both rings from Etsy
I love jewelry and I used to purchase a lot of fast fashion pieces because I always wanted to have variety. Well after getting rid of a bunch of fashion jewelry I never wore (the best of which I saved for my closet sale) I finally realized that like in other areas of my life, quality is way more important than quantity and variety. It’s much better to have some good quality pieces that are your signature. Especially if they look amazing. And with solid gold jewelry, they always have a resale option later.
So I started by looking into ethical jewelry companies like Vrai and Oro (full Vrai and Oro review here), but I realized that they’re still using new materials for their pieces. That’s more precious metals mined from the earth (though their diamonds are man made). And I’m tempted by the aesthetics of Gldn and Mejuri but in the end, that’s all new production pieces and they’re not always solid gold either. That’s when I started looking into Etsy and finding vintage or antique pieces. And you know what? Those old jewelry pieces are usually so unique and gorgeous that now I rather buy used than new. And about 90% of the time you can find some really good deals for these used items. Plus the feeling of a piece being well-loved and cherished, makes me want to cherish it even more. There’s a sense of history to them. My favorite era for jewelry is 1880-1930s, which includes some Victorian era pieces and Art Deco pieces.
So who to trust on Etsy? Well I always stick with U.S. small businesses that have high reviews (both in number and number of stars). Also I prefer to buy from those who take the time to write about themselves on their About page. Then you can see if they are just a hobbyist or a legit brick and mortar family store. The family stores usually are more trustworthy but at the same time their prices are higher. When I purchase from a hobbyist, I usually will ask them questions about the item to see if they are 1) prompt and 2) know what they’re talking about. And most of the hobbyists with high ratings on Etsy are honest and legit sellers (they would be like me if I decided to sell my stuff on Etsy). And last but not least I always take my newest find to my local jeweler (found through a high rating on yelp) to clean, fix, and evaluate the pieces. I’ve purchased a fair amount of jewelry on Etsy so far and of the pieces I’ve acquired they have all turned out to be really good buys (well all except one, but for $100 sometimes it really is too good to be true 🤷🏻♀️).
So here are some of my favorite Etsy jewelry shops if you’re thinking about adding any used pieces of jewelry to your collection:
Lillian James Jewelry: A brick and mortar store based in Boston, this store has a wide range of vintage and antique jewelry. I purchased a pair of diamond hoops here when I wanted something Jennifer Fisher-esque without the brand new marked-up prices. I also was able to bargain with them to bring down the price by about $50. Not the cheapest around but they have fair prices.
EstateAntiqueJewelry: Purchased several antique rings from them and both exceeded expectations. Pretty good prices for a lot of their antique items when compared to other Etsy shops.
Majean Vintage: A shop run by two GIA gem institute graduate sisters in Lancaster, PA, they specialize in the really old stuff and mostly rings. Their prices aren’t the cheapest, but the quality of their items are really superb.
LoveAlwaysGalicia: Run by a former jewelry shop owner, she always has the most unique and beautiful antique and vintage rings. I especially love her selection of opal rings. Prices aren’t bad either.
LittleCoterie: Sara is a hobbyist I took a chance on, and it has really paid off. She has the cheapest prices when it comes to antique rings (and she only sells rings) though her pictures aren’t the best. But she is really good with her communications, and I usually ask her for more pictures of anything I’m interested in. She usually replies right away and sends pics by the end of the day. She usually doesn’t sell the super high end stuff but her descriptions are thorough and her prices are more than fair. Also she’s able to keep her prices down because unlike the merchants above she doesn’t spend money on the packaging (it’s just tissue paper in a bubble mailer), so if it’s going to be a gift you’re going to have to procure your own ring box. {2021 update: After not buying from her for awhile, I just purchased a ring from her for my bday (a beautiful big aquamarine ring) and she has definitely upped her packaging game. While she still doesn’t use a ring box (which I prefer since it means less waste), she does wrap it in a nice white cloth bag with ribbon and cute accessories. Her packaging is now one of my favorites!}
DavidJThomasJewelry: David is a former GIA instructor and has been in the jewelry biz for 35 years so he really knows his stuff. He mostly sells loose gems or old stick pins. I purchased a stick pin from this shop (at probably one of the best prices for Etsy) and converted it to a ring (which most jewelers can do pretty easily). It’s a great way to get a truly unique Victorian ring for the cheapest possible prices.
Jewel Conscious: Owner, Dimitria has a long history in the jewelry business that she goes into on her page (she worked for a lot of Bay Area jewelry shops) and has a trained eye when it comes to great antique pieces. She creates her pendants and earring studs from antique stick pins, and she tries to reuse/recycle all metals when modernizing her pieces. I love her stuff!
January 2022 update:
Thanks to Laura below for recommending Epilogue Antiques! I purchased an antique opal band from Nicole at a really reasonable price (I had been keeping an eye out for one for ages). The shipping was fast and the item was better than described. And now this opal band is one of my favorite rings! You can also check out her Instagram for special discounts and deals.
Pete Loves Jenny: Lot of unique jewelry for pretty good prices. They have fast shipping and it was very reliable. I highly recommend checking them out!
And I would not purchase anything from Crawfords Jewel, Search Ends Here and Heritage Jewelry Co. I got burned on purchases from them (they overstated the value) or for the last one my item never arrived and I didn’t get a refund (it’s a long story but they basically cheated me out of it). Luckily it wasn’t for a whole lot of money but I just wanted to warn you guys just in case they end up on your radar.
March 2022 Update:
I purchased a couple more rings with some birthday money from family so I wanted to add these excellent vendors to the list:
Eddie and Rose: I got my lovely toi et moi french cut aquamarine ring from them at 30% off. She has some beautiful items, but since she’s based in Brooklyn you can bet they’re on the pricier side. If you can get it on sale, it’s probably more worth it.
And here’s something I’ve learned, if you trust an Etsy shop owner with a decent presence on Instagram you can buy directly through them by DM’ing them. You can save money by eliminating the 6% Etsy fee (which as you can imagine is not a small thing when it comes to jewelry purchases) and tax (about 9% in my neck of the woods). I pay with Paypal so I still have buyer protection (and they still have to pay paypal fees). I started doing this after seeing some jewelry accounts offering a lower price than their Etsy listing price to their Instagram followers. So when I found something I liked on Etsy, I went to their Insta account and asked for a discount on the Etsy fees and tax (and sent them a screenshot of the item on Etsy so they would know which item I was interested in). Also I would only do this with Etsy shops with very good ratings and an established Insta account. Here are the two Etsy shops/Instagram accounts I purchased directly from:
1122 and co (Instagram here): I got a lovely mine cut diamond ring for about 15% off and the owner was very prompt on messages and shipped the item quickly. I originally DM’d him to see the ring in action (via a video—which tbh should be standard when buying jewelry because photos never do it justice). And he was quick with the video and the offer of a good price when I asked for a discount by bypassing Etsy. The ring was better than expected and arrived super quick.
Parlay Jewelry (Instagram here): I purchased a gold link chain that was damaged and converted from a necklace to a bracelet. I love how the shop owner “recycles” jewelry in this way, so he has a ton of chain and bracelets.
And last but not least, I also opened my own Etsy shop to sell some jewelry from my personal collection (I very much believe in a catch and release program for jewelry lol). You can find my newish Etsy shop here: Fairly Curated Gems
April 2023 Update:
Mungo’s Mine: She’s based in the UK but I’ve purchased several pieces from her with no issues in shipping. In fact a couple times I guess the Royal Mail was having issues so she sent it via DHL with no extra cost. I honestly love her antique and vintage pieces and several of her times have become part of my daily lineup (including a gorgeous 15ct curb link chain and three diamond old mine cut ring. Also if you purchase directly from her website, it’s a tad cheaper than her Etsy prices.
April 2024 Update: I just wanted to add here that I’m no longer purchasing jewelry from Etsy. I don’t know the credentials of the Etsy sellers (are they GIA certified—most likely not) and have been swindled several times now. I don’t know if it’s malicious or not but I’ve lost probably over $1000+ buy buying items that aren’t as stated (two of the times it’s been gem stones that have turned out to be glass instead of an actual precious stone). Of course it’s my fault for not going to my jeweler and getting these items checked out right away. But in general I don’t think the value is there on Etsy anymore. I now currently purchase all my secondhand jewelry exclusively from the RealReal where they use GIA certified valuation experts. At the very least if I don’t want to keep an item anymore I know TRR will take it back to resell, whereas I’ve tried to sell some of my Etsy purchases to TRR and it turned out to be fake or the value is much less than what I purchased for.