What to Look for in Antique Furniture

The popular collections of antiques typically include fully functional furniture made from specific periods of time. Because it didn't rely on mass production and power tools, antique furniture is often more durable and of greater value than most of the stuff made today. Collecting antique furniture usually requires some knowledge about age, how many pieces remain usable today, its condition and use, along with some of the unique features built into a piece of furniture.

The value of antique furniture isn't determined so much by its age, but rather by the appearance and condition of the piece. As an example, a table built 200 years ago might have seen water damage that makes it impossible to repair. It might have lost a couple of legs over time which can't be replaced, making it nothing more than scrap wood. However, there are some basic construction tips that can help people determine the quality of the piece as well as the period in which it was made.

Apart from condition and age, a good piece of antique furniture needs to be usable. This means that if there is an antique chair meeting the requirements in all aspects, a person should still be able to sit on it without fear of it breaking. The way in which the pieces are fastened together is often a clue as to the age of the furniture, because metal fasteners such as nails were seldom used.

Antique Furniture Restoration Is An Art Form

With many pieces of antique furniture requiring some sort of repairs, it takes a qualified person to accurately restore the piece to near original condition. The value and quality are affected by the quantity of wood that needs to be replaced. Usually, a collector will consider no more than 20 percent content of replacement wood when deciding on a piece of antique furniture.

Antique furniture was commonly used woods such as walnut, pine, oak, rosewood and mahogany. The type of wood used will affect its value as an antique. The same kind of wood as the original must be used when undertaking restoration of antique furniture. It's not that easy to find someone who is able to make a replica of a table leg using the same type of wood and duplicating the look of the grain.

These days, antique furniture replicas are churned out by factories; they're made from laminates that copy the grain and pattern of the commonly used woods in antique furniture. However, with these pieces it is easy to spot the difference between the original construction and today's mass-produced items.

Antique Jewelry Wholesale

Antique jewelry is typically very valuable, and
purchasing such jewelry costs quite a bit of money.
But then again, it is possible to buy antique jewelry
wholesale as well – if you know where to look.

Most people think that online auctions, such as
eBay is the way to go. While this is true
occasionally, you will usually find that the seller
knows the value of what they are selling, and the
price is quite high. There are other ways to find
antique jewelry at wholesale prices – or below.

Keep an eye on your newspaper for advertised
estate sales and garage sales. Typically, at these
sales, the people holding the sale really don’t know
the value of what they have. You can literally
purchase hundreds or thousands of dollars worth of
antique jewelry for just a few dollars on a typical
Saturday morning.

It is important that you not look too closely at the
jewelry when you are buying it. If the piece is
valuable, you don’t want the seller to know how
valuable it is! It isn’t your fault that they didn’t get it
appraised – as you will as soon as you leave! Keep
a straight face, keep your happiness and joy to
yourself, and pay the fifty cents or two bucks that
they want for the piece, get in your car and head to
a trusted jeweler for an appraisal!

It is possible that the piece isn’t worth anything –
but occasionally, you will stumble across some real
finds! Even if the piece isn’t worth anything, if you
make jewelry, you may be able to disassemble it
for the parts.

Finding antique jewelry wholesale is very exciting.
In fact, spending those Saturday mornings at the
yard sales and estate sales may even become
addicting! Yard sales and estate sales – especially
estate sales where grandchildren are not interested
in their grandma’s old ugly jewelry are the best
sources for antique jewelry at wholesale prices – or
below wholesale prices.

This doesn’t mean that there aren’t some real find
on eBay as well, so don’t discount it. Keep an eye
on the jewelry categories, as well as the antique or
vintage categories. When you do find something
you want to bid on, make sure that the seller has a
good reputation. If the piece is very expensive, use
the escrow service that is recommended by eBay.
Also talk to the seller quite a bit to be sure that you
understand exactly what is being advertised!