THE BEAT GOES ON FOR SHERMAN BUYERS ON EBAY

Well things are constantly changing on ebay these days and unfortunately, one of the things that has changed, to protect the seller I guess, is the way the photos are displayed. I wanted to post a photo for you of one of the beautiful cranberry colored sets currently at auction but I can't. So you'll just have to click THIS LINK and go over and see it for yourself. There's a reserve on this one so it'll be interesting to see how high bidders go to get this set or if they can meet that reserve. I've seen a few fall quite short of the reserves lately, but those reserves have also been very high.

But, in my humble opinion, this cranberry-colored set of bracelet, brooch and earrings is worth going for. The color is gorgeous...fuschia by any other name...and all 3 pieces look to be in good condition. The seller hasn't shown a photo of the entire back of the bracelet (really should as collectors like to see that kind of thing) but stones look clear and bright and design is, typically Sherman, just lovely. The bidding is at $152.50 as I write this and it doesn't end for another 29 hours. So you still have time to jump on this one.

There's also a 1/2" wide red Sherman bracelet finishing in 32 hours that you might like. That's narrow but the color is popular. There is an opening bid of $100 but again, there's a reserve. At this point, there are no bids. This one is signed and also comes with an original hangtag. You can see it at THIS LINK.

Of course, if you prefer to buy your Sherman outright and really know what you're getting, you could go over to our SHOP AT RUBY LANE, where we have up to 9 large photos of just about all our items with very detailed and accurate details. We don't like returns and want our customers to be happy. So though it takes more effort, it's worth going the extra mile to make sure our customers are happy. So you might prefer to pick up the Siam Red, japan-backed bracelet

& earrings shown above from our shop. The bracelet is one of those unsigned Shermans, but definitely a Sherman (see my writeup for explanation) and the earrings, while not an original match, go beautifully with this bracelet and they are signed. I'm receptive to offers too so don't hesitate to make one. Click the photo above or THIS LINK to learn more and make your offer. Given this bracelet is in the most popular color for Sherman collectors, I normally wouldn't consider offers, but since it's unsigned, there's room to move.

While I went through a rough period a while back and started selling off not just my Shermans but other costume jewelry, I've relented. It's just too hard to not buy some of those beautiful pieces! Besides, right after I starting selling it off, I had customers wanting to buy more. So I'm back in the game for now. Keep an eye our OUR SHOP AT RUBY LANE and on this blog as I have some wonderful new Shermans to list in time for adding gorgeous glitz to your wardrobe at Christmas. So stay tuned and watch for this fabulous Art Deco necklace below coming soon!

FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS: SHERMAN BRACELET PRICES!

Okay, in my last post I raved on a bit about the incredibly high prices being asked and being paid for Sherman jewelry lately, especially when the jewelry is a bracelet. I also suggested that just maybe sellers are getting a bit greedy and trying to capitalize on this rush to acquire Shermans. I need to make one thing clear in case any of my fellow associates thought I was pointing a finger at them: I wasn't. I know, one in particular, is selling off an estate on consignment. So her prices are what the person she is selling for wants to get. That's just fine by me. And let me just add, that both the seller and owner are doing fantastically with their sales. This owner certainly has a collection to die for.

So now that's out of the way, let me address the rest: the ones I believe are jumping on the band wagon and looking to score bigtime, like the person selling the bracelet shown in the photo above. It's a gorgeous bracelet, and Sherman bracelets being as hard to get as they are, most of us would jump at this one, especially since it's 6-row piece and hence wide, even more desirable.

But, and it's a big BUT, this seller has simply shown a few small photos and in his/her description states nothing more than "I'll let the pictures do the talking". Well, for starters, if the photos were terrific, like the ones in OUR SHOP AT RUBY LANE, where you see 9 photos of a piece from various angles, front and back, and super close-up, the pictures might indeed do the talking. But even then, a seller asking a lot for a piece owes the buyers a bit more than just good photos. They need to really tell the buyer about the piece and disclose any issues that might impact on the purchaser's decision to buy.

So what might have happened here if a buyer hadn't asked a few questions? Someone might just have paid the starting price of $4000!! Yes, you read right: this seller is asking $4000 for this bracelet! So, big deal you say: folks are paying in the thousands now for Sherman bracelets. Yeah, sure they are for those rare as hen's teeth rigid cuff bracelets in popular colors (such as my aforementioned colleague is selling!) But not for the very much more common regular blue Sherman bracelets. Those go for between $200 - $300!

But there's more. When an interested buyer asked this seller for more information i.e. how about some dimensions, e.g. width, length, any missing stones etc. that's when we found out what the pictures didn't tell us: there are 4 small stones missing, 2 on either side. 'Scuse me? You're asking $4000 for a Sherman bracelet with missing stones yet? Did I say something about sellers becoming greedy? How about being dishonest too. Yes, he/she answered the question and thankfully posted the reply, but not disclosing that information to start with is just a tad deceitful don't you agree? Just imagine the disappointment and anger a buyer would feel if they were foolish enough to pay the opening price only to find missing stones! ARRRRGGGHHH! That kind of thing makes me mad and it happens far too often when folks don't make informed purchases and don't query the seller.

In this case, there's one more thing that most of us who do shop on ebay would look at besides the price and the item: the seller's feedback. Guess what? This seller has ZERO feedback! Again, sure, all sellers start with zero feedback if they've never bought or sold on ebay before (though most buy up for a while to establish their good reputations). But when you look at this seller's other listings (there are only 4 of them), three of them have thousand dollar price-tags. Now this seller could be 100% honest and well-intended, but all their descriptions are one-liners with little information and big asking prices. Methinks this seller needs some basic training in how to sell honestly and well before some angry ebay buyer comes down on him/her like a ton of bricks. Of course, odds are he/she won't sell anything either. Buyers are leery of new sellers asking massive dollars.

That's my rant for this week ... except to remind you where you can find Sherman jewelry at affordable prices from an honest seller: SHERMAN JEWELLERY SHOWCASE and VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE at RUBY LANE.

SIAM RED 3-PIECE PARURE ELUDES ME AGAIN!

Wow...what a busy few days it's been for me. I think the Christmas shopping has begun, despite the terrible mess in the stock market and all that stuff. We've been so busy with sales in our SHOP AT RUBY LANE and on our SHERMAN JEWELLERY SHOWCASE site that I haven't had any time to get over here to post! Not that I'm complaining of course: I've sold 3 Shermans this past week, along with some lovely vintage gold pieces.

But there's one danger when I have a good selling week: I immediately start looking at what else I can buy and add to our line. And it was with that in mind that I got fixated on winning the ebay auction for that gorgeous Siam red Sherman 3-piece parure in the photo. I've been wanting to acquire one of these for the longest time. It would have rounded out my Sherman collection beautifully. But despite my decision to go for broke and spend more on this piece than I've ever spent on a Sherman, I failed! My disappointment was acute, especially since at 15 seconds before the auction closed, I was the highest bidder at $751.99. That's such a heap of money for me. Well darn, someone else could afford it better than I could I guess. They won it for $761.99!

So I find myself wondering if I'll ever be able to get my hands on a Siam Red Sherman. Oh sure, I guess if I shell out a fortune, I will. But in the meantime, I'll have to sell a lot more of what I currently have, though I must confess that stock is dropping quickly right now. But I do have a new piece for you today and while it's not Siam red, it's a beauty!

This glorious 6.5 inch Sherman bracelet of clear swarovski crystals is absolutely dazzling with its sparkle and is now available from our Ruby Lane Shop for only $165 including insured shipping in the US and Canada. Click the photo above to learn more about it and see lots more photos. It's 3/4" wide and I've never seen an old Sherman bracelet where the stones are still so crystal clear...just another kudo to Sherman for the fact that he was known to use only the best swarovski crystals in his jewelry. That is certainly evident here.

If you could use a gorgeous bracelet to set off your gown on New Year's eve, you can't go wrong with this one at this price. You'll light up the room more than any lights will. Check it out now!

SHOULD YOU BUY JUST A SHERMAN BROOCH or SHERMAN EARRINGS or a SHERMAN SET?

Recently a colleague of mine who buys, collects and sells Shermans like I do, was telling me about one of her customers who is hell-bent on investing in Sherman jewelry but is still rather new at it. She apparently knows what to look for in terms of color and condition, but because she loves to wear Sherman brooches and bracelets, she's been busy buying up just brooches or just bracelets.

Well while there's absolutely no reason a buyer shouldn't do that if that's what she likes to wear, if you are an investor in Sherman or plan to sell it down the way, you should ALWAYS be looking to acquire sets. A Sherman brooch with matching earrings will always be more valuable than just the brooch or earrings. If that brooch and earrings are also paired with a matching bracelet, as in the photo below from my site at SHERMAN JEWELRY SHOWCASE, or if you can find a set that includes a necklace with the brooch and earrings, or even better yet, a 4-piece set of brooch, earrings, bracelet and necklace, then you have found a super valuable Sherman parure and it's definitely worth buying because then it has become a true investment. Incidentally, this applies to all the famous vintage

designers: wherever you can, try to get sets by Schiaparelli, Shreiner, Weiss, Miriam Haskell, Kenneth J. Lane ... the list goes on.

Why are sets so much more valuable? After all, you might not like wearing clip-on earrings but you love necklaces or bracelets. Part of the reason, as is common with vintage jewelry, the sets have become separated over the years. People have sold off a bracelet to one person and the matching brooch to someone else. Bottom line then is 2, 3 and 4-piece sets are much harder to obtain, and as you know, the rarer something is, the greater its value. That's why my colleague has now counselled her eager buyer to look for sets where she can. She doesn't have to wear all the pieces at the same time if she doesn't want to; she just needs to have as many sets as she can get!

But here's something you can do (and it's kind of fun) if you have only piece of Sherman ie. a brooch or necklace. You can become a hunter! Attend estate auctions in your aread. Online, scour eBay, Ruby Lane, Trocadero, eCrater or Cyber Attic. Or simply just type Sherman jewelry or Sherman Jewellery into Google or Yahoo and see what you can find. If you're really lucky you might find earrings that are a perfect match for that brooch or necklace you love.

Is it impossible? Not at all. I have found wonderful matches that way and have been able to turn a 1 or 2-piece set into a valuable 3-piece parure like my Sherman fushia set of necklace, earrings and brooch shown below. Because of the color, fuschia, each of the pieces alone is valuable, but as a set, it's value is many times greater.

WHAT IS SHERMAN WORTH? HOW MUCH SHOULD I PAY?

That's a loaded question! A quick answer would probably be what you hear when you're buying a home or any major investment: it's worth what a buyer is willing to pay! And when it comes to jewellery by Sherman, some buyers are willing to pay a lot!

Take the examples in the photos in this blog. They are of Sherman jewelry sold since June 1, 2008 on eBay, which after all is where we're supposed to be able to find bargains. So if these are bargains, then be prepared to pay a lot for a piece of Sherman jewelry.

That stunning fuschia cuff bracelet recently sold on Ebay for $4500! Yes, you read right. Now we currently have a T.Michaels designer gold & diamond jewelry set on our site at VINTAGE JEWELRY SHOWCASE

for which we're asking only $1425 and given the high cost of gold right now, it's a steal. But so far, it remains unsold. And yet that Sherman cuff bracelet sold for $4500! Ouch. In fact, that's not the highest dollar I've seen on eBay recently for cuff bracelets. There was another in excess of $5300!

Sure makes my gorgeous green/blue bracelet shown on the lower right seem way underpriced at $350 including insured shipping, doesn't it! And I keep thinking my prices are too high? Yeah right! If you'd like to see more photos of this beauty, just click on the photo.











Here's another comparison: the large smoke gray cuff bracelet shown on the left sold for ... are you ready? $2747! And I'm talking US dollars by the way.

Moving away from bracelets and into necklaces, what about this beautiful blue necklace below that sold for just below $175. No matching earrings, just the necklace:

Now not all Sherman necklaces get a dollar as high as that but this one's unique: it's large marquise stones, surrounded by clear crystals and its lovely design set it apart from other Sherman necklaces out there.

That probably also explains why some time ago, one of my sets shown on the right sold on Ebay for $320. It was just fabulous and the bidding was intense. But the set was so unique with its huge stones and superb condition. And after all, it was a set! You can click on that photo to see other items sold from my site at SHERMAN JEWELRY SHOWCASE but it's far from the complete list. Surf around the site to find more recently sold items.

What I do find intriguing, given the high interest in Sherman jewelry is how few visitors to my sites will not buy directly from the site where the price is so reasonable, but they'll bid on it on eBay. I guess they're still hoping to snag the Sherman for less on eBay. Well l'll say this much: I usually get more for my Shermans when they're being auctioned off on eBay. Why do I tell you this? Simply because if you're looking for a bargain on Sherman Jewellery, eBay might NOT just be the best place to find it! If those prices above are any indication, it's something to think about, isn't it.