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Not sure if this news reached far outside the Pacific This damage reported in NZ so far suggests very difficult long term consequences for the Vava'u island people, with their power generation and communications knocked out and potential salt water contamination of drinking wells and farming...

Didn't realise it was black, looks silvery in the pics, so as it is black then could it be a Sea of Cortez pearl? One thing I've learned looking as Dawn's and other people's collections is that stick pins can have some fabulous novelties on them. It has more or less died out now, but back in...

Hi Andrea, looks kosher to me, stylistically it has to be Victorian / Edwardian don't you think? If those are diamond chips is the silver colored cap made of silver, white gold or platinum? I would guess silver over gold maybe, which was the Victorian way of setting diamonds. Question then is...

Look once, look twice, than look again Look once, look twice, than look again Did your folks teach you how to cross the road? Look Left, Look Right, Look Left Again? (other way round in AU, NZ & UK). The same rule applies in searching for scores. Take a second and third look Here's an...

Unfortunately my luck does not extend to the lottery, my tickets never win anything, not even a minor division. Isi asked: I don't mind sharing, as the old saying goes:The harder I work, the luckier I get I need less sleep as I get older and most nights I wake up and do a couple of hours...

By the way, the owner of the "50 Shades of Grey" (I bet that name sticks) necklace should document as much of the provenance/history as possible and keep it with the pearls. Today's equivalent necklace to buy would be in the low $thousands. However vintage cultured pearls were left in the shell...

I think matched cultured pearl necklaces were part of the fashion scene from the 50's onward, however prohibitively expensive for most people. The most famous set is probably Marilyn Monroe's 16in set of 44 matched Mikimotos, supposedly given to her by Joe DiMaggio in 1954, during their...

Pearl Guide just keeps on giving the accumulated knowledge of its members. That giving reaches out beyond the Guide itself, to the members' sites. Who hasn't looked at KariPearls.com, which is where I first saw Abalone Pearls. In New Zealand Paua (Abalone) shell jewelry is so common it's...

Hi Bernadette, thanks for the info and I'll keep it in mind, it's always good to know a master watchmaker! I believe the Turks liked their watches to be a bit racy, however the early Chinese Market watches were usually more sedate. An incredible fact about these Chinese Market Watches is that...

Hi Andrea, they have to be natural Pacific pearls, and a great curiosity and conversation piece in its day. A gold pearl, a gray, and white pearl would have been a most rare combination back in the day, and that gold color is so reminiscent of the poe pipi I'd say it is a dead cert. One has...

Hi Andrea, great little score off RL, and a bargain methinks. Glad you decided to push the button on it. There were a few of us watching that one.

Thanks all for the feedback, Joseph's letter is quite extraordinary. He was a publican's son, and we can't work out how he became a railway engineer, let alone one who went to Australia in the early 1850's. (Bear in mind the first modern railway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, powered...

Our family's Chinese Market Watch Our family's Chinese Market Watch A RARE MINIATURE FLORAL ENAMEL AND PEARL-SET GILT VERGE WATCH (above 1.5x magnified) - Made for the Chinese Market by Dimier et Cie, Geneva, Circa 1825 This rare miniature Chinese market pocket watch is unusual for its...

My forebears turned lead into gold. My late C18th ancestors on my Dad's side were lead miners from the Peak District of Derbyshire UK. It was a hard living. The lead mines and land were owned by the local aristocracy and the miners were tenants who paid a high tax to the local lord on the lead...

Thanks so much Isi and Andrea, that fills in lots of gaps.

Hi Isi, may I ask your help in identifying what I believe to be an Antique French Turquoise and Diamond Trinity Wedding Ring? I've never seen a ring like this before in New Zealand, or on the web, however I believe it is French because it is stamped on the OUTSIDE of the band. The marks did not...

Hi Pattye, well spotted, no hadn't noticed, will pass it on, thanks

Serendipitous Search makes Xmas Shopping Easy Serendipitous Search makes Xmas Shopping Easy hey Andrea - where nerd meets aspiring pirate - always puts a smile on my face. Thought you might like to see a recent eBay score since you have some Native American on your etsy shop. I came to this...

Following up to Karin, and my strategy of "Keep the Best and Sell the Rest". I'm mindful that I have a day job that leaves me just enough surplus to indulge in treasure hunting and lets me keep the good stuff. If I had to make the daily bread from dealing, all those goodies I get to keep would...

Hi Karin, good question. And a bit more background. I saw it at the auction, but didn't click what I was seeing and didn't bid. After the auction I saw the piece in the window of one of my favourite dealers. Then the penny dropped and I examined it more closely and saw the signature everyone...