Real or Fake?

Did you know that the first commercially viable synthetic gemstone dates to 1902? And that they were in common usage during the 1920s and 1930s? When I first started collecting vintage jewelry, neither did I. Back then, I typically used the "sniff" test to tell if a piece of jewelry likely contained precious gemstones.

No. That doesn't mean that gemstones -- or their fake counterparts -- actually have an odor. I'm referring to the same "if it's too good to be true..." sniff test smart people use to evaluate seemingly great deals every day of their lives. Here's how it works when it comes to jewelry -- and why it may not work quite the way I used to believe.

If it looks to good to be true...

What jeweler or business person in his or her right mind would use a genuine ruby in a base metal setting (brass or pot metal that has been plated to give it a "goldish" look, for example)? So the first thing I've always done - and continue to do -- is to check to see if a piece feels and looks like costume jewelry or fine jewelry. What's the difference? Gold, platinum and silver are a good starting point. In other words, if a piece looks inexpensive - it probably is. But if you've stumbled onto a precious metal find, your new-found treasure deserves a little more investigation.

How old is it?

At one time, I believed that creating synthetic rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and alexandrites was a relatively new process. Therefore, if a piece bore hallmarks predating WWII or thereabouts and was made from at least 14k gold I assumed the stones were either paste or real. Period. Glass and colored rhinestones are pretty easy to tell from the real thing so one would think the odds were pretty good that I was accurately separating the chaff from the wheat, right? Wrong.

Knowing that synthetics date all the way back to 1902 presents a third possibility. That delectable little 18k gold pin studded with ruby-red "gemstones" just might not be so rare after all, making it all the more important to nurture your relationship with a friendly local jeweler. One who has the ability to slip your fabulous find under a microscope and clear up any misconceptions.

Happy hunting. Here's to hoping you stumble on a "real" find.

Terri

P.S. Next time I'll cover the difference between synthetics and fakes. And why the two are not always synonymous.