SHERMAN BRACELETS ARE "ALL THAT" ON EBAY!

Okay...it's getting to that point that the only Shermans worth watching on eBay are the bracelets. So much for Sherman bracelets being rare or hard to get! I don't think I can ever remember seeing so many on auction on eBay as I'm seeing now. What's more, Sherman is one of the few vintage designer costume pieces that is selling, and selling consistently i.e. it's rare to see a Sherman not sell on eBay. Correction: they sell if they're being sold in auction format. That means, of course, that the seller takes that huge leap of faith that the Sherman they're selling will at least reach what they invested or what the piece should be worth. And from my observations, the one thing that seems to do that consistently, are Sherman bracelets.

So if you're in the market for a Sherman bracelet, you might like the two I'm showing in this blog post. Both are very much worth buying. The one shown at the top is that lovely design you don't come across all that often. It's in warm amber and champagne tones and is 2 1/2" wide. Highly desirable. But wait! There's more: this auction isn't just for the bracelet: this is an entire 3-piece parure consisting of bracelet, earrings and necklace. WOW! This is one you should go for. It finishes May 26th and right now there are only 3 bidders but watch that change in the last few minutes. Bidding is already at $501.69. If it were to stop there, the buyer is a real winner as that would be a bargain for this set. I'll be watching for sure. Here's a photo of the full parure:


The other Sherman bracelet worth watching and possibly going for is the one below. It's another of those highly sought after cuff bracelets in those highly sought after colors: pink and fuschia. This one's a real beauty: it's 1 3/4" wide and 7" long and according to the seller, in great condition. But now, this'll really be interesting. You see, the seller in the parure above, started the auction at $9.99 USD and in only one bid, it shot up to $350. Two bids later, it was at its current price. In the case of the gorgeous fuschia cuff bracelet below,



the seller is starting the auction at $599 USD. That's possibly all the seller will get given the resistance ebay buyers seem to have to auctions that start high. (I tested that this past week by listing my gorgeous faux alexandrite brooch set on ebay starting at what I paid for it ie. $149 USD. It didn't sell. But I've seen similar sets go for more dollars when the auction started at a low figure. Yes, I was too afraid of getting less than I paid. Happens to me too often on ebay LOL!)

But speaking of that, I am open to offers on that faux alexandrite set if you're interested. Check it out HERE. As long as your offer covers my cost and shipping to you, it's yours. For that matter, you can do the same on all my Shermans right now while I'm in the mood to get out of this crazy business of selling vintage costume jewelry.

IS SHERMAN CRAZE CREATING GREEDY SELLERS or IMPULSIVE BUYERS on EBAY?

Okay, shoot me down if you like but I'm getting ticked off with what's happening with Sherman. Has everyone gone mad? In my last blog, I was incredulous seeing that gorgeous purple/pink cuff bracelet go for $2700 when the seller was asking $3500. I suppose the buyer figured they got a good deal. $2700! Let me think what I could buy with $2700? A used car? A vacation? A cruise? Groceries for our family of 4 for the next 9 weeks? I don't know about you but for me, that's a horrific amount of money for, well, what is essentially, second-hand jewelry that isn't even real gemstones! Oh I can hear the collectors and sellers groaning. I'm sorry but hey, this is my blog and I can think and say what I like. I just see it getting harder and harder to buy Sherman that I can afford and that those who buy from me can afford. So what's that got to do with the cuff bracelet shown above? Oh, that's another one that sold on eBay recently. This one went to auction ie.. not a "buy it now". Bidding started at 99 cents. There were 10 bidders. The winner paid won it for a mere $2485 USD. Ay yay yay!

Well if you're still in the market for a cuff bracelet and figures like that don't send you into a spin, here's one going on eBay now. Click the photo to go directly to the auction. It ends on May 4th. What's interesting with this one is the seller originally listed it with a BIN of over $3000. I guess he was excited after seeing what those others went for. But he's taken his asking price down now. You can BUY IT NOW if you like for only $1999.00 USD. Great price if you consider what the others went for. But wait! He wants offers. He's had two but he hasn't accepted them. So what does he want? It's very pretty and comes with matching earrings that aren't signed but look a good match. It's not the most in demand color, but it is the desired width i.e
1 1/2". So what's the problem? Well, according to his description, there's a stone missing. The safety chain is also missing. Maybe that's why the offers aren't what he'd like. Collectors don't like missing parts in their Shermans. It's not easy to replace vintage stones i.e to find the right color and shape to fit the space. And yes, you can get another safety chain. More money out to pay for repairs.

All of which brings me back to the headline for this blog: what is happening here? I almost feel like there's some kind of craze going on with Shermans, and it's creating greed: greed in the sellers asking super high prices and buyers fearful of missing out, are paying more and more. As a result, prices are being inflated. I see many lovely pieces on eBay being offered as Buy It Now's and also not selling because the seller's price is just too high. Or the reserve is too high.

I, for one, am feeling this is getting out of control. I, for two, am baulking at paying prices like this for Sherman or any designer vintage jewelry. Oh sure, there are those who can and always will be able to afford this kind of extravagance. But I'm not one of them. If this Sherman blog disappears in the future, you'll know why: I simply got tired of paying too much for my Shermans and then not being able to re-coup that investment when it came time to sell it. Until then though, those who are looking for affordable Sherman jewellery, know where to find me. I've got some lovely new pieces in OUR RUBY LANE SHOP now and also in my SHERMAN JEWELLERY SHOWCASE. We're running a Mother's Day Sale in the Ruby Lane shop and some of the Shermans are marked down to almost what I paid. Slip over and take a look...and pick up a real bargain! In the meantime, I'll save that $2000 or $3000 for my next holiday!

SHERMAN JEWELRY: TO BUY OR NOT TO BUY?

I never cease to be amazed both by what buyers will pay for Sherman jewelry, and conversely, what sellers think they should get for Sherman jewelry. Sometimes the two are miles apart!

Take that magnificent cuff bracelet shown here. This one was listed as a "BUY IT NOW or Make and Offer"on Ebay for $3500. To my shock, it sold less than 2 days to that buyer who's buying up all the rare Shermans on ebay for an offer of $2700. Now granted, if you have no holds on your budget, I guess you can spend that much on one piece of Sherman and yes, Sherman cuff bracelets are the be all and end all for savvy investors in Sherman. But gee, $2700?! I'd baulk at paying that for a 22k gold 2 carat diamond necklace! Come to think of it, I could probably buy that fine jewelry for less!

Getting prices like this for Sherman, on ebay yet, is unquestionably pushing the prices of Sherman higher and higher. Honestly, Sherman should be spelled $herman these days! I can't help but wonder if what's happening here could possibly go the way Oil and other things went last year i.e. it caused a balloon and suddenly it burst. Personally, I'd be rather cautious of possibly paying too much. "What goes up, must come down" as the song says.

But now, to return to my opening statements i.e. what buyers will pay and what sellers ask can be miles apart. Take this example: shown on the left is one very lovely Sherman set that failed to sell on ebay last week. It's gorgeous. What happened?

I thought it was exquisite: beautiful, unique design; a 3-piece parure yet and the bidding got to $271 USD and stopped dead. The seller had a reserve on it, which does often stop buyers. But I think buyers only stop if they can't see paying more for the piece than the most they feel it's worth. It's just like selling a house: you might think it's worth far more than the market does. So it sits there forever with the vendor sticking to his price and no-one buying. This sure can happen with Sherman too. I've watched one on ebay that I've mentioned elsewhere in this blog. It's been listed 3 times now and hasn't sold yet. It's lovely; the colours are desirable; the design is different and the condition superb. Why hasn't anyone bought it yet? Obviously what the seller thinks it's worth and what the buyer is prepared to pay are miles apart.

So, of course, as both a buyer and a seller, I'm always battling the dilemma of "to buy or not to buy". If I come across a piece that I know is a steal, I don't hesitate. But when the dollar is way up there, I have to weigh up that decision pretty carefully. If I spend $250 buying a piece of Sherman, will someone else pay me more ... or heaven forbid ... less when it's time to sell it? I often waffle back and forth, looking at piece, reading the description over and over if it's online, and being so hesitant to make the decision that I've walked away more often than I've bought. Actually when I think of it, that's a bit for a rule for me: if I take 48 hours to decide and still can't decide, I walk away.

I'm the same with buying a dress: if there's something that just isn't making me feel "I've got to have this", I walk away. Most of the time, I'm glad I made that decision. But it's different with a dress or anything you can buy in a retail outlet where you can try it on, touch it, turn it and see if it feels right all the way. Buying online can be very difficult. All you have is photos and a description and the hope that the seller is being honest and accurate. And unfortunately, not many sellers are honest and accurate about what they're selling.

Well time to wrap this up but not without quoting what one of my regular Sherman buyers once wrote to me. She said the reasons she buys so much Sherman from me are:

1) fabulously good photos showing all sides of the item 2) my willingness to disclose the exact condition of the item even if it's not the best ie. wear to the plate backing, damaged or cloudy stones, accurate details re lengths etc 3) my prices are in line with the desirability of the piece ie. rare or common color? signed or not signed? excellent or mediocre condition; single piece, demi or parure?

All of those factors are important when buying Sherman or any designer vintage jewelry, especially if you're buying online. She who hesitates too long might lose out but conversely, jumping in when you're not sure isn't wise either. The adage is true: asking questions is a sign of intelligence. So ask questions, clarify details, and make sure the item is within your budget before you invest in your next piece of Sherman.

We are always adding "new" affordable Shermans to our shelves in OUR SHOP AT RUBY LANE, and our site at SHERMAN JEWELLERY SHOWCASE. So bookmark those sites and check them often. Coming to our shop soon ... the gorgeous set shown below in citrine and topaz!

A SHERMAN BRACELET TO DIE FOR! SOLD FOR $1257 US on EBAY!

Sorry I haven't been around lately. The March Madness sale in our SHOP AT RUBY LANE was super busy and some of our customers got some great deals on all our jewelry, including our Shermans. It was truly a case of "first in, best dressed"! Now I'm busy re-building my stock of Shermans. I've got some lovely pieces to tell you about but I'll save those for another post because right now, I want to tell you about the incredible bracelet on auction right now on Ebay and shown in the photo above.

Mind you, by the time you read this, that auction will be over and I'm going to make a guess that the bidding will exceed $700 USD for this one. Even now as I write, with 2 hours to go, it's already over $500. Who will be the lucky winner? At a guess, it'll be that buyer who's been buying up all the Shermans on ebay. Her bid is currently the high one: surprise, surprise ... NOT!

In the event that you stumble across this post in a month or two when the auction is no longer showing on ebay, here's the ID number for that auction: 360142850200 You'll be able to locate it for a while. In the meantime, let's talk about why this bracelet is one "to die for".


The first thing that should jump at you is the gorgeous design: pure artistry. This features a gorgeous array of various shaped stones. Now look at the symmetry! As for color, the stones apparently are a combination of purple, clear, bronze, gold and clear. And then there's the other rare factor: the width of the bracelet: it's a little over 2 1/2" wide! Now that's a wide Sherman bracelet! Do you know how hard it is to get Sherman bracelets of that width, let alone one with this fabulous design? That's what makes this bracelet one to die for!

Unfortunately, I can't afford to die for it. Way beyond my budget but I'll happily watch someone else win it. I'll let you know in my next post (which will be about some of the Sherman bracelets I've got for sale and that we ordinary folk can afford) what this one went for. The photo below shows how it looks on a wrist. Too bad it'll never be on mine. But if you have the good luck to come across a Sherman bracelet like this one at a great price, and I have seen others like this, then grab it. This is a collector's piece all the way! And yes, it's signed "Sherman"




LATE BREAKING NEWS ON THIS AUCTION:

I just checked. Boy was I off the mark. I thought it would go for $750 or thereabouts. Well, as you can see from the headline, it went for $1257 USD! And that buyer who's been buying all the Shermans on ebay missed it by $7. Ouch! But can you believe it? That's more money than I can get for genuine gold, diamond and gemstone jewelry pieces. I don't think Gustave Sherman would have believed his "fabulous fakes" could be worth more than the real thing!

So is Sherman jewellery a wise investment? Come visit OUR SHOP AT RUBY LANE or our site at SHERMAN JEWELLERY SHOWCASE and start collecting at reasonable prices!

SHERMAN SALES STILL HOT .. AT LEAST ON EBAY!

Tonight, in my other blog at THE VINTAGE JEWELRY BLOGGER, I got talking about how difficult those selling designer vintage jewelry are finding sales lately. After all, this is the time of year that sales of glitzy rhinestones start going through the roof as everyone brings out the glittery adornments for those festive get-togethers. Yet, I'm finding many of my sales associates are struggling to get sales, so much so that some are selling off huge lots of lovingly collected designer vintage jewelry on ebay, meaning they often get $5 - $10 a piece that way for items that might have cost them 10 times that.

But that doesn't seem to apply to Sherman Jewelry, at least not if you go by sales on eBay lately. Take that rigid cuff bracelet set shown here. Just for the heck of it, I took a look at recently completed sales, beginning with the highest, and that set above came at the top of the list. It sold for $922.65!! I tell you, I'm floored every time I see designer vintage jewelry which after all, doesn't use real gemstones or precious metals, fetching prices like this! Why I just sold an incredible diamond/sapphire 14k gold necklace recently appraised at over $4400 CAD to a lady in Greece for $900 US. Now that I understand. We're talking diamonds and sapphires, not crystals and gold plate! And yet, that's the value of Sherman for some people: it's more valuable than gold, silver, diamonds and gemstones.

And that's why the message of this post is that Sherman sales are still hot. Even when other designer vintage is suffering some setbacks, Sherman isn't. And what's selling? As always, bracelets, especially cuff bracelets like the one above. Secondly, sets. Sherman collectors want sets i.e. necklaces with earrings, brooches with earrings, or better yet, full parures i.e. those having necklace, earrings, brooch and bracelet. Of course, those are the hardest to find.

That's why my mission for the balance of this year and over 2009, will be to acquire as many Sherman sets as I can find and afford. Those readers who haven't visited my SHOP AT RUBY LANE may not yet have seen this incredible faux alexandrite 3-piece parure below:


That's the same set in both photos. Being faux alexandrite, it's blue/green/mauve in one photo and fully mauve in the other. This set is magnificent, with semi-rigid bracelet, earrings and a most unusual brooch to round out the parure. Click the photos above to see more views in our SHOP AT RUBY LANE.

We have some other recently added, exquisite necklace/earring sets in that shop as well. Why not slip over now and take a look around. Some are even on "Clearance" right now so you can pick yourself up a bargain. As temps cool down, one thing is certain: Sherman is still hot!

BRACELETS BY GUSTAVE SHERMAN

Tonight I want to talk about Sherman bracelets, those exquisite adornments for ladies' wrists!

Gustave Sherman made some incredibly beautiful bracelets and what I've found hard is trying to acquire them. For one thing, while you'll find tons of brooches, earrings and necklaces by Sherman, bracelets are much harder to come by. Valerie Hammond, in her book "All that Glitters" states that while bracelets were popular when Sherman was making them, they weren't as prolific, and hence today, they are somewhat scarce. Again, how accurate that statement is is anyone's guess. What I have found though to support her statement is that when someone is auctioning off Sherman bracelets on Ebay, there's always lots of interest and the price sometimes is unbelievable.


Take the one in the photo above. It sold on July 9, 2008 for just short of $1600 US! Ouch! Mind you, it's a rare bracelet with its rigid cuff construction and it's huge size i.e. about 2 1/4" large and 2 1/2" in diameter.

Apart from their beauty, Sherman bracelets have much attention to detail e.g. his use of the "butterfly" clasp closure in such a way that the clasp was nearly invisible. Sherman placed interlocking crystals over the clasp so you couldn't easily tell where the bracelet started or ended except for the little safety chain found on all Sherman bracelets.


Unfortuately, I don't have too many Sherman bracelets in my collection but I do have the magnificent 3-piece set (parure) above. This photo is good but it just doesn't do it justice. The blue color is fantastic. The bracelet is 6 3/4" long with alternating rows of swarovski crystals and aurora borealis. The triangular brooch is about 1 3/4" in diameter. Please click the photo above to see more views of this fabulous Sherman set. Remember, when you're buying designer vintage jewelry, sets and parures are more valuable to a collector than single individual pieces. And you'll be pleased to know you can purchase this set from my RUBY LANE SHOP for 1/4 of the price that person paid for just the bracelet mentioned in this blog!