GLITTER IN THE FESTIVE SEASEON IN THIS FAUX ALEXANDRITE SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL VINTAGE SET BY SHERMAN!

It's been a while since we last had a faux alexandrite set of necklace and earrings by Sherman to share with our readers and customers but this time, we have a real beauty! Just click on that photo to see more pics and in large detail in our SHOP AT RUBY LANE.

Going by the construction, size of the stones Sherman used for this one, we know we have one of his much earlier sets. As tastes moved toward the finer, less chunky looks in costume jewelry, Sherman too modified his designs. So these days it's really great to find one of these older sets.

Even better, this set comes in its original box, and in that is another giveaway that this is an old Sherman: the later boxes all carried the "Sherman ... jewels of excellence" inside the boxes. Notice, that "jewels of excellence" is missing here but the inscription on that satin inlay is identifiably Sherman. So buying a set like this, in its original box, is a doubly valuable investment. Just the box alone right now would fetch $100!

Shown below is another photo of just the necklace as we subject it to different lighting so you can see the color change that occurs in faux alexandrite stones:


Isn't it brilliant! I'm always in awe of these crystals and get so excited when I find a vintage set, by any designer, with faux alexandrite stones. They're just so rare, and that makes them highly collectible.

It's intriguing to speculate what something like the set above would cost if these were real alexandrites. Quite honestly, most of us could never afford even one of those large stones in the necklace if this were the genuine gemstone. The large stones you see here are 5/8" long by 1/2" wide. That's big. Actually, because the stones in this set are larger, so is the weight of the pieces considerable. The necklace alone weighs over 60 grams!

Below is yet another view of the full set in its mauve color (ie. it changes from blue/green to lavender/mauve).


What a glorious color! By the way, the earrings are large. They run along your ear for 1 3/4" and are 3/4" wide at their widest point. Gorgeous, showy, glitzy but always beautiful Sherman! Buy it now from our SHOP AT RUBY LANE.

By the way, don't know if you watched the auction for this incredible Sherman cuff bracelet shown HERE. What a beauty. It went for over $1900 CAD. Just proves you can't really put a price on Sherman: it's worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it!

THIS WEEK'S SHERMANS AT AUCTION ON EBAY

I've been telling you for weeks now about Shermans being auctioned on eBay by other vendors and now it's my turn. Yes, I've caved in and have listed 9 of my lovely Shermans on that infamous auction site. I must confess: I'm terrified! Doing this could end up costing me a lot of money as I've never been one to acquire my Shermans cheaply i.e. lucky finds in a $20 box of costume jewelry at an estate or garage sale. Every piece of Sherman I own I have paid plenty for but the current market for costume jewelry is very depressed. And like any seller, there comes a time when you just have to unload if you're ever going to acquire new pieces or stay afloat financially. That time has come for me now and it's with trepidation that I offer you the lovely Shermans attached to the links supplied in this blog and on auction at ebay this week, ending on Sunday, July 5th.

The bidding on the fabulous older blue necklace/earring set shown at the top right currently stands at $89.88 and has a huge number of 'watchers'. You always wonder when you're selling on eBay how many of the "watchers" are genuinely interested buyers and how many are other vendors watching to see what you get LOL! I've certainly watched, but not purchased many pieces on ebay. That set above is well worth bidding on given its condition and gorgeous design. A very good set for new collectors to start with. Click the photo to learn more and bid.

If you follow this blog, you've seen the set on the left before. It's one of the most beautiful brooch sets I have and it features those rare and highly desirable faux alexandrite stones that turn this set from blue/green to mauve depending on the light. I've been totally stumped as to why this set hasn't sold from Ruby Lane as it's in exquisite condition and definitely one to add to your Sherman collection. Again, it has a ton of "watchers" at this point but only one bid so far. Don't let this one get away from you. I paid a small fortune for it. Wish me luck. I'd hate to just "give it away" on ebay! Click the photo for more details & to bid.

I know I'll hate myself for this but I've listed another of my faux alexandrites on ebay this week too. It's the incredible necklace shown on the right. What a beauty! 16 1/2" long, it's a combination of large purple and aurora borealis marquise stones and large round cut faux alexandrites that change from pretty blue to purple as the light changes. The rhodium-plate backing is still as shiny as the day it left the factory and the stones have superb glitter and clarity. A real knockout Sherman necklace in one of the most sought after stones. Place your bid by clicking on the photo on the right.




Probably the biggest risk I'm taking listing on ebay is with the Siam red bracelet and earring set shown on the left. Like all siam red Shermans, this one was expensive. Add to that the fact that we're looking at a siam red Sherman bracelet here, and well, again, if you've followed this blog, you know how high Sherman bracelets can go. But those that go so high are the wide cuff bracelets. This isn't one of those but it is 5 rows wide, 11/16" high, and has one of the other identifiable and sought after features in Sherman: japan backing i.e. the backing is black. Now I've coupled this bracelet with earrings but they are not original to the bracelet. The earrings are signed. The bracelet isn't. But the bracelet was acquired from a retired Toronto jeweler who sold lots of Sherman, many with orignal tags but no signature. He purchased his Shermans directly from the Sherman salesman who regularly visited his shop with new items. Without question, this is one of the pieces you should be bidding on this week at ebay. I tried for 2 years to find a Siam red Sherman bracelet I could afford and I still paid a lot for this one. It this doesn't reach my cost, I'll cry! But if you win it, you won't be sorry.


That's just 4 of the Sherman pieces I'm offering on ebay this week. If you slip over to see those, you'll find the others: 2 more bracelets (blue and aurora borealis), a pale topaz navette necklace that is utterly stunning, a pink/fuschia brooch set, and the outstanding aurora borealis swarovski crystal bead set on the right. Take advantage of my weakness in putting these lovely Shermans to auction on ebay. If you win any of my Shermans, you can be sure your are getting exactly what I described so read the descriptions carefully, link through to my Ruby Lane shop to look at the other photos and place your bids! Good luck!

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.