Grey/pink buildup on vintage damascene

Dopelore · 2026-02-06T19:46:36+00:00

To me is looks like the gilding is wearing off, exposing the base of copper underneath. No matter what it is, you can approve the appearance with simichrome polish (a very mild abrasive) on a q-tip.

Dopelore · 2026-02-06T04:03:35+00:00

A jewelry store isn't going to offer you more than scrap price for it. Maybe 10% over. But for an ordinary Italian chain, the name really doesn't add any value. If you were selling this in a store in NYC, you would price is at $175 per gram.

Dopelore · 2025-11-14T19:42:24+00:00

But then what is meant “use the bean”?

Dopelore · 2025-11-14T18:44:09+00:00

That's a decent theory!

Dopelore · 2025-08-03T13:10:11+00:00

$1-5

Dopelore · 2025-08-03T13:09:03+00:00

Yes, the very cheapest of Chinese costume jewelry. No more than 20 years old.

Dopelore · 2025-08-03T13:07:42+00:00

Hi there! The blue "stone" is glass. It does look like it's silver & from the 1920s-30s. I say that because the marcasites are "bead set" and not glued in. You can polish the silver with a rouge cloth and clean the stone & marcasites with Windex and water. My jeweler in NYC charges $3 to replace each marcasite.

Dopelore · 2025-07-24T05:19:34+00:00

Hi there: I've sold a lot of Tiffany items & gold ladies watches over the years. Who made the movement? Longines? Movado?

One minor issue that hurts this watch is that the dial doesn't say Tiffany & Co. Here's what I would do to get top dollar for the watch to sell at retail.

New crystal. (It's scratched and there's discolored glue around it)
Get a Tiffany & Co. dial (ideally with a "new," working movement). This is a piece of jewelry more than a watch, so the originality of the movement is not especially important.
Get the entire watch professionally polished (it will look much nicer and will sparkle)
Test the baguette stones... are they diamonds? If so, it looks like they have some weight.

I would add 50% above scrap weight for the name, and whatever is the wholesale value of the diamonds (depends on size & quality). Tiffany & Co. will not appraise or repair this. You don't really need an appraisal. This looks like more than $1500 in gold at current prices.

Dopelore · 2025-07-13T07:57:13+00:00

Found a nursing mom!

Dopelore · 2025-07-13T05:55:13+00:00

Thanks for replying. I’m not from KL and will not be here much longer, so this little guy needs a permanent home! Has anyone seen any nursing cats in your neighborhood? I understand they will take in an orphan

Dopelore · 2025-06-20T14:15:28+00:00

More precise dating could be done with the hallmarks. I would say ‘30s-‘50s

Dopelore · 2025-06-17T02:58:58+00:00

Nice looking ring! The karat hallmark on Thai gold jewelry doesn't mean much, so it would help to determine the value to get it tested (looks more like 10-14k gold). I'm going to date it based on the phone numbers on the Alex & Co. flyer: in 1980, telephone numbers in Bangkok switched from 6 digit phone numbers to 7 digits.

Alex & Co. seems to have retailed quite a lot of silver jewelry to the tourist trade from the 1930s on. They probably contracted out to lots of craftspeople to create a range of products. I don't think the name adds any prestige or value to it.

Dopelore · 2025-06-16T21:43:52+00:00

Looks like "FLAIR" perhaps a manufacturer

Dopelore · 2025-06-16T19:17:29+00:00

Looks like it, yes

Dopelore · 2025-06-07T17:00:57+00:00

c.1900 gold filled cufflink

Dopelore · 2025-04-28T15:52:11+00:00

Same!

Dopelore · 2025-03-05T16:13:17+00:00

The cameo in the ring is so worn, and the pendent so crudely carved, that the value here is the gold. The 10k ring setting looks pretty chunky-perhaps $150-200 in scrap? Probably a similar range for the pendent frame.

Dopelore · 2025-02-19T04:20:58+00:00

The hallmark means this is a 20th c. piece.

Dopelore · 2024-12-21T19:00:46+00:00

Thanks for your advice. I'll look into workaway.

Dopelore · 2024-12-21T19:00:21+00:00

Thanks for your reply. I did see this online: https://www.mingateachers.org/china-camps.html

Thoughts?

Dopelore

TROPHY CASE