Finding great jewelry deals at jewelry shows and expos

Jewelry shows and expos are great places to find jewelry wholesale. These shows and expos are held all over the world throughout the year, and no matter where you live, a show will eventually be held near you – probably within a days drive. In fact, if you live near a major city or a convention center, there will probably be several shows throughout the year that you will be interested in when it comes to jewelry wholesale.

One of the great things about these shows and expos – aside from all of the gorgeous jewelry on display and the fabulous prices – is the information that is offered. These shows and expos often cover entire weekends, and related seminars and demonstrations are often included as well.

There is an entry fee for these shows and expos, in most cases, but it is typically quite affordable. A good way to find shows in your area is to visit aksshow.com Another way to find shows is to visit a search engine and type ‘jewelry shows your home town’ into the search box, where your home town is the town you live in, or a major city near you.

Getting great deals on antique jewelry

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 addictive! 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!

Measuring diamond weights

Diamonds are measured in Carat Weight. One carat weighs 200 milligrams. If a diamond is referred to as four grains, this also means that it is a one carat diamond. The word Carat comes from the word carob. A carob is a bean that grows on a tree in the Mediterranean. In times past, if a diamond weighed the same as a carob bean, it was one carob, or one carat.

However, in the far east, where Carob trees do not grow, rice was used to measure the weight of a diamond. If a diamond weighed as much as four grains of rice, it was four grains – or one carat as we know it to be now. The majority of diamond purchases are for diamonds that are 1/3 of a carat.

Beware when shopping for diamonds that are already set or mounted. If more than one diamond is used in the piece, the tag on the jewelry will give the CTW or Carat Total Weight – it does not tell you the carat weight of each stone in the piece. You need to ask the jeweler for the total carat weight of the largest diamond in the piece to truly understand what you are buying.