Three Tips For Shopping At An Estate Sale

Visiting an estate sale can be an excellent way of finding good deals on rare or one of a kind piece of jewelry. Unfortunately, those that have never been to an estate sale are unlikely to be familiar with the various steps that should be taken to ensure that their estate jewelry shopping experience goes smoothly and is productive.

Arrive Early

It is well-known that estate sales can be an excellent source of jewelry and other items. As a result, these events will often experience significant foot traffic and buyers. To ensure that you have the best selection of items, you should always arrive as early as possible. Also, when you first arrive, you should always start your search at the jewelry area as this will often be one of the smallest collection of items, and it may be among the most popular areas.

Inspect Any Gemstones

Prior to deciding to purchase a particular piece of estate jewelry, you should perform a thorough inspection of the gemstones. During this inspection, you should look to make sure that the piece of jewelry has all of the stones. In addition to verifying that the stones are in place, you should also look to make sure that they are securely held in place and that they are free of serious discoloration. To help you closely analyze the gemstones, you should consider taking a small magnifying glass so that you can see more of the details in these stones.

Have The Jewelry Restored

Once you have purchased these pieces of jewelry, you should take them to a jeweler to have them restored. Over the years, jewelry can accumulate dirt, oily residues and other substances. These materials can greatly decrease the shine and color of the gemstones, which can compromise the overall appearance of the jewelry. Unfortunately, cleaning gemstones, gold and silver can be somewhat difficult as many cleaning agents will damage jewelry. By taking these pieces to a jeweler, you can be sure that they will be safely and effectively cleaned so that they will be restored to their original condition.

Going to an estate sale is one of the best ways of getting high-quality jewelry, but you will need to use some tips to make sure that you are having productive trips to these events. In particular, following the tips of arriving early, closely inspecting each potential piece of jewelry as well as taking these pieces to a professional jeweler to be restored can be among the most effective ways of having a pleasant shopping experience at your first estate sale.