What pulls an outfit better than a coordinated look? Don’t go running away – it is easier than it sounds. You can wear matching jewelry or you can wear coordinated jewelry. I love to coordinate instead of match. It is more fun and more personal. I’ll explain.

This is a matched set or demi parure in poured white glass and gold tone or plated metal.

Milk White Poured Glass Vintage Necklace and Earrings

It was designed and produced as an exact matching set. It is not signed but it has the feel of an early Coro or Trifari piece. Easy and looks great, but not really fun as you are wearing something another person decided would look great together and had it produced that way.

18k Gold Coral Necklace, Pre-ban Ivory and Coral 14k Gold Huggie Earrings and Pre-ban Ivory Antique Bangle.

Now look at how these three pieces look together.  In this group are 18k Gold Coral Necklace, Pre-ban Ivory and Coral 14k Gold Huggie Earrings and Pre-ban Ivory Antique Bangle.  Isn’t that much more fun?

The secret is in the earrings – they are the key piece that holds the look together, they tie in the bracelet and the necklace together. It’s Pret-a-Porter or separates for jewelry. It works the same way. The best is you can wear each of them with something else or by themselves as each piece holds it’s own. So pick a favorite piece, match color or style or shape. Find something in common with something else. Find something that looks good and most importantly, looks good on you. After all style is all about how it makes you feel, you need to be comfortable in it and it looks great.

18k Gold Large Round Coral Beads Necklace and 14k Gold and Pre Ban Ivory Huggie Hoop Earrings

Go look in you jewelry box – you probably have some coordinates already. It works for Costume Jewelry and works for Fine State Jewelry too. And you can be your own stylist!

Scratch Testing Gold – What is not written on the test kit instructions

Over the years of buying lots, jewelry boxes and estates,  little bits and pieces of Antique and Vintage jewelry accumulate. Some of it can be solid gold, some of it can be just plated or gold filled.

Sometime ago, I decided to cash in on these and sent them to my trusted buyer to be melted. There was quite an amount and I thought I was in for a small treasure.  Much to my disappointment, 1/3 of it was not solid gold!  I had tested each tiny piece by scratching it on the test stone, following the given directions and it had reacted as gold should, so how come it was not right?

As it turns out, rubbing the piece or removing shavings from it is not a sure way to test. Read on and I will share my secret.

The Basics:

It is important to note that gold filled or rolled gold and gold plated are not the same. They are very different and have very different values.  Gold filled or rolled gold actually has a gold content. The gold content in plated jewelry is negligible.

The process for making Gold Filled is similar to making a sandwich.  One or two sheets of gold and one sheet of base metal are layered. Generally speaking, brass is used for Yellow Gold Filled and Copper is used for Rose Gold Fill.  If two sheets of gold are used, the base metal will be in the middle (like a sandwich).  The sheets are then heated and passed through a rolling mill, hence the name rolled gold.  The heat and pressure cause the sheets to bond permanently.

Gold plated is a different process all together. The jewelry or metal piece is attached to a wire on the negative side, a piece of pure gold is attached to the positive side of the same wire.  The two ends are submerged into a special liquid (plating solution). A low voltage current is then applied. The current causes gold molecules to move from the pure gold to the surface of the metal being plated.  Older antique and vintage jewelry tends to have a thicker layer of gold, but as you can tell from the process itself, that layer is still very thin, generally 7 microns for better quality. Nowadays, most plating is done with a maximum of 3 microns. A micron is one thousand of a millimeter. That’s really thin!

Back to our testing for gold and silver content with an acid test kit.

First let me start with a very big warning:

Use extreme caution! Always follow test kit manufacturer instructions and use loads of common sense.

• These chemicals are dangerous, they are acids and very destructive, they burn the skin and surfaces of furniture.
• Do not leave where children and pets can reach them.
• Work in a well ventilated area. Do not breath the fumes or stand with your face right above the testing area. Do not let it splash.
• Wear goggles to protect your eyes. Do not get it on your skin!
• Do not allow testing liquids to touch gemstones, enamel or any ornamentation on the jewelry.
• Always start with the 10k Gold Testing Solution and go up from there as described below.
• If the piece is of lower than 10k it might be damaged as well.

Testing for gold with an acid test kit:

Clean the piece well.  Examine every area of it carefully with a jeweler’s loupe. If you see that the edges or high profile areas are a different color you can probably stop there, the piece is gold plated.  Another sign to look for is the quality of manufacturing. For instance, very rarely you will you see gold necklaces that do not have soldered links. I have never seen one, all of the vintage and antique gold necklaces I have had had soldered links.

Look for quality marks. I test all jewelry, even when it is marked. Until the 1980s it was acceptable to have some variation on the gold content per karat. So you may come across jewelry marked 14k that might have a content as low as 12k!  Once or twice, I also tested jewelry fully marked 14k and it was just plated.

Now you have looked at the piece carefully and there is no indication that it is plated, no costume jewelry company name on it, no metal quality mark.  We go to the next step.

Some very important things to keep in mind:

The acid can destroy or at least damage the piece of jewelry tested if it is not solid gold. Be extremely careful and try to find an area where it will be seen the least.  Make sure to have a clear surface for the test stone. Have some Baking Soda handy to neutralize the acid right away. Place some in a shaker or small cup, have it with you while testing.

Because gold filled has a thick layer of gold, rubbing it on the test stone is sometimes not enough to determine if a piece is gold filled or solid gold. My experience is that the older it is the thicker is the layer of gold.

You need to make a tiny incision in a hidden area. Using a single edge razor blade, carefully make a small but fairly deep cut, no bigger than 1/16″ . Take care not to go through it!  What you want to do is to get to the metal underneath the surface layer. At that spot, drop the smallest of drops and wait a second or two.  If it turns green you can stop, it is gold filled. It will bubble like crazy. As soon as you see the green color throw some baking soda on it to neutralize the acid. Do not breathe any fumes. Then wash the piece well and polish with a Sunshine Cloth (not affiliated, just think it does a great job).  If instructions are followed carefully you should have no problem returning the piece to it’s original condition and removing all the marks, if any, left by the testing liquid.

If you had no reaction with the gold testing acid, congratulations!  The piece is solid gold and now we will determine what karat it is.

Take the test stone that comes with the kit.

Choose an area on the jewelry you want to test that is not easily seen. Rub it carefully and evenly to create a fairly healthy streak on the stone. Avoid keeping the same spot against the stone as it will sand down the surface. Drop the 10k Gold Testing Liquid on to the streak on the stone. If the color of the scratch remains unchanged, it is 10k or higher. Proceed by repeating the process using the 14k Testing Solution. If the scratch color remains unchanged, it is at least 14k and you should repeat the process with liquids for 18k and until 22k or 24k solution, whichever is included in your test kit.  When the color changes from one step to the next the last karat solution which caused no change is the karat gold for the jewelry you are testing.

It is always good to replace the test kit with a new one about every 6 months.  I have been told the liquid gets stronger with time, which would cause a karat reading lower than the actual karat weight of the jewelry being tested.

And one more reminder:  Use extreme caution and loads of common sense!

Please also note that I am not responsible for any mishaps that might occur. This is how I do it and I am just sharing my experience. There maybe a better way for you. And if you do not feel comfortable doing this, by all means, bring it to your trusted jeweler and have him or her do it for you.

Lariat is one of the most versatile style of necklace. Generally speaking is a long strand, chain or rope with adorned ends and no clasp. There are several ways to wear this style:

This is a finely beaded, almost woven Lariat Necklace from the 1920s.

Fold in half, wrap it around the neck and pass the ends through the loop. It will look like this.

Wrap around the neck twice, then knot it in the front. You can knot the loop too and will look like this image. If you just knot it, it will have one short plain strand higher in the neck and one longer one where the knot is. Doing it as seen on the image avoids the weight of the end making it too tight around your neck.

Here is another way, just let the ends fall in the front or for a Summer evening out, bring your hair up and let it fall down a low cut back.

In this style, you knot it as high as it is comfortable to wear, then leave the long ends which can be both worn to the front, the back or one in the fron and one in the back if you place the knot on the side.

The weight of the beads at the ends is what keeps a lariat in place. These are Italian Murano beads and this style is called "wedding cake".

The best way to figure out how to wear a lariat necklace is to think of it as a scarf. How many different ways can you wear a scarf?  It really depends on the occasion, your style, how daring you are.  You can make a fashion statement that steals the show or a demure and classic finishing touch to your outfit.

Other ways not pictured are as a belt, a wrap bracelet and even braided in your hair if it is long enough. Feeling like a Flower Child today? Wrap around your forehead.  Wearing a Menswear inspired suit?  Replace the tie with a lariat.  The only limitation is your imagination and how daring you are!

If you have an idea not mentioned here, please post your comment.

If you have any questions and would like more instructions, please post and I’ll try to help.

The gorgeous vintage 1920s Flapper Lariat featured in this article is available at Vintage Jewelry, Fashion Magazines and Fine Collectibles plus Jewelry by Vera Battemarco.

You just hit the jackpot and have tons of new goodies or your precious faux gems have spent some time in the jewelry box and don’t look their best. Do not fret! Here is a guide to bring those beauties to the most sparkly state.

How do you clean Costume Vintage Jewelry?
Very carefully!

This is what is done to every piece of vintage jewelry, costume or fine, that we sell:

The cleaning process depends on which type of jewelry you have. Never dip sterling, never soak rhinestones. I use a soft nail brush bought at the dollar store and Windex. Spray the brush very lightly. It has to be almost dry. Pat onto a towel or paper towel to remove the excess luquid. Gently brush the piece. Use a magnifier to make sure it’s clean and to inspect the jewelry as you work.

I prefer the Windex with Ammonia, does a great job and removes grime. Get the name brand, it will be cheaper in the long run as it is concentrated and does a better job.

Be prepared to re-glue some stones as they may fall out in the process. They were going to fall out anyway, this just speeds the process and you don’t loose them. Clean over a box lid so if they come of they will be safe. The glue to be used should not be the crazy-glue type. This types of glue eat the foil on the rhinestone, making it dull. The best glue is Hypo Cement. You can find it at hobby shops, craft stores and on line.

For pieces that do not have rhinestones or glued parts, I place them in a plastic bowl, spray with Windex (blue one) swish a few times and rinse. We have hard water here so the final rinse is filtered. Shake them gently by holding the whole piece in your cupped hands or a colander to remove the excess water. Lay them on a big plastic tray (also from the dollar store) over an old towel and air dry. You could use paper towels too but we are all for green living, so an old towel or t-shirt is best.

Do not soak faux pearls, wash or brush. It could ruin it. Spray a soft rag or paper towel (an old t-shirt is great and re-usable), dab not rub, make sure the fabric is not soaked but rather slightly damp.
If you are unsure about the type of thread used on a beaded necklace, it is best not to soak it. Spray a cloth with the cleaner and wipe the necklace clean instead.

This vintage jewelry has been cleaned this way. As you can see a lot of work and love goes into bringing this jewelry to you. I love jewelry but hate dirt!