A Thing Of Beauty Is A Joy Forever

Let me ask you a question, do you own anything, or previously owned something, that was so beautiful to have that you didn’t want to be parted with it?

The whole point of owning this piece was not to ‘impress’ others, but to fill your heart with joy. You loved this item. The thought of being separated from this beautiful ‘piece’ left you with a sense of sorrow and sadness.

It could be a beautiful home, a fabulous car, a piece of antique jewellery, a painting or an antique.

During the pandemic I started checking out the Auctions. Some fabulous items were coming onto the market, clearly these were from ‘Estate Sales’. The benefactors either didn’t want to own these, or on a more practical level, needed the money for immediate expenses.

Some of the stories I read on Medium talk about how crazy people are getting into debt to buy a big house, or a beautiful car to impress others. Sorry to have to break this to you but you’re missing the point.

If, owning something fabulous brings you immense pleasure; lifts you up when you’re feeling down, and generally makes you smile every time you wear it, or drive it … then it’s got to be worth it!

It will encourage you to do something SPECIAL because you feel ‘Special’.

Whenever I talk about this to friends, they often say “you can’t take it with you”. True, but if you live to 70 years or beyond, then surely you will want to fill some of those years with happiness and joy.

When I first started out, there were glaring gaps in my knowledge. I knew from studying for my qualifications, the only way to learn something was to write about it.

You have to have passion for the ambition you want to achieve.

So, encouraged by the stories I read on Medium I wrote a Kindle book called “Selling Antique Jewellery” and self published this book on Amazon, changing my name to ‘Jayne Austen’.

It’s not on the best seller list yet, you’ll be amazed to hear, its ticking up sales slowly but surely.

The whole point of the book was to acquire knowledge.

Auction Prices at the time were very reasonable

The prices were amazingly low, so I bought items that I believed would sell easily for a profit in Online Auctions, such as eBay. Then, I could market these to a worldwide audience.

The result has been a steady flow of income to supplement my pension.

“Never Trust Money More Than Gold”

A sentiment very dear to many people’s hearts. Sovereigns and Krugerrands are made with high quality 22 carat gold.

Whenever I’m looking to buy gold sovereigns a ‘watch’ is registered against any interesting lots. These are often coins set in a 9 carat pendant mount and a chain, the 9ct gold part sells for less than it’s market value, giving an immediate profit.

Also, of great value are sovereigns struck at the Monarch’s jubilee, or their passing.

Uncirculated coins in their original box with paperwork are highly prized, and whilst they may cost a fraction more, are definitely worth the investment.

If gold coins aren’t your thing, then perhaps you should consider gold jewellery. However with so many fakes around probably the safest investment is in Antique Jewellery.

Hallmarks on Antique Jewellery will authenticate it as being genuine more so than modern Jewellery, which can be easier to fake. I recently read about a jeweller who bought scrap gold and was tricked out of lot of money because he didn’t have equipment sophisticated enough to test the gold as genuine, his testing equipment was very amateur.

If you just do yourself one favour, find something that inspires you and go for it with all your heart and soul and mind.