If you are not sure what you are about to buy, better defer your shopping plans until you get complete education about the product than going ahead with the gamble of making an uninformed choice! This article precisely aims at educating you about all you need to make sure before you buy antique furniture. These tips will help you make a better choice on your requirements pertaining to antique furniture as well as provide you with some useful insights to avert a possible scam. Since antiques are high in demand. They also command a higher price. And due to lack of proper understanding about antique furniture, many Smart Alecs find it easy to dupe people by selling cheap fakes in the name of antiques.

To save yourself from embarrassment, the first obvious step is to make sure that the furniture article on offer is actually ‘antique’. A true antique item is at least 100 years old. Now, how to make sure that what you are buying is actually, in fact, an antique?

Take a good look at the furniture by taking it outside the closed interiors. The first sign to observe in true antique furniture is the non-uniformity in its dimensions. This is so due to the fact that wood shrinks as it ages by up to 1/8 inch per foot. The finer aspects in wooden antique furniture may seem missing. If every nook and corner, length, breadth and width of the furniture seems perfect, this is the first sign that something is not right with the antique.

If you are told that a particular antique furniture item is of Amish made furniture, make sure it is genuine. Typically, Amish furniture is made of 3-pieces. These are joined together by different techniques but the number of sub-pieces is always small. If it is genuine Amish handcrafted furniture, it will show its class by the bulkier weight and fine craftsmanship.

Before buying the antique furniture, make sure that it has not lost its sturdiness in the years gone by. If the furniture item is not too light and delicate, you can easily test the sturdiness by sitting on it or shaking it lightly. You can also check out for cracks and cuts by running your hand smoothly all over the furniture surface.

A typically old piece of furniture item will appear discolored from certain places. Some kinds of natural wear and tear at the corners will be evident by a close look at it. This is due to the exposure, over the years, to environmental and other hazards. But the damage should look natural. For instance, the corner blocks should be the same color as surrounding wood. Any variation is a sign that the nature of woods used in a single furniture item is different.

Any kind of hardware used on the antique furniture must be original. The knobs, sliders, screws and bolts can be easily checked by careful assessment of the wood behind these attachments. Any sign of plugged holes means that the hardware has been tampered with.

The next thing is to ask the dealer for necessary warranties and guaranties. Ask all other relevant questions you may have in mind before buying any piece of furniture. For instance, the nature and periodicity of repairs undertaken on the article, the best price for the furniture etc.

Always seek second opinion before buying antique furniture and educate yourself with some useful literature on antique furniture.

A special collection of jewelry, some of European descent, from a New York Estate, has recently been offered to the public for sale. Quite a few extroadinary pieces, especially for collectors and researchers of the time frame are available. Body Copy: Recently “Ice Originals II”, a collectibles and antique website, had the pleasure of acquiring a portion of a large New York Estate that includes jewelry items from the 1800’s through the mid 1900’s. Quite a few of the earlier pieces are of definite European manufacture, as they feature the European style clasps and hinges and definite European designs. There are some very interesting pieces, that appear as if they could have historic and research value, as well as the normal interest related to collectors.

Several of the pieces feature hand chasing and enamel, inlaid into the gold. Several are watch pins, as well as sash pins, brooches, and some very nice cut steel and gold earrings. The art deco and art nouveau movements are clearly represented as well as some transition pieces. These jewelry items, each very well designed and crafted, are true representations of the jewelry of these early decades.

Anyone who is a serious collector, as well as anyone researching this period of jewelry in encouraged to visit this website and view these beautiful pieces. Along with all the items described, there is also a collection of hand carved shell and hard stone cameos, as well as cameo rings. Some of these pieces pre-date the 1860’s, and have been so carefully protected and stored that they appear to be in nearly new condition! As said previously, these items are part of a New York Estate, passed down though a family, and only a portion of this beautiful collection has recently been placed up for sale to the public. Other pieces not for sale include an entire suite of mourning jewelry, made of jet, that is just phenomenal, as well as several pre-1860 pieces that are just perfect, in gold, and containing precious stones such as diamonds and rubies. Many appear to be custom made pieces and contain strong European influences, most likely originating in the UK or surrounding areas. The owner of the collection is not completely sure of all lineage of the family, so any viewers of the pieces up for sale are welcomed to email any input they may have on the items and their origins to the owner of the website, as the collection owner is eager to learn more about the items before they are sold. These pieces are offered on consignment basis to the seller, so therefore, prices are firm, although most are moderately priced, well within the serious collectors price range.

Whether looking for that special gift for a special lady,interested in Victorian, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Edwardian design, or doing research of the time frames indicated this is definitely a visit worth your time!