Opening an 1800's Jewelry Box! estate sale finds!

Comments · 5.1K

• AN

  @anthonymiller8979 · 4 years ago

  As I get older things like this often make me sad. Each item in there was someone's pride and joy. It was likely a delight to them to purchase or receive as a gift and then to wear. They carefully decided each day or for each event which pieces to choose. Now they are just things. Yes, they will get a new life and make new memories, but they are also a life interrupted. Waking through my dad's workshop after he passed and seeing all the tools and wood, dreams for the future never to be realized seemed so final. I know we are just caretakers of items, curators, but there were a piece of someone's life.

  8.7K

• B.

  @b.walker5955 · 4 years ago

  The Janet brooch...brought tears to my eyes! &nbsp;I seriously believe that was made by my father! &nbsp;He was WWII from Missouri. &nbsp;Served in France/radio crystal grinding. &nbsp;Because he sat at a work bench and the tools, he made gold wire jewelry and the service men sent the pieces home to mothers and best girls. &nbsp;While there were many wire artists, his work has a certain personality, and that Janet piece mimics everything I remember of his wire writing. &nbsp;(his penmanship was horrid, but in wire it was beautiful). &nbsp;He loved to incorporate the twisted wire when ever he could and had this gizmo that would clamp down and it had a handle you would crank twisting the square stock wire. &nbsp;The base the wire your brooch is on is mother of pearl-had all sorts of shapes oval, round and hearts and flat pieces. &nbsp;His J I remember well as my mothers name is Joyce. &nbsp;His bracelets are very recognizable he created his own closures. &nbsp;Even if isn&apos;t his, it sure is fun to think it just may be!<br><br>That ivory handle piece with the padding on it is a nail buffer. &nbsp;He had one of those too! &nbsp;He used some sort of ROUGE , buffing compound, and would buff his nails daily. &nbsp;It imparted a healthy pink color and looked just like the &quot;french&quot; manicure women have done today. &nbsp;He was an impeccable dresser and always &quot;ON&quot;. &nbsp; It is a blessing to have so much of him brought to mind in your content. &nbsp;He passed in 82. &nbsp;I can&apos;t thank you enough for this moment. &nbsp;The treasure was really fun! &nbsp;~ &nbsp;be well my friend.

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• NA

  @nanadeborah8717 · 4 years ago

  I received my grandmother&apos;s wedding earrings that she wore only on special occasions. They were her wedding gift from my grandfather. They are filigree gold flowers with diamonds throughout. &nbsp;Both of them were from suburbs of Naples. My grandfather would have sent to Naples for them in 1919. The jeweler thought they were most likely paste though the setting is gold. Told me not to expect much of them. She was there when I picked them up from the appraisal. She was flustered. The &apos;paste&apos; turned out to be flawless European cut diamonds. Replacement value was $2500. They are now over 100 years old and still as beautiful as the first day I saw them.

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• JO

  @joeygalt7761 · 1 year ago

  The coin was most likely the birth year of the soldier and he wore it around his neck with his dog tags when he served. I’ve found this in many veterans keep sake boxes, Very cool.

  28

• MY

  @My2ndnephew · 4 years ago (edited)

  Looks like you&apos;ve found jewelry from the late Victorian period through the nineteen-thirties. &nbsp;The brooch with the pink in the center is a blister pearl, very popular jewelry in it&apos;s time. &nbsp;The horse is probably made of one of the early plastics called celluloid, which degrades easily, &nbsp;and it&apos;s in very good condition. &nbsp;The little hook is used for small buttons such as the ones on a woman&apos;s long blouse cuffs, it&apos;s the little sister of the boot hook. &nbsp;The hook&apos;s carved handle is onyx. &nbsp;This was very interesting to me as I am a jewelry collector. &nbsp;Whether they are about jewelry or house renovation or about the store, I think your videos are so interesting.

  5.8K

• CK

  @ckg0214 · 4 years ago

  The penny is not damaged. Often times, holes were put in currency so it could be strung together or sewn into something for safe keeping. &nbsp;The hole actually shows it is authentic and makes it more valuable.

  3.5K

• PA

  @parkerhatcher224 · 4 years ago

  Right before my grandfather was diagnosed with cancer, and passed away very quickly. My grandmother and him, sold the house they’d built and had been living in since 1965. They were together 58 years. So all of us grandkids were helping them get rid of everything they had accumulated over the years. As they were moving into a small apartment. And were at the time, unaware of my grandfathers cancer. But one day, I was sitting with them at the table. Looking through stuff they had found in the back of their closet, and my grandfather handed me a really ornate, little tin treasure chest with a lock on it. I really liked the look of the box and it was heavy. I thought maybe it was full of marbles or maybe a bunch of pennies. He said “Here. Take this. If you can open it, you can have whatever is inside. Unless it’s paperwork”. Some time went on. Not much time. About a month or two. My grandfather got sick. And mere weeks after that, passed away. My grandparents raised me. And losing my grandfather was horrible. I was in a daze most of the time. I couldn’t quite catch myself. Anyways. One day I was sitting down. Finally looking at the items he had given me shortly before he passed. And I figured it was time to try and open it. Hours went by, no luck. I’m no lock-pick. My wife, however. Said “I’ll sit down with it and see what I can do”. I was in a different room when she yelled “Parker! I got it open!” I came running to find that it was absolutely FILLED with coins. Dating back to 1902. Mostly Canadian coins. About half of them silver. As well as some American coins. Probably 5-6000 dollars worth of coins. As some were slightly rare and in great condition. I almost sold a couple. But I couldn’t. I thought about melting down the silver to craft some jewelry. But I couldn’t do that either. So now, when I find an odd coin, or something commemorative, I put it back in that box. I don’t think I’ll ever sell any of its contents. I gave a few commemorative silver dollars to my siblings. I still sort through the coins from time to time. I want to write them all down in a ledger and keep that near it for future reference. And to keep better track of the coins. Take care! Always appreciate the old, dusty things. They tend to hold the best surprises!

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• SU

  @susanuchtman8197 · 3 years ago

  if someone hasn&apos;t already commented the small hook is not a shoe hook it is a glove hook. &nbsp;The long evening gloves sometimes had openings about half way up the glove to make the tight fitting gloves easier to put one. &nbsp;The opening closed with very little buttons that the only to get them through the very little button holes was with the glove hook.

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• HE

  @heidiquayle5054 · 4 years ago

  I&apos;ve gone to auctions and found war medals - can&apos;t believe people don&apos;t keep these as treasured collections of a loved one. &nbsp;I even had the discharge papers of the soldier and offered them back and they said &apos;it&apos;s fine we don&apos;t have anyone who wants it, we didn&apos;t really know him&quot;. &nbsp;That was sad.

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• DE

  @debrussell4921 · 4 years ago

  The odd glass bead necklace is Milifiore, from Italy, popular in 1930s and 40s, sometimes called cake glass. They are collectors items.

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• KM

  @KMcMontana · 4 years ago

  Always look for hidden compartments in jewelry boxes. It was very common in the older eras.

  339

• JL

  @Jlee_Graves · 1 hour ago

  AHH! Omg I love this. In my later 20s, I have become absolutely enamored with inherited/vintage jewelry and low key I was dying for you to handle/go through all of this a little slower. I remember the first time my mom let me go through her mom&apos;s jewelry box, It took me nearly 2 hours!!!! I can&apos;t wait to go through my grandmas on my dad&apos;s side!