What's Hot and What's Not in the World of Collectibles

Here is a list of some of the collectibles that people should be trying to acquire, at least right now. As long as the price is right, the buying and selling of these particular items should prove profitable, at least as profitable as anything can be in the present economy.

The "What's Hot" list is immediately followed by "What's Not," which are those items that have fallen out of favor for the time being. Just remember that anything in the antiques and collectibles business is possible so these items could turn around and be popular again at any moment.

What's Hot

1. Anything to do with Star Wars, especially items relating to the original movie. For the best prices, these items need to be in their original packaging.

2. Early Disney items, original packaging preferred but not necessary.

3. Sports cards from the 1950s, 1960s or earlier. The more famous the player the better. Condition is important. They are worth more if they have been graded. In some cases, autographs will also help their value.

4. Older first edition books in good to excellent condition. Signed copies are more valuable. The rarity of the book (the original print run) is important and will help determine what it is worth. Having one of a 500 print run is better than having one of a 5000 print run.

5. Old photography in good condition. If you can identify the subject matter and know where they were taken and when, the value is increased.

6. Vintage postcards in good condition. The most valuable continues to be town scenes, real photo postcards and holiday postcards. The most popular of the holiday postcards are Halloween and Christmas, especially those depicting Santa.

7. Old coins - coins that were minted before the silver and gold content were decreased. The better the condition, the better the price. Slabbed or graded coins bring the most money. Do not clean coins. Should you have any coins worth grading, they won't be worth it after you clean them. Coins that have a mint mark are worth more.

8. Sterling silver. The higher the price of silver goes, the more sterling silver is worth. This includes jewelry as well as holloware. During the last two years, sterling silver jewelry has been bringing good money at auction. In many cases, much more than spot.

9. Signed costume jewelry. Nice old pieces of costume jewelry from designers such as Trifari, Eisenberg, Weiss, Coro, etc. Pieces with missing stones won't bring as much. There is quite a bit of counterfeiting going on so be sure whatever pieces you have are not fake.

10. Very old comic books of famous heroes in good condition; especially those comic books that introduced a famous character for the first time. An example of this would be Action Comics #1, which was first published in 1938. It marked the first appearance of Superman and in near mint condition it recently sold for $1.5M. That's right, a cool $1.5 million dollars. Not bad for what was probably an initial investment of ten cents. Batman also made the million dollar club this year. The very first Batman comic brought an impressive one million and seventy-five thousand dollars.

11. Any original antique in good condition. They have a way of bringing excellent money no matter what's going on in the market.

12. Modern Danish furniture. The really good stuff from Denmark, especially if it is signed. With the right buyer, these pieces can bring more money than some rare antiques.

13. Anything Chinese, as long as it is old and authentic. There is a frenzy for all things Chinese such as porcelain, artwork and furniture. Stay away from the less expensive knockoffs. We are only talking the real deal here but if you have a piece - Maui is a beautiful place for an early retirement.

14. Old postage stamps. Stamps are a very complicated business. There are replicas of some valuable old ones, such as Hitler, so you need to be careful. Before selling any old stamps, have them looked at by an expert. You could be sitting on some money.

What's Not

1. Pottery such as Roseville, Van Briggle, McCoy and the other well-known pottery companies. About 5 years ago, good pottery was bringing a lot of money but not today. If you have a collection, you might want to hang on to it to see if it bounces back.

2. Porcelain has suffered much the same fate as pottery, especially sets of china. At one time, sets of china were bringing excellent money on eBay but the people selling it didn't want to do all the labor intensive packing anymore - properly boxing a service for 12 can be quite daunting. Also, as the postal rates increased, buyers began to object to the very expensive shipping costs.

3. Furniture in general with a few exceptions. Nice vintage furniture such as mahogany and cherry pieces, Victorian and East Lake are bringing very low prices. For example, mahogany china cabinets and drop front desks that people were paying $900 to $1000 for ten years ago are selling for around $100 today. You can't buy the hardware for $100.

4. Record albums. There are of course exceptions to this but, for the most part, they are not bringing any money - at least not at auction. If you have any, before disposing of them, you should check them out just in case you have a rare one. The best place to look them up is probably on eBay. Sometimes the dust jacket or album cover is worth more than the record inside.

5. Newer porcelain dolls. Antique dolls still hold their own but the newer porcelain dolls, such as those sold on the shopping networks, drastically decrease in value as soon as they are purchased. They are great for the serious collector who plans to hold on to them therefore Cheap fashion rings. However, should there be a need to liquidate them, the owner is only looking at recouping maybe ten cents on the dollar. These are not a good investment thanks to Gorgeous ! Shining Amethyst & Blue Fire Opal & Zircon Gemstone 925 Sterling Silver Pendant Fashionl Jewelry*Opal Jewelry*OP588.

Selling Jewelry to Women

The success of any jewelry business lies with the increasing clients. And women appreciate jewelry more than men and so treating your women clients with great care and respect can certainly make your profits soar.

It is obvious that as a jewelry designer, a majority of your target buyers are women. Women love jewelry and women spend hours and hours deciding to buy and eventually buy a piece of jewelry. So how do you go about establishing your jewelry business so that you target your client base? How do you promote your business so as to attract and retain your client base? Some of the tips (if not all) can positively help you in promoting your jewelry business and target your potential women client:

1. Establish a promotional tie-up with a quality clothing retailer - any customer spending above a certain amount of money would receive a discount coupon / gift certificate for your store.

2. How about a vice-versa tie-up with say, a hair salon? Establish a tie-up with a quality hair salon where women who buy above a certain price range in your shop would then receive a gift certificate / discount coupon to visit the hair salon.

3. Being a part of local shows, kitty-party, women organization or anything similar can boost the goodwill tremendously with the locals.

4. Donate gift certificates to charitable causes - this works especially if the committee members are mostly made up of women.

5. Target your clients through newspapers - don't ignore the sports pages or the business sections as modern women are known to read these sections avidly or Exquisite 18KGP Golden CZ Ring.

6. Make sure your advertisements are also placed in upscale fashion publications. Frame such nice ads and put them up on your store walls in a nice manner.

7. Display the jewelry as it is meant to be worn. Don't just display them on a pad - put pins or brooches on a blouse or a scarf and show them off to your potential clients.

8. Make sure that your staff is well dressed, especially in the context of the market you are going to target.

9. Organize your displays / merchandise according to the price range. Don't group expensive items with inexpensive items. Be sure to include any costing tags or price tags on the piece of jewelry and the same should be properly visible to the clients. If you are not comfortable with visible price labels, you can put up price range label (From $50 to $70) on the display case.

10. Show ensembles in different price ranges. This will allow women with smaller budgets to make purchases in your shop as well.

11. Make sure that your store hours are favorable for professional women - it is logical that women won't be able to shop at your store if your store is open only when they are at work.

12. Provide for ample parking space around your shop. Make sure your shop parking area has good security. At late hours, offer to have a guard escort your women customers back to their cars as well as The factory wholesale 925 sterling silver bangle bracelet cuff,925 silver jewelry,925 silver bangle bracelet,free shipping.

13. Don't forget that little touches mean a lot. Women easily get attracted to fancy wares. So don't forget to offer them something in lovely glassware. It will create a good impression of the stores standards.

14. Make sure your store bathrooms (especially those that customers can use) are well appointed. Use scented soaps, guest towels, potpourri - these subtle touches make women feel very comfortable while they are shopping at your store.

All these ideas should help you with creating the right client base, and create the right ambience and provide the right touch of elegance for your store, which eventually will help you build up your jewelry business.

Suggestions For Choosing Prom Gown Accessories

As if it were not hard enough shopping for a prom gown, one must not forget the accessories. Although the prom gown is the most important aspect of a prom, accessories play a huge part and can complete a gown. However, you do not want to over accessorize. Being overdone is something that might come back to haunt you.

From your shoes to your jewelry, deciding on appropriate accessories depends on the style and color of your gown. Your gown is the main focus of your entire outfit. Everything feeds off of your gown. You shouldn't be looking for shoes and a purse before you find your gown. You should always accessorize from the gown out. Once you have found the perfect gown, you then begin to accessorize. This is where the fun starts.

Accessorizing the Classic Little Black Gown

Your prom should be an opportunity to bring out your individuality and uniqueness. It should be seen as a platform to model great colors and creative designs. However, some teens prefer being a solid and simple canvas. What better way to achieve this than through the classic black gown. Fashion experts suggest that every woman needs a little black gown in their closet, and the great thing about this is that after prom, you can still wear this gown. It is versatile and sophisticated, and should be seen as the one gown that you can do anything with. It is the one gown that you should not be afraid to accessorize with.

For prom, nothing against those long flowing black gownes, but an appropriate black gown should be strapless or thin strapped and knee-length, flaring out at the waist. It represents your fun playful attitude and shows that you're here to have a good time. If solid black is not your color of choice, you could go for the black and white combination. You could also go with a white gown with a black pattern. White with black is great but you definitely minimize the selection of accessories.

Red and black have always been one of the great color combinations. It is a brave color and the best way it can be worn with a black gown is by incorporating a red shoe and a red bag. You don't want to over accessorize, so put away the red lipstick and just go with a simple lip gloss instead. In many cases red lips are far too mature for the high school prom. As for jewelry, a plain red stoned stud is enough to allow your shoes and bag to make a statement.

Remember, when wearing black choose accessories with bright colors. Ladies, let's remember that pastels are normally not the best choice. Another great idea when wearing black is to select a pointed toe shoe with a colorful crazy design. These pointed toed shoes should be worn with shorter knee length gownes. Save those open toed shoes for those longer gowns. After you finalize that ever changing shoe decision, take one of the colors within your shoes and try to find a bag that will put it all together.

It is always a possibility for you to accessorize with all black. You can't really go wrong with black on black. It will still give you that young fresh look and feel or Stylish Brown "Moon" Bracelet with Stone&Beads Accents.

Gloves, Wraps and Bags

When it comes to choosing gloves, many teens think that it is outdated and silly. This is not true; gloves are still very much in style. Gloves look elegant and chic, and you do not always have to go for the full length elbow gloves. Hand gloves in lace or satin that match your gown could also make you look stylish.

Clutch purses are one of the trends for the year also Adored Exquisite White Gold Plated Pierce Earrings. Whether big clutches or small, they look adorable in any hand. Partnered with a glove, they become an extension of the arm. Handle bags are also still very trendy and usually have more space than the clutch. When choosing a handbag though, try to go with colors such as black or metallic, as matching your bag to your gown color may look odd if the colors are not identical.

Many girls going to the prom say they're not always sure as to how a wrap or shawl is worn. The purpose of a wrap is used to keep you warm and should be lightly thrown over the shoulders and around your arms.

Prom Gown Lingerie

Lingerie might be the last thing you worry about when it comes to a prom but it does play a role. Although it gets very little thought, you do need undergarments that will keep everything in place under your gown and make you look fabulous. Choose lingerie that will shape, lift and mould your body. Also stick to neutral colors such as white and black.

If You Are Low on Cash Sell Your Old Gold

During these hard times many of us are struggling with a large financial burden. Unfortunately, some of us have a larger burden than others than others, and may need more in a financial solution than to simply sell their old gold. However, if you are someone who needs a little boost to pay that surprise bill, or maybe splurge on something that you otherwise may not have, now is the time to sell old gold. As you may have heard, gold prices are at an all-time high, and the money you would get back for selling old gold at this present time, is more than it has ever been in history Coz Trendy Jewelry Wholesale. If you are thinking about getting rid of some of that left over jewelry you may want to know what the best way to sell it is. We will explain to you why online gold refiners may be your best choice when you want to sell old gold.

Once you have decided on which old gold items you are ready and willing to part with, your next step is to get a quote. Pawn shops and jewelry stores may seem like your obvious choices due to their location. The problem with both of these options is that they are not interested in giving you a good price for your jewelry. Pawn shops generally have a more desperate clientele and are in no way shape or form interested in bartering with the seller. They want to make you an offer, and they want you to leave. Almost every single time someone sells an item at a pawn shop they are getting ripped off in one way or another. Jewelry stores aren't much better in this regard, owners tend to schmooze their sellers with more know-how, but often times this is just a facade to trick the seller into parting for a less than desired price.

Your best option truly is an online refiner. Aside from the ease of use, refiners usually offer you a better price than your other local options. Refiners don't have any middle-men, so they work directly with you to get you the price you deserve for your old gold jewelry. The process is a breeze, you simply log on, request a "refiners kit", which is actually just a heavy duty envelope to safely transport your gold jewelry in. Once you have the kit all you need to do is insert your old gold jewelry and send it back with Free Delivery + AAA7 8MM FW Black Pearl 18 Necklace 7.5 Bracelet Earrings SET. Within 24 hours you will receive a quote, and you can either choose to accept the amount, or have them send your old gold back to you at no cost.

Jewelry Trends Brief - Fabulous Filigree

Filigree is a classic design element that has recently been revived in the fashion jewelry scene, taking a prominent seat in many designers' winter and spring collections including Argento Vivo and Kendra Scott.

Gold, which was the foundation of many fall jewelry lines, has remained popular within this trend. Virtually all of the filigree designs I have seen have been made from vermeil or gold-plated brass filigree.

There are two reasons why I think we're seeing filigree return right now:

1. Filigree lends itself to the bohemian-chic look that is commonly popular in spring fashion. Designers are getting ready and making the shift from the reserved, sultry looks of fall and winter and back into the lighter designs of spring and summer.

2. One of the major trends for 2006 fashion will be a "return to innocence" of sorts, as our country experiences a sense of nostalgia for less complicated times such as The factory wholesale 925 sterling silver pan bracelet,925 silver jewelry,925 silver bangle bracelet,bangle,free shipping. Filigree has a very romantic, timeless look that appeals to this collective longing then Exquisite 18KGP Lovely Lady Dangle Earrings.

Whatever the reason, I'm glad to see it return in popularity. I love to design romantic, timeless jewelry, and filigree absolutely fits the bill. I expect to see it combined with wood, shell and other natural materials in the spring collections of many designers.

Onyx - The Fingernails of Venus

Mention the name of the gemstone onyx, and one is apt to think of a black stone, and it is most of the time. But there are also onyx stones that run from dark brown to white in color, or have white or red bands running through the stone. Onyx is a variety of quartz, chalcedony quartz to be specific why fashion jewelry wholesalers. Some other forms of chalcedony quartz are flint, petrified wood, bloodstone, agate, jasper, and petrified dinosaur bone. Some of these forms of chalcedony quartz were the first stones used by man and were used to make arrow heads, knives and tools. Most of the onyx mined today comes from Brazil, India, California and Uruguay. The stone is very hard, very finely textured and is sometimes used for carvings.

How Onyx Got Its Name

The ancient Greeks had a story for everything, and onyx is no exception. The name of the stone comes from the Greek word for nail or claw. The story goes that while the goddess Venus was sleeping one day, the mischievous Cupid cut her fingernails with the head of one of his arrows. The cut fingernails were left on the ground, and were turned to stone because no part of a heavenly goddess would be allowed to perish, not even her fingernails. The ancient Greeks called most of the forms of chalcedony quartz by the name of onyx. It was the Romans who later restricted the use of the name to dark stones, but even today the stone is many times called black onyx to differentiate between other colors of the stone.

The ancients believed that wearing an onyx stone strengthened the heart and kidneys, reduced stress, improved eyesight and helped the wearer sleep well due to rings jewelry. Black onyx sets the stage for other gemstones, precious metals and pearls, as well as being a beautiful stone all by itself. It is readily available in a variety of price ranges and jewelry styles. They are versatile and beautiful stones, these fingernails of Venus.

Best Gift Ideas For Your Special One

Gifts are the best mode to express your love and affection for your special one. You can find several ideas to offer valentine gifts such as birthstone rings, cycling gifts, bicycle bracelets, bicycle necklaces, wenger watches, dog jewelry, paw print jewelry, Masonic rings, bicycle jewelry and many more. You can choose the gifts for your special one as per her choice and nature.

Apart from the valentine day, there are many other occasions of life such as birthdays, anniversaries, and many more. You can choose the gifts as per your creativity as well as the likes and dislikes of your special one why Jewelry sets. If your partner is fond of jewelry, then there are no worries about choosing the gifts as you can get variety of options. But, if you wish to give a personalized gift to your partner, then engrave the gift with your name or a beautiful message for your loved one or a photo. Personalized gifts are in high demand nowadays as they give a very unique look as well as feel to the person who receives it. However, these personalized gifts take much more time and energy as compared to normal gifts but they are worth for your special one.

You can update yourself from various websites online with the latest trend of giving gifts to your special one. Blends of gifts are available in the market as per your requirement and budget. Sometimes, if you feel to give many gifts like Masonic rings, wenger watches, bicycle jewelry, bicycle bracelets, bicycle necklaces, birthstone rings, cycling gifts, dog jewelry, paw print jewelry altogether to your special one, then you can collect a trendy purse or a bag or a decorative gift basket and gift all these presents either discount fashion jewelry. Arrange them properly and make your special one feel great for you.