a frame or mount and you can turn them over and see the actual carving.

Diamond is the birthstone for April, and Ruby Lane presents you with the opportunity to buy diamonds which have been cut in many different shapes, and in different styles.

You've heard it time and time again...a picture says a thousand words. Yet time and time again I see costume jewelry listings online with only two or three pictures and sometimes even those are blurry. Sadly, online buyers fall prey to fraudsters or to sellers who are lax in their descriptions. As a buyer, I need several clear photos to properly examine the jewelry that's not in my hands. If these are not provided I move on. I'm certain most of us have made a disappointing purchase online. I hope I can help you avoid some of those bad buys in the future.