Tips for Buying Vintage Silver Jewelry

This post will share expert tips for buying high-quality vintage silver jewelry that you can enjoy for a lifetime.

As luck would have it, I’m allergic to nickel which is the metal that most inexpensive jewelry is made from. That means that my whole life, I’ve ‘had’ to wear jewelry that is real silver or gold (of course, I could have gone without adornment, but what fun is that?). As luck would also have it, my husband has been and continues to be a pretty darn good shopper when it comes to gift giving and has given me a wide range of baubles, both new and vintage, over the years. If I have to while away some time scrolling the internet while waiting at the DMV, it won’t be on Facebook; it will be pouring over the gorgeous Instagram boutique accounts featuring vintage silver jewelry, rad vintage cowboy boots, and other treasures from yesteryear that are both beautiful and functional.

I decided to interview my favorite boutique owners, since they buy silver all day, every day, what a girl should look for when scoring their own silver heirlooms. Both Goodbuy Girls and Three Wolves Trading have delivered high quality, as-described vintage goods, had great customer service, fast shipping, and have a wide range of items I think you Wildflowers would love.

Here’s what the experts say to look for when buying your own vintage silver:

If possible, talk to the seller. Ask about the origin of the item and how they came to own it in the first place. Ask about the age of the piece and if it has been repaired or cleaned.

Check for a stamp that says “sterling” or “.925” or a maker’s stamp. These stamps can be very valuable in dating and assigning a value to an item. It is important to remember that for Native American pieces, many weren’t signed until the ’60s or 70’s so if it is lacking a signature, that probably just means it is older, which would likely increase its value. Furthermore, if an item is “coin silver” or lower grade sterling, that is still a high-quality metal that will stand the test of time. Don’t shy away from a piece just because it doesn’t have a stamp. Stamps are helpful, but not definitive. You can use white cloth, like a piece of white flannel, for example, to rub the piece. If a black smudge appears, the item at hand is real silver because silver oxidizes, or turns black (like your apple slice that turns brown) when exposed to oxygen.

The Navaho and Zuni tribes are known for a jewelry style called “needlepoint and cluster work” (no embroidery hoops here). Navaho designs tend to have bigger stones and heavier than Zuni pieces which tend to be the most intricate. Very fine Native American silver jewelry was made between the late 1800 and the late 1970s. This site has a ton more information on tribe specific hallmarks and styles.

Look for signs of wear and tear. Vintage silver should look worn, not super shiny. If it is really shiny, ask the seller if it has been cleaned. If it hasn’t, it may be newer.

Terms to look out for and avoid at all costs include “resin turquoise” (a faux, made in China plastic stone), and “nickel silver” which indicates it has zero real silver. If the item is very lightweight, especially a large item like a cuff, or if it is very shiny, it is most likely a knockoff. More information can be found here.

Compare prices. Check the price of the item against similar pieces of the same size and style. If it seems too good to be true, then it probably is, and if it is way more expensive than comparable pieces, you might be being swindled.

Ask for the weight. The more silver in a piece, the heavier it will be. A lighter piece doesn’t necessarily mean it is lower quality, it just might be a lighter style, and the silver therein can still be of high quality. If you can hold the item in your hand, do, and notice how it feels and compare it to other items.

Check for cracks, loose stones, or warping. Cracks need to be repaired in order for the item to be worn safely. If the stones are loose, check to see if the bezel is covering (holding) the stone completely. Sometimes, especially with Native American pieces, the backing behind the stone can expand or contract, depending on the conditions the item was stored in, so just be sure the stone will stay put. It may need to have work done in order for it to be wearable.

And finally, to directly quote sweet Shea of Three Wolves,

“Go big or go home!  Have fun! Vintage silver jewelry is some of the most beautiful artwork there is out there. Find a piece or several that speak to you. And lastly, by God, WEAR THEM! Jewelry was made to be worn and shown off. You spent the money, so you might as well get your money’s worth! There’s nothing more depressing than a gorgeous vintage squash blossom sitting in a box somewhere in someone’s attic or the back of their closet! Rock your vintage pieces everyday!”

Now that’s some advice I can get behind!  

Follow these Instagram boutiques: Three Wolves Trading and Goodbuy Girls and buy with confidence. That’s where all my allowance money goes and when my daughter asks if she can wear my pieces someday, I can say honestly, yes <3

This post will share the best tools, resources, and courses for the person on your list that desire a handmade and homemade life, both inside and outside the home.

This post may contain affiliate links. I’d never recommended something to you that I wouldn’t suggest to my best friend. 

Small batch canning is a canning recipe book that is devoted to smaller sized recipes which are perfect for smaller sized families, kitchens, appetites, and jars. Canning has a reputation for being a task suited for preserving pounds upon pounds of produce, for some unnamed disaster, in preparation for a time when the access to fresh foods is limited. While canning can be useful in a prepper’s home, that is NOT the only application. Canning is just right for preserving just a few cups of berries, or a few pounds of veggies, in small jars that are quick to process, easy to store, and lovely to gift. I intend to tackle this notion of canning being an activity only for those preparing for the zombie apocalypse in another post, but for now, give the preserver (aspiring or acting) in your life this book.

In order to apply these recipes, the novice preserver on your gift list needs the Start Canning ECourse. It is 14 videos that SHOW in a way a cookbook cannot the process of canning. It also addresses safety and equipment concerns and your happy recipient will be part of a supportive, private Facebook group where they can meet other canners and get their questions answered.

Weck jars are fancy canning jars. They, like regular mason jars, can be used for general food storage but can be canned using the removable rubber flange and separate lid. The general consensus among experienced preservers is that these jars aren’t harder to use than mason jars; they are just different. The lend a European air to your preserves are indeed beautiful, and I especially like their small size options.

If you have a budding gardener on your list, this ebook promises to build beautiful gardens and healthy soil. What gardener wouldn’t want that?

Want to give the gift of backyard chickens and farm fresh eggs? This course, Feed Your Hens Right, looks amazing to say the least and would be an ideal accompaniment. This is a video course ALL about what to feed your chickens at every stage of life, created by a chicken expert. There are 6 modules plus 4 bonus modules that will teach a newbie how to care for their birds like an expert. The reviews of this course are glowing, and I can see why.

If your homestead aspirations include getting goats, this ebook will give you all the background info you need on Nigerian Dwarf goats, which are every bit as cute as they sound. It is written by an expert and gives important considerations for potential goat owners to think through before acquiring these sweet animals.  

I love everything about this dinner rolls course; Kalisha (the bread making expert) removes everything I hate about making bread from the equation. There’s no kneading, no waiting, and she teaches you how to make delicious dinner rolls quickly. This course is perfect for any level of home cook, even a novice.

If the person on your list is just plain sick of not knowing what to cook for supper and could use a structured, expert guide, give the gift of stress-free dinner time. Get this meal planning course and give sanity to your loved one.

If you want a gift that will incorporate your littles, this ebook by Garden and Grace Homestead shares recipes that are perfect for kids and your homegrown lifestyle.

If you want to learn all the things about a homestead kitchen, the Homestead Honey has you covered in this super- thorough ecourse with modules like fermenting, foraging, seasonal produce + meal planning, and more.

The Homestead Honey also has an ebook that is perfectly gift-able- the Backyard Pizza Oven EBook will give the gift of everyone’s favorite dish, but homemade and with a crispy chewy crust.

The Made From Scratch book by Melissa K. Norris encourages the reader to return to a simpler way of life in our homes, hearts, and minds. Who doesn’t need a little more simplification in their lives?

Ferment Your Veggies is a gorgeous compendium of counter fermentation knowledge written by a lifelong fermenter that I had the pleasure of meeting in person. I attending her workshop and can say without reservation that this lady can ferment like nobody’s business. She’s very well versed on all matters of safety in regards to fermentation, and the book covers that, equipment options, and recipes galore. It’s sauerkraut squared, Wildflowers. Ask Santa and you won’t be sorry.

If the person on your gift list desires some in-depth counter culture fermentation instruction, this course looks amazing. Learn how to make sauerkraut, kombucha, sourdough bread, and more in beautiful video lessons.

This natural soap making course teaches you how to make soap that is full of ingredients you can say, that won’t irritate sensitive skin (goodbye eczema!) or trigger chemical sensitivities. You can also learn how to make shampoo bars and milk soaps in this course.

If you have a comfortable crocheter on your gift list, this Etsy shop has many patterns for sale. If someone I knew gave me a couple new patterns and offered to watch my kids for a Saturday morning, I’d be one cup of coffee away from Heaven. I love this particular shop’s patterns because they are fashionable and easy to follow.

This Etsy shop features both knitting and crochet patterns and is my absolute favorite for a little girl and boy designs. Think hoods that mimic foxes, dinosaurs, bears, unicorns, and more. I made a red cape using one of these patterns for my daughter…and she wouldn’t wear it. Give a selection of these patterns for this holiday season for a mom yarn lover in your life.

My favorite footwear, for probably 9 months of the year, is these boots. They are well made, are insulated, and good for anything muddy. Anything.

What other tools, courses, books, or other things should be on this list? Let me know in the comment section below, Wildflowers!

This post will share 5 reasons you should visit a U-pick berry patch, 6 ways to prepare for picking success, and explain why you’ll get way more than just a bucket of sweet fruit by visiting one.

A U-Pick, You-Pick, Pick Your Own, or PYO is a place where rows upon rows of a wide variety of fruit if waiting to be picked and sold usually by weight. They absolutely should be on your summer to-visit list and I will tell you why.

1. Fresh fruit. Delicious fruit with old-fashioned and homegrown flavor is something we all should be eating more of for the sake of our waistlines and our general food sense and ideas of what fresh fruit should taste like. If you haven’t had a homegrown strawberry lately, you are seriously missing out. They taste nothing like the large, bright and utterly flavorless fruit in the major grocery chains. Same for berries. A store bought blackberry is a travesty. They taste nothing like a fresh berry and you know who is to blame? Us consumers. We keep buying the seedy giants that are colorful but devoid of any flavor and so producers keep growing them. Let’s head to a patch and support some really good fruit growers, shall we? And really, in order to be transported zillions of miles, store-bought berries, which are naturally pretty darn fragile, have to be picked before they are ripe and they have to be bred for color since shoppers buy with their eyes rather than their brains most of the time.
2. Outdoor time. There are few of us out there thinking, “gee, I really need some time in front of the computer screen!” Rather, our postures, our fitness levels, our eyeballs, and our hearts and souls are really overdue for some fresh air and sunshine.
3. Awesome variety. Berry patches very often have many, many varieties each of blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, marionberries, strawberries, and more. This means that while some rows will be bare, or not ripe yet, others will and that also means you will have a ton of varieties to choose from. There are red raspberries, dark, dark red raspberries, and golden yellow raspberries, and potentially they will all be present at the patch you visit. When I pick wild blackberries, the only fruit I will come home with is wild blackberries. At a patch, you can pick enough to eat, can, or otherwise preserve a bunch of different types of fruit all in an hour or so of picking.
4. Family friendly or nice alone time. It is easy to keep children corralled as the rows provide a visible and clear boundary. I have gone picking with a good friend and we picked at opposite ends of the rows and had the kids in between us, and that arrangement worked nicely. If you bring small kids, a toy truck might be of good use on the dirt pathways. Older kids can have their own bucket and nibble as they pick.  Conversely, picking fruit can be a meditative experience and going alone can be quite nice. Leave technology in the car and lose track of time; it’s lovely.
5. You can eat! You can enjoy the fruits of your labor fresh, serve them with ice cream, and my favorite it canning them to enjoy later. Fresh berries, picked yourself, usually last about 4 days in the fridge, if stored properly. I usually pick pretty quickly and take home more than I can eat fresh. If you want to learn how to can fresh fruit and vegetables, I’m your girl. I created a canning course for busy beginners and you can check it out right here at www.startcanning.com I am super excited to share it with you; even if you have never canned before I can SHOW you in a way a cookbook cannot how to preserve. It is satisfying, delicious, and easier than you think. Head to www.startcanning.com to learn more!

Enter to WIN the Fall into Canning Giveaway: The Start Canning Course + Beginner Tools! The winner is drawn October 26!

How to prepare:

1. Dress in layers. Think a lightweight long sleeve, tank, hat and/or sunglasses.  Pants are obviously hotter but sometimes it is nice to have jeans on for picking strawberries, which are a low-growing plant where you might be on your knees. I usually wear shorts with pockets. Wear sunblock and don’t forget your ears and your part. You might appreciate a pair of lightweight, gardening style gloves if you plan on picking blackberries. The ones with thorns typically have more flavor than the ones that are thornless, but many patches have few if any varieties are particularly wicked.
2. Bring cash. Plenty of places accept checks and cards, but cash is easy and many places only accept cash.
3. Bring several smallish buckets. The buckets that we love used to hold ice cream in the ’80s and are white plastic with metal handles. You don’t want a really large or deep receptacle because the fragile berries at the bottom are easily smashed. You will need more than one because some places charge a different price per pound for each type of berry, so you’ll want to keep them separated.
4. Plan for an hour or two outdoors. That might mean bug spray, a bathroom trip before you go, and a bottle of water.
5. Be ready to reach high and crouch low. Strawberries are grown in low little bushes, so you can bend at the waist or come into a yoga-esque squat to pick them. My gram (the smartest lady I know) brings a little stool (like one your little kids might use to reach the sink) to sit on for berry picking and it is really much more comfortable. I try to hit those low plants first in a berry picking day because I get tired of them the quickest. Berries like raspberries and marionberries grow on long vines called ‘canes’ that will probably be wound along wires in rows kind of like in a grape vineyard pictured on a wine bottle. You may or may not be able to see over the rows and you can pick from the ground up. The canes of various berries range from smooth to scratchy- like a rasp, as in raspberry. Blueberries are grown on bushes that look the most like a quintessential bush or hedge rather than in a row of vines.
6. Keep your eyes open. You should watch for irrigation pipes, hoses, etc, bees that might sting (though they will likely be around to pollinate the flowers, rather than be around the ripe berries), and other small critters that might startle you.  

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to forage for wild berries or grow their own. While I think both are experiences are valuable on their own, a pick your own is an awesome, practical, and easy way to reconnect with where your food comes from and you should absolutely seek one out this season.

I hope you Wildflowers are feeling free, where ever you are on this Independence Day, and I hope that together we can create a little more independence in our homes in regards to what we eat, drink, wear, do, and enjoy. Three cheers for freedom, Wildflowers!

If you want to learn what to do with the fruits of your U-pick labor, head to www.startcanning.com to learn how to can. In this e-course, I SHOW busy beginners in a way a cookbook cannot the canning process and I teach techniques that you can use to can whatever your heart desires. Let’s Start Canning!